Turn Your IT Job Interview Into A Home Run With This Tip
One way IT staffing firms suggest you can strengthen your interview performance is by asking a great question at the end. IT recruiting companies find that great questions are always helpful in strengthening your candidacy. However, they’re especially powerful at the end of the interview. Your interviewer is more likely to remember you well if one of the last things you do is ask a great question. Here’s a question or two that IT staffing companies would suggest: Who are the successful people in your company or team and what makes them valuable? Conversely, why have other people failed in this role?
There are a few reasons why technical recruiters find that these two questions are effective. Firstly, asking them shows that you’re thinking deeply about what the company and team need. Most people ask about the role and the job description. This question delves into how somebody in this particular role, at this particular company could succeed. Since sometimes the same role can look very different at different companies, your interviewer will really appreciate these questions.
Your IT recruiting agencies would also urge you to ask these questions because they show that you’re interested in more than just landing the job. When you ask questions like this, you’re suggesting that you want to find a job that’s a good fit—both on your end and for the company. IT staffing agencies never find that companies just want to get anybody into their open IT jobs quickly. Hiring managers want somebody who can do the work well and enjoys working in that team. A bad fit always results in lost money, lost time, and hurts the IT professional, hiring company, and IT recruiting firms. Nobody wants that. So next time you really want to establish your candidacy, ask these questions. They’ll make a big impression on your interviewer and your IT recruiters.
Why Saying ‘No’ Is Important for Your IT Job Search
When you’re working with IT recruiting agencies to find new IT jobs, you may feel as though you should say you’re very interested in every role your IT recruiters want to submit you for—even if you’re not. Maybe you’re concerned that your technical recruiters won’t work with you if you say no to role. Perhaps you are anxious to land a new job and think you should take anything your IT staffing companies offer you. The truth is, it’s important to say no to roles that you’re not interested in. Here’s why you should take a deep breath and curb this instinct to just say yes to every role your IT recruiting firms present.
Ultimately, it’s not good for you or your IT staffing agencies if you land a role that you’re not happy in or not adequately prepared for. There are plenty of reasons IT professionals might take a job they’re not a hundred percent interested in. Maybe they are desperate for a new job. Maybe they’re desperate for a new job with a higher salary. Whatever the reason, you won’t really gain much when you land a job that you don’t feel at least reasonably comfortable in and can succeed at. When you’re in a job you hate or are ill-prepared for, you’re almost guaranteed to need to leave it quickly—or possibly be fired. This isn’t ideal for you or your IT recruiting companies. When you’re searching for a new job, you want something you’ll enjoy, be great at, and be able to stay in for a year at least (unless it’s a set short term contract). Anything you stay at for a shorter time will probably just cause you more stress, unhappiness, and mar your resume. Your technical recruiters don’t want to place you in a job you leave quickly or are fired from. This damages their relationship with the company that employs you.
The moral of the story? Be honest with your IT recruiters and don’t tell them to submit you for jobs you don’t think you can do well and be happy in. Even if you have to wait for a job that you are happy with and can excel at, this will yield the best outcome for you (and thus your IT staffing firms, too).
Don’t Lie to Your IT Recruiters About This
When you’re working with IT recruiters to find a new role, there are some things you might be tempted to exaggerate or potentially even lie about. Obviously honesty really is the best policy, but it’s worth noting that you will hurt your search for IT jobs (and possibly your career) if you lie about your technical skills, experience, etc to your technical recruiters.
Some IT professionals are tempted to exaggerate or flat out lie to IT staffing firms about qualifications. They might be tempted to tell IT recruiting firms that they have more experience using a programming language or working in an end-user facing role. While this might seem like a good way to land a job in the short run, it’s very likely to land you in hot water in the long run. One consequence of your lies to your IT recruiting companies could be that they or the interviewing manager may figure out you’re lying or exaggerating. If this is the case, you’ll definitely ruin your reputation with both. Neither this potential employer, nor your IT recruiting agencies will want to work with you after realizing you lied to them. Worse, they may also share this information about you with other contacts in the industry and further ruin your reputation.
Even if you do land the job you lied to your IT staffing agencies to get, you might find yourself in a role that you’re not equipped to succeed in. If you exaggerated your experience or proficiency with certain technologies, you may find that you can’t actually perform the way your new employer expects. This could mean you get disciplined or even fired. It will also mean that your IT recruiting companies will see you as a less than desirable candidate to work with again. If you say you have certain skills, it will certainly ruin your reputation if you can’t prove you have them. Getting fired or just performing at a sub-par level will obviously hurt your career a bit, too. You want to be as successful as possible in every job you take. While it’s not possible to be the top employee in every job, it’s like shooting yourself in the foot to guarantee you’ll fail in a job by lying about your qualifications.
