Eye Contact in the IT Workplace
A big way to make an impact at IT jobs is to correctly utilize a seemingly small thing: eye contact. IT staffing firms and IT managers work with more than just resumes; they work with people.
IT recruiters Boston to IT recruiters CA would all agree that a personable employee who makes a connection is preferable. IT consultants can make a big impression by making sure to maintain comfortable eye contact with co-workers and supervisors. Especially in the information technology field, where IT contractors might constantly have a screen nearby, keeping their eyes on the person they’re talking to will be deeply appreciated. IT recruiting companies love to work with IT professionals who are especially adept at maintaining the right amount of eye contact: not too much (which can feel creepy) and not too little (which can feel rude). IT staffing firms also appreciate working with job candidates who can correctly interpret eye contact. Managers tend to look most at the people who perform well and are reliable in the office. IT recruiting firms certainly want to work with the kinds of people who work hard to get that approving, interested gaze from management.
Does the Ivy League Matter in IT?
Do IT recruiting companies and IT managers hire based on what school you graduated from? Does any school name carry value for IT contractors, even an Ivy name? The New York Times recently published a column suggesting the answer to both these questions may no longer be a vehement “Yes.”
While the column has its own issues, IT staffing agencies have certainly noticed that there is a debate in information technology as to the value of a school’s name on resumes, let alone a degree itself. Getting IT jobs today requires getting the attention of IT staffing companies as they are inundated with resumes. Sometimes a college name stands out to IT recruiting companies, but sometimes IT consultants are noted more for their skill sets or a demanding recent job. IT recruiting agencies are also finding that more and more IT contractors are attending college than previously. This makes most college degrees, sometimes even Ivy League ones, seem somewhat devalued to IT recruiting companies. These IT staffing firms would rather see an advanced degree from almost anywhere than a BA from Dartmouth or Harvard. Then of course, there are always the IT recruiting firms that skip the entire formal education requirement altogether and would prefer a Mark Zuckerberg type instead.
IT (and the Rest of the Nation) See a Rise in Women at Work
Like the rest of the nation, IT staffing companies are noticing the increasing growth of women in the workplace. Information technology has long been a field dominated by male IT contractors and IT mangers, but as the economy slowly recovers, more and more women are showing up for IT jobs.
IT recruiting agencies could cite many reasons for this trend. Women are becoming IT consultants as education becomes more and more accessible to everyone. IT headhunters could point to the boom of IT-focused education programs in particular, which show up quite often on resumes. IT staffing agencies would also note that in a recession, companies will attempt to save money by hiring IT professionals who cost less. IT recruiters Boston to IT recruiters CA can all agree that women are still cheaper to hire than men.
Overall, IT recruiting companies can’t point to one particular reason, but women are definitely breaking into the workplace in significantly bigger numbers.
Pull Your Head Out of the Sand and Get in the Social Media Game
Information technology, more than in any other field, is not the place to lack presence on social media. Whether you are IT professionals or a company with plenty of IT jobs, it’s imperative to make sure you put forth an image of yourself on social media.
IT recruiting companies, IT consultants, and IT managers cannot afford to leave their presence on social media to be defined by others. By not creating your own profile, you are giving up the right to respond to criticism, harness praise, and present your own marketability to IT recruiting firms. IT recruiters CA to IT recruiters Boston use social media and the likelihood that somebody has already said something about you is high. It’s important to create an online presence that clearly and concisely defines you as IT contractors or your company for IT staffing agencies. Profiles are not resumes alone, though. They also list praise from others and competently and cool engage any criticism. The beauty of social media is that it lets you speak for yourself and add in relevant and flattering voices from others, thus creating the best possible profile for technical recruiters to see.
Being a “Yes Man” in IT
Rarely is it desirable to be labeled the “Yes Man” at in IT jobs. However, IT professionals could gain by leaps and bound in their careers by doing their best to follow the code of the “Yes Man” with their IT recruiting agencies and IT managers.
IT staffing companies are not looking for IT contractors who are obsequious. IT headhunters do value those who aren’t afraid to say yes– to more work, more risks, more leadership and responsibility. IT recruiting companies love to come across resumes full of varied, rich experience with increasing responsibility. Being a “Yes Man” in information technology is more about playing the career field than playing it safe—and this is very attractive to IT staffing agencies. IT recruiting firms not only love IT job candidates with varied experiences, they also love those that are easy to work with. “Yes Men” are great team players who round out their teams well and reflect well on the IT staffing firms that place them. If you aren’t a “Yes Man” yet, what are you waiting for?
To Be (a College Student) or Not to Be (in IT)?
Information technology became an early adopter of a debate that is now interesting to far more than IT professionals: Is College necessary at all?
IT recruiters nationwide, from IT recruiters CA to IT recruiters Boston have plenty of successful examples of successful people who didn’t graduate college, including Mark Zuckerberg. IT headhunters can vouch for the fact that plenty of IT jobs can and are done without BA’s or BS’s. IT managers are sometimes request that IT recruiting agencies find them IT consultants with more relevant experience on their resumes, rather than degrees. However, IT recruiting agencies would have a difficult time suggesting everyone forgo college. In a tough economy full of picky companies, IT staffing firms would be hard-pressed to suggest a college degree hindered IT contractors from success.
What to Wear to an IT Interview
What should IT professionals wear to an interview with an IT manager or their IT recruiting companies? There is no “one size fits all” answer for the information technology field.
IT recruiters CA will try to fill IT jobs for companies with very different dress codes than IT recruiters Boston. The differences don’t just vary from coast to coast, either. Different departments within the same company will require different dress codes. IT headhunters may interact with IT managers who dress in business casual, while company account managers or CEO’s may wear business professional. IT contractors, meanwhile, might wear jeans to work every day.
Though the dress codes vary greatly from company to company, there is one rule of thumb that IT staffing agencies would advise IT consultants to follow when going on IT job interviews. The best way to project a successful image is to dress at the highest level of dress in the company. IT staffing companies can enlighten you on this, but you can never go wrong dressing as well as the CEO.
What College Grads Should Do As They Enter IT
With recent graduates getting ready to step into the information technology field, IT recruiters can be a great source of advice for how to be the best IT contractors they can be. IT recruiting agencies would prefer to work with IT professionals who embrace the professional, 9-5 life. This means IT headhunters look for people who don’t try to live the college life while attempting to perform well at their IT jobs. IT managers want employees that are well-rested and take care of themselves so they have the energy to put their job performance first Monday through Friday.
IT staffing companies also want to work with IT consultants who are ready to work them—and many other people. Recent college graduates are used to the luxury of choosing their company all the time. IT recruiting companies need job candidates who are flexible and willing to spend time and work with people (including IT staffing firms) they don’t always have a lot in common with.
While there are plenty of other pieces of advice that could be given, all of it comes down to this: IT recruiting firms want IT job candidates who are not just nice resumes. They want people who are ready and willing to commit themselves to their jobs and companies. This means letting go of the college lifestyle—at least Monday through Friday.
Failing in IT? It’s Ok!
IT recruiters CA to IT recruiters Boston tend to subscribe to the conventional wisdom about failure: avoid it. But technical recruiters and IT professionals should seriously re-think their concept of failure.
As the founder of Linked In, Reid Hoffman, is now advocating in his new book, failure is merely an opportunity to learn in your career. Hoffman suggests IT recruiters and IT consultants consider taking more risks in their careers and become more comfortable with the result when things don’t always work out. The lessons IT staffing agencies or IT contractors can learn from risks and failures far outweigh the other consequences—even if it’s a firing. The information technology industry is an especially hospitable field to fail in. With resumes full of contracting stints and innovative projects that sometimes do and don’t work, taking risks looks downright de riguer. Perhaps one of the most interesting reasons why Hoffman advocates a healthy acceptance of risk and failure is the way he views career paths overall: They are full of uncertainty, which is a good thing. IT headhunters or IT mangers never know what great surprise is around the bend.
Small and Effective Ways To Distinguish Yourself in IT
IT professionals, IT recruiters, and IT managers can all do a lot to positively impact their office and people’s impressions of them in the information technology world. Sometimes these things are big, like projects you list on resumes. Sometimes, however, small, simple acts can leave the biggest impression on IT contractors or IT headhunters.
The first kind of act is verbal. If IT recruiting agencies or IT consultants find a moment to pay an unexpected compliment, praise somebody’s potential, or recognize when somebody takes a risk, they will create a lasting impression in IT jobs, IT job interviews, or anywhere else. Verbalizing recognition for the things people deserve, but don’t always get recognition for really makes you stand out to IT staffing agencies. The second kind of act that makes a large impact on IT recruiting companies is more kinetic. Doing something extra, just because you can, is always a shocking and powerful gesture to IT headhunters. Consider going the extra mile without being asked. Your efforts won’t be wasted—somebody will always meet you there later and praise you for it.