Monthly Archives: February 2012

Technical Recruiters, Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

Life is too short to sleep away nights and mornings, but if you do not get enough sleep you could be ending your life too soon.  IT headhunters often pride themselves on lack of sleep and view those who indulge in the recommended eight hours as lazy or incompetent.  Before you shave off that extra hour of sleep a night, think of the consequences listed below.  You may be doing more harm than good!

Physical Effects

IT recruiters who sleep less than the recommended seven to eight hours per night make take a hit in the waist line as they eat more during the hours they are awake.  They also are more prone to diseases and conditions such as diabetes, obesity, stroke, and heart attacks.  One hour less per night for a year adds up to three hundred and sixty five hours, which is more than two weeks worth of missed sleep!  Your immune system is bound to take a hit if you are neglecting adequate rest, which will affect your performance at IT staffing companies.

Mental

Ever have a poor night of sleep and can hardly think the next morning?  This is because your brain relies on sleep to retain memory and perform cognitive skills such as creating ideas, judgments, and rational decision making.  Your ability to respond and focus will be significantly affected, which is not only a concern at IT recruiting firms, but also a safety hazard.  Put the brain on hold and give it a rest!

Emotional

Anyone who has ever experienced lack of sleep can relate to the feeling of over sensitivity and moodiness.  You may become more irritable and pessimistic which not only affects your mood, but also affects hiring managers and IT professionals around you.  Stress from poor sleep habits unintentionally hurts relationships and can cause arguments that should have been avoided.  Rather than becoming cross with others, take priority of your needs and give yourself a well rested night.  You may return to the IT staffing office feeling like a new technical recruiter!

It takes about a week to adjust to a new sleep schedule, so make the commitment and the rest should take care of itself!

IT Recruiting: Interviewing When You are Employed

Whether you’re bored with a current role, looking for a new challenge, or simply disliking your position, you might be on the prowl for new IT jobs.  A common concern for these IT professionals is how to interview when they are already employed.  The IT recruiters of AVID Technical Resources can provide some helpful insights to those who are fortunate enough to have a position, but are seeking new opportunities.

Flexible

If given the chance, interview after or before work.  Interviewing outside of office hours will help ease nerves, especially first thing in the morning, while allowing you to complete your responsibilities with your current employer.  If do not have much flexibility, try interviewing with IT staffing firms during your lunch hour.  Make hiring managers and technical recruiters aware that there may be a time constraint.

Take a Personal Day

Take a personal day and try scheduling as many interviews as you can in one day.  Most IT staffing companies allow their employees days off for appointments and personal matters.  In fact, if you do not use them, you may lose them! Be mindful to not overbook yourself, though.  If you schedule too many IT job interviews in one day, you may lose track of your thoughts or run into schedule conflicts.

Do’s and Don’ts

When searching for a new job, never use your company’s resources to your advantage.  Avoid taking calls from IT headhunters in the office or responding to emails on your work email address.  If you must take a call, make sure it is in private and on your own line.  Provide your notice in a timely manner according to your company’s policy.  Tie all lose ends and complete your work.  Basically, your goal is to leave on good terms!

IT Recruiting: Do You Take Horoscopes Seriously?

Maybe it’s during the morning commute, or sitting down to coffee and a bagel for breakfast, perhaps it’s an after work guilty pleasure.  A number of IT professionals admit they read their daily horoscope.  Take it with a grain of salt or words of wisdom, horoscopes may actually be advising technical recruiters, hiring managers, and prospective candidates to make better decisions and improve performance.  Before passing the next opportunity to read your fortune, here are some reasons horoscopes may actually benefit you.

May Inspire

After reading that there will be changes in your life, actively seek and pursue new IT staffing opportunities.  The horoscope could motivate you to add spice to your routine or drop cumbersome tasks that stress you out.  If it were not for the astrology section, you may have not closed on that last placement!

Avoid Conflict

The astrology section could also help irritable IT headhunters to avoid conflict at technical recruiting companies.  When there is a horoscope saying to turn the other cheek, a technical recruiter may think twice about sending a sassy response or having the last word.  It seems when there is an impending disagreement brought to our attention, we will try to steer away.  The horoscope will keep IT staffing firms sound and on their toes in case of a clash.

Cannot Predict the Future

Are you in a worse situation after reading these predictions?  Most likely not!  So have some fun with these forecasts.  No one knows for sure how accurate these readings are, so share them with your fellow IT recruiters in an email when exchanging resumes or post some encouraging thoughts around technical recruiting offices.  While some may not believe the authenticity of horoscopes, they can change our behavior for the better!