How to stay on top of your emails
As a job seeker and an IT professional, you are very busy and don’t have time to be sitting in front of your mail client constantly waiting for the arrival of an email. Especially if you are waiting for job alerts, or emails from IT recruiters Boston, you need to be on top of your game.
If you are a Google fan and are already using Gmail, then why not take a look at their new desktop notification option. For those of you who have switched over to a Chrome browser, you will be able to take advantage of this right away. Other browsers will hopefully have this feature soon.
Applying for IT jobs and working with IT staffing agencies will require you to be alert of job openings. Most IT staffing companies will contact you as soon as they find that you are a fit for the technical position. But what happens if you’re working on something when that email arrives and don’t see it until it’s too late? This new feature will have a pop up message from your browser alerting you of the new email.
With this new feature, you will not be wasting your time refreshing your browser or sitting there waiting for a new email to arrive. In addition, the notification will allow you to see who the email is from. By being able to know who the email is from, and seeing the subject line, you can just ignore the message if it’s not important.
So if you need some help staying on top of your job search, why not add this to your list. Who knows, maybe you’ll get a notification from an IT recruiter with that perfect new technical job today!
From Back End to Front End Development
In the Information Technology field, IT recruiters understand that development is typically are split between front and back end work. Some IT programmers even have both. If you’re interested into getting into the creative (design) side of the IT field, technical recruiters advise you get started by studying the basics such as color, line, and space. These are some fundamentals that will help you enter into the creative world of website design. There are many different kinds of software you can use, but the most known is Photoshop. Of course there is some freeware in case you do not want to invest in Adobe programs right away since they tend to be pricey.
You can start by playing around with the software. Become familiar with the buttons and check out some tutorials. They can help you learn the different features available and what the software will allow you to do. Once you get more comfortable with it start looking around for some inspiration. You can find it all around you including your computer. There are many different design blogs that will concentrate on various design topics.
IT staffing industry professionals also recommend that you concentrate on fonts. Fonts will impact how you design as well as how you can work with the space available. There are many sites that will allow you to download fonts for free. In addition, if you are feeling creative, you can create your own font and use it to show off your creativity.
So if you have any free time these next few weeks, why not take on some tutorials and venture into the other side of IT development.
Arguing in an IT Recruiting Office
As an IT recruiting professional, you have to be able to build and sustain relationships no matter what the situation is. However, there will come a time when you and other technical recruiters in your IT staffing office will disagree, but you have to know how to handle the situation.
If and when you get into a heated conversation, make sure to remain polite and professional. You’ll lose credibility in the office for flying off the handle or saying something disrespectful. Throughout the conversation, remember to remain on topic. This will help your argument, as you won’t be switching constantly between topics.
Being able to argue on a professional level will show other technical recruiters that you are able to handle disagreements fairly. If it starts to look like others are starting to bicker too much, try to get everyone back to the main argument and move them away from the direction they were moving into.
Regardless, of what the argument is about, know when a break is a necessary for everyone to cool down. If you don’t get the result you wanted, do not sulk. Just make peace with the decision and move on. You can’t always win every battle in the IT staffing industry.
Brand Recognition in the IT Staffing Industry
Marketing your company name is critical in every industry. Think of the power brand recognition holds. For example, when’s the last time you asked for a “Coke” with your sandwich? Used a Q-Tip? Kleenex? All three items are actually the names of the products, not the action item. This is the power of brand marketing.
The IT recruiting industry is no different. When you think of temp workers, you might reference “Manpower.” When you think Finance, you might say “AccountTemps.” The goal of every company is to brand your name associated with your industry. The goal of AVID Technical Resources is to make you say “AVID” when looking for IT staffing needs.
AVID is an IT recruiting company headquartered in Boston, MA. Given the company’s explosive growth over the last eight years, the firm has been recognized as one of the fastest growing IT recruiting agencies in the country.
While most information technology professionals in the Boston and Providence markets know AVID by name, the company has been focusing on an aggressive expansion plan to market the company across the nation. While you’re not going to ask for an “AVID” with your next sandwich, we hope that you use our company name the next time you reference IT staffing needs.
What to Do With All of Your Old IT Gadgets
Over the years you have bought that new laptop for work, and the other laptop for gaming. Then you have all those different TV’s as technology continues to improve our television experience.
As an IT professional you want to keep up with new technology and keep up to date with all your gadgets. So what can you do with all of those products that you no longer need? We posed this to our IT staffing Boston office full of technical recruiters. One of the responses prompted me to write this blog. Recycle these gadgets and contribute to a green environment there are many options available.
I researched all of the options and found Best buy to have the “best deal.” They accept up to 3 items per household per day. When bringing in televisions and monitors, you will be charged a $10 fee but you will get it back in the form of a gift card to use later on. Another great option is just going to straight to goodwill. They are willing to accept computers and anything that you would be used with a computer. The recycling program is free and you can check out their features with the website.
One of our IT recruiters actually mentioned that the Apple Store is another great option. If you bring in an old iPod or any brand of cellphone, you can get a 10 percent discount when you buy a new iPod. If you plan on recycling an older computer, you can send it to them with prepaid shipping. If your computer is worth anything, you will get credit for any Apple store.
So next time you are cleaning out that garage filled with all your technology gadgets, it’s no big deal for an IT professional like yourself. Take a look at your stuff. Stop avoiding the tower of laptops in your house and start recycling them.
Making House Keys Obsolete
At a minimum, most everyone has a key to their house, mailbox, possibly office and car. In an age of wireless and consolidation, people don’t want to walk around jingling keys in their pocket. In fact, most of the IT recruiters I spoke with in our office say they only carry their phone these days. Technology companies realize the cell phone is becoming the only constant piece of equipment people carry around these days – so they’re developing more and more programs that work directly from the phone. Having said that, what if you could open the door to your home with a simple text message from your cell phone?
In order to do this, you might need some technical expertise so this is perfect for that high-tech professional who likes to experiment on the weekends with new technology oriented projects.
The parts you will need for this is a tiny webserver, Ethernet cable, power, wire, servo, and different pieces from a tool store to attach to your door locks. Once you can put all these pieces together, you will need to download a code which will allow you to send text messages to open your door.
If you want to try setting this up, you can check out it out here: http://bit.ly/fGxdyC. You will be able to download the code and see what this contraption looks like.
If you’re still wary of this technology, the technical recruiters in our office are going to give it a try. We’ll keep everyone updated as to whether this technology works or if there are still more bugs that need to be worked out.
What to do With Your Aging Laptops
Technology companies such as Dell, HP and Toshiba are continuously coming out with laptops with new features and faster speeds. As an IT recruiter, you want to utilize the latest technologies but buying a new laptop every year is just not reasonable. So how do you keep your laptop up to date and make sure that the speed on your computer isn’t lacking in comparison to others?
The cheapest option for most people is to just reinstall your operating system. The first step that IT recruiters Boston should take before starting this process is to back up all your important documents and pictures on an external hard drive. Once you have completed that step, make a note of all the IT recruiting programs you have installed that you still use on a piece of paper. In addition, if any of those have license keys, be sure to copy them down as well before reinstalling your operating system. By doing this, you will be able to get rid of all the programs and different files they have saved onto your computer which in turn will help it run more smoothly.
If that doesn’t help or you still need it to run faster to run certain IT programs that require more power, then you can always upgrade your RAM. When doing so, make sure to you use the same brands. If they are not compatible, your computer will reject them. Look at it like a heart transplant in humans.
The next option is to upgrade your computer’s hard drive to a solid state drive (SSD). It runs a faster speed and stays cooler then the hard drives that most laptops come with. Most hard drives run at 5400 rpm with is much slower than the SSD’s. The prices of these drives should be coming down in 2011, so if you ever wanted to upgrade your laptop with one of them, now will be your chance.
The IT recruitment industry is very competitive. Subsequently, having a fast laptop, with additional memory can provide an edge for technical recruiters who put in additional work from home.
Dress the Part, Play the Part, Be the Part
As the owner of an IT recruiting company, I firmly believe that a work environment plays an instrumental part in shaping your employees and further helps create your office culture. There are a number of elements within creating a work environment. First, there’s the actual office location. This can provide energy or even take away from it if your company is located in a barren office park in the middle of nowhere. This is why AVID Technical Resources, one of the nation’s fastest growing IT staffing companies, is located in the heart of Boston – smack in the middle of the city’s financial district. We took this a step further and purchased an office condo on the first floor, just above eye-level of those on the outside, yet still close enough to the ground level to see people pass bye and further create the feel of energy.
Another variable to creating a proper work environment is dress code. We have all seen the images of dot com start-up companies. Many of these snapshots show people in jeans and tee shirts playing ping pong or foosball in their office break rooms. The pictures give us a sense of reckless spending and casual work environments. It promotes free spirit without rules or boundaries. As much as you want to create a fun/healthy work environment, there needs to be a professional tone. By trading the jeans in for business pants, you’re naturally prompting your IT recruiters Boston to step up their game. Exchanging tee shirts for shirts and ties and will immediately prompt a change in professional atmosphere and mindset of your technical recruiters and IT staffing salespeople. Simply put, dress the part, play the part, be the part.
How to get people to arrive on time in the IT recruiting industry
When working in such a fast paced industry such as the IT recruiting industry, there are many meetings and appointments that you will need to attend and others will have to join as well. Between client appointments, interviews and meetings with other IT recruiters Boston, time is limited in a work day.
So how can you make sure that your technical recruiters and IT staffing salespeople to arrive on time? The first thing you should do is make sure that you always arrive on time. In the IT staffing industry, it is extremely important to have a good reputation. Always being on time and ready to start will make others trust you and know that you as a manager will work in the allotted time given.
Once you have established your reputation for being on time, work closely with those who are notoriously known for being late. Provide them with a warning, not only explain the consequences of their tardiness, but the ramifications of their actions. You must treat all of the employees in your IT recruiting company the same. Sometimes setting an example with an insubordinate employee is best.
As an IT staffing manager, you should always lead by example. If you tell your team there is no working from home, yet you’re on a conference call from your home, you’re not going to gain the trust of your employees. If you confront an IT recruiter for being late, then come in late the next day, you’re going to lose credibility. Therefore, always be sure to practice what you preach.
How IT Recruiting is Like Fishing
I may sound like a strange analogy, but IT recruiting can be a lot like fishing. The more lines you have in the water (calls/emails), the better your odds of landing that big fish (a highly sought after IT consultant). From both an IT recruiters Boston standpoint and IT staffing salespersons, ultimately the technical recruiting industry is a numbers game. For technical recruiters, the more candidates you reach out to, the better the odds of uncovering a bulls-eye for your client or possibly coming up with a referral that will land you the “big fish.” From an IT staffing sales perspective, the more cold calls you put out, the better your chance of landing the “big client.”
Must like any sales driven service industry, being successful in the IT recruitment industry starts with high activity and receiving the proper training. The following are the most important traits of successful technical recruiters and salespeople:
1) High activity (calls and emails): You can add other intangibles, such as networking, etc, but there is no substitute for activity. Ever.
2) Organization: You can make 500 calls in a day – it won’t do you much good if you’re not organized and can stay on top of who to call and when.
3) Follow up: Whether you’re following up with candidates that you’ve spoken to or calling IT managers, follow up/persistence is critical.
4) Writing Ability: In today’s information technology age, emails are the most widely used form of communication. Therefore, writing skills are critical. Poor worded emails lose credibility. Credibility separates technical recruiters Boston and IT staffing salespeople from the competition.
5) Building relationships: Simply put, people buy, and sometimes even pick their next IT contract, from whom they like.
Most important, the key to being successful in the IT recruiting industry is work ethic/drive. Without this, people fade out, or get out, pretty quickly.