Assigning One Dedicated AVID IT Staffing Account Manager
One of the main differences between AVID Technical Resources and other IT recruiting companies is our approach to customer service. Our company believes in going above and beyond for both our IT consultants and client companies. We often meet candidates at the client site before their IT job interview to introduce them to the IT manager. Stopping by with coffee and bagels for our IT contractors is common practice. On the client side, we separate ourselves from the competition by providing a more personal approach with each hiring manager. Where most IT recruiting agencies like their IT staffing salespeople to stay in the office and conduct business via the phone and email, AVID sends their account managers on the road to meet with the IT managers face to face. Although more time consuming (and often more expensive) we believe this is the right way to do business. Face to face, building a relationship, getting to know the hiring manager, their team and the company culture and environment first hand. In an age of technology and speed, this is becoming a rarity.
At AVID Technical Resources, we also believe in dedicating one IT staffing account manager to each client. This eliminates confusion, multiple contacts from the same IT recruiting firm. Most importantly, it reduces the chance of any company with IT staffing needs falling through the cracks and missing out on our technical recruiting services.
From an internal perspective, each IT staffing salesperson covers a very specific, and manageable, geographical territory. He or she is responsible for every company within their respective territory and are tasked with getting to know each technical environment and the IT managers that make up the company. This ensures there is no “rat race” to each company and no unhealthy internal competition. In return, the IT staffing salespeople help one another out. The result: better customer service for our clients.
Quick Response Time to Meet IT Staffing Needs
Companies utilize technical recruiting firms for their quick ability to deliver highly qualified information technology professionals virtually immediately upon request. There are many reasons why AVID Technical Resources is one of the leading IT recruiting companies Boston. However, our ability to identify candidates within 24-48 hour window is among the fastest in the IT staffing industry. Upon receiving a requirement, AVID typically has a 1-2 day turnaround time for all submittals. In most cases, we come through with candidate/candidates immediately, or within hours, of receiving the requirement due to our volume of recruiters and prospective candidates.
The secret to our quick turn-around starts with our hard work. Quite simply, the more candidates our IT recruiters contact, the better our odds of finding the best IT consultants for our clients as fast as possible. Our IT recruiters are also constantly proactively sourcing for both infrastructure support and applications development contractors and full-time candidates. Therefore, when a client calls with urgent IT jobs, our IT recruiters Boston typically have candidates at their fingertips.
Additionally, our quick response time is the result of our proven, thorough IT recruitment process. Once we receive a requirement, anywhere from 1 to 20+ technical recruiters Boston can be assigned to work on the position. The IT recruiters will then meet with the IT staffing sales manager (who is dedicated to the client with the opening) in an effort to review all of the details and provide any additional specific information. Our technical recruiters then tap into our robust database of information technology professionals, access all the resume boards and post the position on the many IT job sites that we pay for annually. All the time we’re constantly digging for referrals and networking to find that perfect match for your technical job opening.
Once we identify an information technology candidate, or candidates, and our IT recruiters MA successfully check references, they prepare the resume for submittal to our clients. This thorough process is typically completed with 1-2 days.
Why you should wait to purchase that 3-D TV
There have been a lot of commercials and talk about the new line of 3-D TV’s that companies have come out with. IT professionals have put a ton of research and work into creating these high tech televisions for consumers, but are they worth splurging for yet? Sony 3-D TV will cost you around $2,000, and that’s one of the smaller TV’s.
Just thinking about these TV’s is going to put a hole in your wallet. But then they there are more surprises. In order to view the images in 3-D you will need to purchase the glasses, a 3-D receptor that connects with the glasses, and a blu-ray player that will play the movies. The HDTV’s will not be able to work with the glasses and player so you will have to upgrade. How many people will actually put on glasses to watch TV? I asked a number of the IT recruiters Boston in our IT staffing company and not one person said they would wear them consistently.
With these new TV’s you will be able to watch your shows and movies in 2-D as well or convert them to 3-D with the television. The quality of course will not as good, but you can do it. This also means that your shows may start coming out in 3-D as well if these TV’s last long enough.
The biggest problem with these televisions is the fact that the glasses are not interchangeable between brands. It’s similar to the battle we had a few years ago between blu-ray and HD movies. You had to either buy an overpriced blu-ray or HD player and were then not able to play either movie within the system.
In the end, these ridiculous prices will go down. So those of you who love watching 3-D movies, don’t fret, you can still use those 3-D glasses for now and wait until there is a standardized 3-D system. There’s no use in spending so much when the concept is so new.
Digital Cameras vs. Smartphone Cameras
When you are going out for a day in the city or a dinner, most people do not bring their digital cameras but always have their phones on them. Most of us have made the switch from regular cell phones to Smartphone’s. We always have these on us and are constantly connected to the internet. These Smartphones are especially critical for the IT recruiters for the Boston-based IT staffing company in which I interned at this past summer.
I had gone to a concert a few weeks ago and had brought my digital camera to take some pictures. With all the lights on stage, the images would come out blurry or really dark. My friend on the other hand was able to shoot pictures with her phone at better quality. It turns out that the cameras on cellular phones have been improving slowly and now are even more convenient then bring around your camera.
Phones like the HTC Evo come with a camera that has 8 megapixels. In addition, these cameras are also equipped with an HD video recorder capability. Somewhere along the years our phones have been revamped and now are the only thing we will need. Your phone is an accessory that many do not tend to forget. Now it allows them to take pictures, shoot movies, and many other things right at your fingertips.
Of course digital camera makers are now looking into internet capabilities as add-ins. This would allow users to take pictures or shoot movies and connect wirelessly to share with friends and family. Not all the cameras have this capability at the moment, but at this rate digital camera makers may end up with strategic partnerships with cellular phone makers.
Therefore, if you’re a technical recruiter, work for one of the local IT recruiting companies, or just are going to a concert, Smartphones with camera/video options is the way to go!
The Importance of IT Recruiting Companies Having Affiliations
As an IT recruiting company, it’s critical that we form strong partnerships and affiliations with various industries. Examples of this include partnering with local colleges and universities to gain access to local talent; subscribing to numerous sites to post our jobs; creating social media sites to increase our exposure; joining and/or attending IT events such as Help Desk Institute seminars, Tech Collective and BBJ breakfasts; teaming up with leading healthcare providers such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Delta Dental to provide benefits and Fidelity Investments so our contractors can invest in a 401k.
- Colleges & Universities:
In the highly competitive IT recruiting business, it’s essential to form close relationships with local colleges and universities. As a result, IT recruiting firms can build strong partnerships with many of the premiere local colleges, universities and technical schools, continually posting their positions and forming relationships with key personal in the career centers. Such relationships can help gain access to some of the best up and coming talent, while further promoting the IT staffing company.
- Resume Databases & Job Boards:
Although most IT staffing firms can boast that their database houses thousands of local IT resumes, it’s imperative that their IT recruiters have access to additional job boards to ensure they have every means possible to find the very best talent. These memberships include: Monster, CareerBuilder, Hot Jobs, Dice, Net Temps and even Craig’s List. In addition, it’s critical the technical recruiting firm also utilizes social media sites such as Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter.
- Memberships/Subscriptions:
In order to remain current on new industry trends, IT headhunters should have affiliations with many of the leading IT organizations such as the Help Desk Institute, Tech Collective, NEHIMSS and their local Business Journal. These relationships allow IT recruiters to keep abreast of new technology trends in addition to networking with highly qualified resources.
- Partnerships:
In an effort to attract and retain the very best contract resources, IT recruiting agencies should have strong insurance and retirement offerings. Insurance may be limited to healthcare, but could also include disability and/or life insurance as well. Retirement offers should include a 401(k) plan, possibly even with a company match.
Candidate Commutes – Being Proactive is Better than Reactive
Being a technical recruiting company, our IT recruiters Boston are always digging into commutes with each prospective candidate and IT job opportunity. It always surprises us when a candidate agrees to an interview, then ultimately turns down the position because of the commute. Did the person not think through how they’d get to the job site before they agreed to take time of their day, the hiring managers and even the IT recruiters? Did the roadways change since you agreed to interview?!
Because of this, technical recruiters proactively press each candidate on their commutes. They will want to know how the person plans on getting to their place of employment. IT recruiters will also want to know whether the candidate has a reliable form of transportation, whether the vehicle is theirs to use or if they share it with someone and if they’ve had any recent mechanical problems that could prohibit them from getting to work in the near future.
If the prospective candidate lives within a public transportation route, IT recruiters will ask how far they live from the bus or train (or even boat) station, how they plan on getting to the departure location, what times do the modes of transportation run (to ensure it falls within the schedule of the client), then how far is the arrival location from their actual work site. Technical recruiters Boston may even go so far as to ask the candidate to test-drive the commute before committing to the job interview.
Because there are so many variables in the IT recruitment process, our IT staffing experts do everything they can to remove any obstacles that stand in the way from making a successful placement. A person’s commute is one such obstacle, and such an easy one to eliminate if the recruiters are proactive and pose the proper questions and/or scenarios: “If you’re looking at an hour commute by car each way, what happens when there’s an accident? Rain or snowstorm? Friday traffic?” These are the hypothetical that a prospective candidate might not take into consideration until after the fact (when they’re faced with a nightmare commute and a tough decision as to whether to resign from the technical job).
Even after 15 years in the IT recruiting Boston industry, even after placing thousands of information technology professionals in various technical jobs, it still amazes me how little some candidates think about their commutes before committing to an opportunity. Unfortunately, facing a grim reality after the fact doesn’t typically end well. Therefore, if you’re a prospective candidate and you find yourself answering a number of questions about your commute when talking to technical recruiters, I hope you can understand why the need for us to dig.
Where can you listen to your favorite tunes?
Where can you listen to your favorite tunes?
Being connected to the internet is as much of a necessity for IT recruiters as it is to movie stars. Music is something we always wanted to keep on us, but we can’t always carry around our iPod with us or listen to it through our headphones. So how can we keep on listening to the tunes we love?
A great option is streaming the music from the internet. There are many services now that will play the music you love. Some of these websites are Pandora, Last.fm, Grooveshark, and YouTube. These websites either play the same genres or specific songs that you choose.
Pandora allows you to choose a genre, artist, or song that you enjoy and then from there it will select things that are similar to what you chose. In addition you can pick which ones you like and don’t like. The ones that you don’t like will be kept in your account and won’t be played again. They also have an application for most smart phones, so if you enjoy it, then you won’t have to listen to the radio on your commute to work or on your way home.
Grooveshark on the other hand allows you to pick all the songs you like. Then you can create playlists just like you do on your iPod’s. They have a huge variety of music and it also allows you to download the application for your cellular phone. This option though requires you to get the paid version of Grooveshark.
There are quite a few options out there for you to enjoy your music while at work or on the road. So check out some of these sites and see which one fits your lifestyle.
Music sooths the soul and helps people relax or even energized. In our IT staffing company understands this and subsequently let’s all technical recruiters listen to music softly as they go about searching for high-tech candidates.
PocketCloud for Your Android Smart Phones for IT Recruiters
As information technology professionals or IT recruiters, we’re always trying to gain access to various networks to get your work done. Sometimes you may not have a computer available but always have your smart phone. So how can IT recruiters Boston get their work done without reaching for that laptop or desktop? PocketCloud is a virtual network connection that you can use on your android.
This VNC application will simplify your auto pairing to access computers with your phone. The setup is relatively simple since this application has an auto discovery method. You can use your Gmail account to set up the connection between your phone and computer. This will allow you to bypass reconfiguring the router in order to connect your two devices.
With the application for your smart phone, technical recruiters will be able to scroll through pages and access different applications on your desktop. Other professionals in the IT staffing industry will have access to any VPN’s that they use at work and be able to trouble shoot any problems on work stations without having to take their laptop out.
This can be relatively convenient for IT professionals or IT recruiters who are constantly on the move. You will not always be able to carry your laptop around with you and it can also become burdensome. So why not get an application that will allow you to do your job easily without as many gadgets.
Staying on Tasks in the IT Recruiting Industry
As we near the holidays, many of us IT recruiters Boston are straying away from tasks that are essential to our IT jobs and inadvertently having to work more hours without being as productive as you should. Why do you think this may happen? It’s not that we are intentionally ignoring work tasks, it’s just that it’s sometimes difficult to differentiate which ones are essential to our IT recruiting jobs.
To combat this, we need to figure out what exactly is wasting our precious time. Analyze the different tasks each of us go through during our workday and how much time we spend on them. Next, we need to see which ones are contributing to a final project that will help the IT staffing company as a whole as well as ourselves. If the tasks are not a priority for work, then we need to decrease the amount of time spent doing them and apply it to those tasks that are better.
Also try figuring out what tasks need to be done that aren’t being done to the fullest at the moment. If you cannot seem to find any more projects, talk to your IT recruiting boss and see if there are any other things that need to be worked on. This will allow you to give yourself a better name and also increase the productivity at your IT staffing agency.
Finally, we need to start making to do lists of the most important tasks pertinent to our technical recruiting position at various IT recruiting agencies. We shouldn’t have to wait for our boss to tell us that we’re not on track. If we see that we’re not doing the appropriate tasks, focus on projects that use our skills. Remember, creating tasks are critical to staying on top of to do’s. However, the initiative has to come from each of us first.
Various Motivators to Consider When Looking at New IT Jobs
It seems simple, but the most important thing to know about a candidate’s current situation is their motivation to make a career move. Different things motivate different people and it’s important to understand the big picture so that you are able to partner with IT recruiters Boston to not just find your next IT job but the next move in your career. Here is a list of the typical motivators that candidates should look at in their next contract or full-time opportunity:
- Total Compensation
o Does the IT staffing firm or client company offer matching 401k? Stock options? How long until you are fully vested? Does the company offer bonus potential and is it a variable or standard percentage? These are all things that add value to your base salary and can make a position with a lateral salary change more attractive.
- Set Yourself up for Future Success
o As many IT recruiters know, the value of high-tech professionals is largely predicated around their technical ability and/or knowledge of the hottest technologies. Therefore, be sure to investigate whether your company has outdated technologies? If they do, are they planning to upgrade? Are they dynamic and are they willing to invest in information technology?
- Benefits
o Do you have a family and 100% medical care coverage important to you? Do you need dental insurance? Is vision mandatory? These are all important factors to consider when reviewing an overall package.
- Location
o Do you prefer to be in the city or would you rather an office park or the suburbs? How far is the commute? Most successful technical recruiters ask their candidates to imagine the same commute during Friday traffic, a rain or even snowstorm. Run all variables through your mind so you don’t set yourself up for a big mistake.
- Work/Life Balance
o Are you a young professional that can work 60 hours a week? Have you “paid your dues” and want to work 8-5 and get home in time to coach little league? Would a free on-site gym or child care services be attractive to you as a candidate? Does the company offer flexible time or the ability to work remotely? Different companies offer different benefits, it’s important to see a full benefits package before making a decision.
When you begin your IT job search, it’s best to establish what is motivating you overall. This paints an accurate picture of what to look for in your next role.
Money may not always be your main motivator. If you accept an opportunity based solely on compensation, you are more likely to leave that role soon or later once another opportunity for more money comes up.