What Salary Should You Ask For As An IT Recruiter
The big question that many prospective IT recruiters are faced with after their final interview with an IT staffing company is what salary should they demand. Since the key to most IT recruiting companies is their commission plans, the appropriate salaries can vary. Therefore, technical recruiters must take a number of factors into consideration:
- Commission Plan: This is the most critical piece of any compensation plan. IT recruiters Boston who are confident in their work ethic and ability will want an aggressive commission plan. This in turn, would translate into a lower salary (as ideal as it would be, you can’t have both). If you’re an aggressive technical recruiter, then you’ll want an aggressive plan. If you value work/life/balance, then find an IT recruiting firm who is heavier on the front end (salary).
- Additional bonuses and/or stock: Does the IT recruiting agency provide any additional bonuses or incentives? Annual bonus? Stock sharing plan? Additional vacation time? These are all things that IT recruiters need to know before deciding on a fair and equitable salary.
- Insurance plan & other company contributions: In today’s age, health insurance rates are through the roof. Therefore, take a look at what out-of-pocket expenses you might incur with your plan. What percentages of your health insurance will the IT staffing firm pay? Would the money be withheld pre or post-tax? Is there a 401k match? A disability or life insurance plan? All these factors will have an effect your salary requirements.
- Vacation policy: Holidays are scarce in the IT recruiting industry as technical staffing firms must be open if there is a chance any of their IT consultants are working. Therefore, knowing you may only receive 5-6 holidays, dig into your vacation time. IT recruiters Boston work hard; therefore it’s critical to have some time off to rest and recharge the battery.
- Volume of requirements: Outside of compensation, this is the most critical factor to success for technical recruiters. Simply put, does the IT recruiter have enough qualified job orders to make money? Dig into req volume; fill ratios and other metrics that will help you gauge the realistic opportunity for you to fill positions.
- Company growth & opportunity: Unless your career aspiration is to be a life-long technical recruiter, you’re going to want to know about the potential to move upwards within the IT recruiting firm. Is there an opportunity to run the IT staffing branch? A regional role? Training other IT recruiters Boston? Dig into the potentials, and then ask for real-life examples of people who have been promoted into these roles.
- Personal experience: Of course your own personal experience and past IT recruiting production numbers are a huge component that will help drive your salary requirements. Your past annual revenue numbers can drive your market value up or down based on productivity.
- Personal bills & expenses: Figure out the amount of money you will need to live comfortably. This should be your bottom line in terms of salary. Next calculate how much you would ideally like the IT staffing agency to pay you. Make sure that is not unrealistic and competitive. You may not be sure what you are worth or what salary the hiring managers are willing to pay.
- Competitor Comps: If you can find salaries and hourly rates of the job you are interested in, you can compare them with other IT recruiting companies Boston. This will allow you to find an average salary range for the IT recruiting position based on the current economic climate.
Tips to Remember When Working with an IT Recruiting Agency
Job seekers approach IT recruiting agencies like they are job banks. Most believe that just handing in their resumes will get them an interview or even an IT job right away. Of course these are some of the common misunderstandings of the IT recruiting industry.
When working with an IT staffing agency, remember that you still need to do your part as a job seeker. Send your resume, establish contact with an IT recruiter and keep in touch with them as you work to build a relationship. Update the IT recruiters on jobs you have applied to as well as any interviews you have. Full disclosure on both sides makes for a strong recruiter/candidate relationship and an efficient IT job search process. You never know if someone in the IT recruiting firm may know someone in the company that could put in a good word or help your chances of landing that technical position.
Another thing you need to remember is that the IT recruiters Boston are not assigned to every IT job they have available. The technical recruiters are assigned to a set of jobs and then work on those positions. Therefore, do not expect them to be calling you for every IT job position they have available. It’s up to you to stay current with the IT jobs they have on their website, then have your point of contact put you in touch with the proper IT recruiter assigned to the position you wish to speak to them about.
Also, IT recruiting is a reactive industry. IT staffing salespeople typically receive job orders first, then try to find the candidates. Another misconception is that IT recruiters are like agents. You send them your resume and they shop it around. Sure, there is an element of that in the IT recruiting industry. However, keep in mind, technical recruiters typically receive the IT job requirement first, then source to find the right candidates.
So take a look at what you are doing on your part as a job seeker. Working with IT recruiters Boston to find your next job is the right thing to do. The more you understand how the industry works, the better your expectations will be managed, and then hopefully met. Lastly, remember that the stronger relationships that you build with IT recruiters Providence, the better the chances of you being their first call when that perfect IT job opens up.
Try Not to Take Things Personally as an IT Job Seeker
A job seeker applies to various IT job postings, attends interviews, and speaks with IT recruiters Boston. Sometimes you just are not a good fit for the position or the company. So how should you handle this after being turned down by so many jobs?
Try not to take it personal. Things happen for a reason so just look at it as another opportunity to find a better IT job. When you get turned down for a position there are many good things that can come out of it. You may not have gotten that job, but that technical recruiter or hiring manager has your resume and now knows who you are. Somewhere down the line a position may open up and one of the IT recruiters or hiring managers might remember you and choose you as a candidate.
If you do not do well on an interview or do not get called back for a second one it will be alright. Take time to reflect upon your interview. Think about how you prepared as well as how you did. You may not have answered all the questions confidently. Or maybe you did not connect your experiences well enough with the job description. This is your chance to improve on any of your weaknesses. The more interviews you go to, the better you will become as long as you analyze how you interviewed.
Job seekers do not fret. There are many more IT jobs out there. Getting turned down is just an opportunity to improve your job search and interview skills. Remember that every technical recruiter you meet is another connection so keep applying more IT jobs.