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Infrastructure Support - IT Staffing Services

How to Be Likeable in IT Job Interviews

If you’re interviewing for IT jobs, you may be preparing for them by checking with your IT recruiting firms on what technologies to brush up on, what questions to prepare for, etc.  You may be talking to your technical recruiters about standard things like where the interview will be and at what time.  These things are important, but IT staffing agencies have found that it’s often equally important that you come across as likeable in an interview.  It’s hard to say exactly what makes somebody likeable, but here are two tips IT staffing companies would suggest you use that may help.

Be a little humble.  It’s possible to retain a confident, competent air but still show a healthy amount of humility.  The best team members, the ones IT staffing firms place over and over again, are open to hearing new information and new ways of doing things. They are far from arrogant, which makes them highly responsive to feedback, training, and acclimating to new workplaces and managers. Show off a little humility in your interview—it might just land you the job.

But don’t ‘humblebrag.’  A humblebrag is exactly what it sounds like: Bragging wrapped in an appearance of humility.  You’ve probably heard a few humblebrags before and disliked it yourself.  You’ll need to sell yourself in an interview, but it will make you come across as disingenuous and out of touch if you aren’t just direct about it.  IT recruiting agencies want you to be open and honest in your interviews.  If you’re good at something, say this directly.  It will get the point across better and will make you seem like the kind of person who is confident and socially graceful.  Both are imperative qualities in good hires.

NEVER say this in IT Job Interviews

If you prepare for IT jobs with your IT recruiters and IT staffing firms, you’re likely to be ready to answer questions about technologies, your strengths as an employee, and to be able to demonstrate you fit well into the corporate culture.  But your technical recruiters and IT staffing companies may not even think to tell you this: Never ever say that a job is not your first choice.

Why is this important?  IT recruiting companies would advise that while honesty is important, it’s more important to let the hiring managers who interview you know that you’re interested in a job.  If you say anything that indicates that a job is your second choice, or perhaps that you’re equally interested in another position, they have room to doubt your interest.  IT recruiting agencies would never want you to lie, of course and you shouldn’t push hard for a job that you wouldn’t want at all.  It’s important to think about the fact that the few words you say will make a big impact on your interviewer.  If some of those words indicate that you might turn down a job offer, be give anything less than your best in a job, then you’ve hurt your chances.

 

Finding the Best IT Recruiters for You

If you’re looking for new IT jobs, you’re probably shopping around for good IT staffing firms and technical recruiters to work with.  There are a ton of options out there, so it can be overwhelming to figure out what IT recruiting companies and IT recruiters you should work with.  What makes a recruiter and IT staffing agencies right for you?

Firstly, you need to be feel comfortable with the recruiters at the IT staffing companies and be able to trust them.  Unfortunately, there are some IT recruiting agencies that do things that may not always be in your best interest.  You can research IT staffing agencies will often have reviews online from candidates they’ve worked with.  Secondly, you should feel like the recruiters you work with are listening to your needs.  They should submit you for jobs that you can succeed in and would enjoy.  If they’re trying to submit you to a lot of roles that may not fit what you’ve asked for, it’s time to reconsider working with them.  Lastly, it’s ideal if your IT recruiting firms that you work with pair you with a single recruiter who works with you consistently.  The best IT recruiting firms will make sure you can create a strong relationship with IT recruiters who know you and your career goals.

 

Don’t Make These IT Job Interview Mistakes

So you’ve worked with IT staffing agencies and IT recruiters, found IT jobs that would be a great fit, and you’re ready to interview.  Are you ready to put your best foot forward and really impress the hiring managers (and of course the technical recruiters who are representing you)?  Take a minute to run through this list of mistakes to avoid.  It could be the difference between getting the job and making a bad impression on your IT staffing companies and interviewers.

Don’t dress poorly.  Your IT recruiting firms will be happy to give you guidelines for how to dress for your interviews.  If they absolutely aren’t sure (which is pretty unlikely), then it won’t hurt to just go with a suit and tie.  It’s always much better to be overdressed than underdressed.

Don’t lose focus on the most important topic of conversation: the job.  Putting too much emphasis on the perks of the job, small talk with the interviewer, or anything else, will detract from your overall candidacy.  You’re at the job interview for a reason, so focus on that.

Don’t try to wing it.  Study up on any relevant technologies that your IT recruiting agencies tell you about.  Research the company.  Get a job description and stud

 

Improving Communication Skills for IT Jobs

As expected, IT staffing firms and IT recruiters prize technical skills in a candidate when staffing for IT jobs. It’s important to know that communication skills are nearly equally important for some IT recruiting companies and the jobs they’re filling.  Here are some tips for cultivating communication skills that will impress IT recruiting firms, technical recruiters, and hiring managers.

  1. Keep in mind the perspective of the other person.  When you show that you care about others’ wants and needs, they’re more likely to connect with you.  This makes for better communication and better relationships (which can be key at work).
  2. Keep the playing field even.  Whether you have more degrees, success, a better, title, etc, is irrelevant.  Coworkers, bosses, and IT staffing agencies will respect you more if you show respect to them and treat them as an equal.
  3. Listen more than you speak.  It might take practice, but listening pays off.  People appreciate this deeply and they will appreciate you more if you can be a good listener for them.

 

Unexpected Questions in IT Job Interviews

IT recruiters and IT staffing agencies can often provide you with an idea of questions you should be prepared to answer in interviews for IT jobs.  You may not even need IT recruiting firms to help you anticipate these questions—they could already be on your radar.  Sometimes, though, hiring managers will ask questions you or your IT staffing companies and technical recruiters didn’t anticipate.  Here are some ways you can respond to these questions gracefully and with the maximum positive impact to your candidacy.

Firstly, take a breath.  Don’t rush in to answer—it’s ok to pause and think for a second about your response.  Interviewers won’t mind that, particularly if you can give a great answer to their question.

Secondly, try to think about what the interviewer is looking for. Even if the question seems straightforward, it’s worth just considering that the interviewer is seeking a little more information.  For instance, one company asks how its candidates picture their retirement.  What they’re really seeking is the candidate’s interests and whether they align with the job in question. Good candidates will pick up on this kind of thing.

Lastly, don’t hesitate to ask a question in response.  If you give your answer but are unsure you’ve satisfied the interviewer, it’s ok to ask ‘was that what you wanted to know?’  Perhaps you think a question is meant to reveal certain qualities about you as a candidate.  Go ahead and ask.  You may even drive the conversation in a direction the interviewer appreciates, but didn’t even expect.  If you show that you’re thinking about the interviewer and hiring company’s perspective, then you’ll make a good impression on them and the IT recruiting companies they’re working with.

 

2 Times to be Honest, but Edit Yourself in IT Job Interviews

All IT staffing firms would certainly agree that honesty is important in interviews for IT jobs.  If you’re not honest as a candidate or the company is dishonest, you’ll wind up in a job you’re not able to do well or are unhappy in.  Nobody wins in this case– not the hiring managers, candidate, or IT staffing agencies and IT recruiters. There are some times when it’s best to walk the line between honesty and editing yourself, though.  Here are two instances in interviews when technical recruiters would advise you to be honest, but edit yourself.

First is when your priority is your family, not work.  Most IT staffing companies and hiring managers know that it’s likely your family time is more precious to you than time spent at work.  However, you don’t have to say this out loud.  It underscores the point too much and might scare off the interviewer.  Most interviewers won’t ask about this topic anyways.  In this case it’s all the better to avoid making strong statements about how you prioritize family over work.

Second is when you’re leaving a job because your boss or coworkers were difficult to deal with.  Again, this is the kind of thing that IT recruiting companies know happens.  However, when you speak ill of a boss or colleagues, you make a poor impression on interviewers.   There are a few reasons for this, but the most important is that it’s hard for them to know if your complaints are valid. Keep the conversation positive and focus on what you’re looking for in your next job.

 

IT Jobs, Danger and Responsibility: The Story of Pavel Durov

Most IT recruiters and IT staffing firms wouldn’t describe IT jobs as dangerous.  This is, of course, the case, 99% of the time.  Recently, though, IT staffing agencies and technical recruiters have been shown an exception: the wild story of a very dangerous IT job—being creator of Russia’s version of Facebook.

Pavel Durov, a celebrity in Russia on par with Mark Zuckerberg in the US, has recently become endangered due to issues between the government and his company.  While Russia’s own issues with corruption and censorship weigh heavily on this story, there’s another message for IT recruiting companies and IT recruiting agencies: IT is a powerful industry with a great deal of responsibility and power.  As it begins to truly shape our world and deeply affect our politics, Information Technology endows its jobs with a great deal of ethical responsibility.  IT professionals, and by extension, IT staffing companies, are not just coding—they’re deeply influencing the future.

 

The Golden Rule for Success in Your IT Jobs

So you’ve worked with some IT recruiters and IT staffing agencies to land your dream job.  How do you excel at your new gig so your boss and coworkers notice and IT staffing companies fight other IT recruiting companies to place you for your next IT jobs?  There are a lot of ways to ensure success, but there is one golden rule everyone should try to follow: Bring your boss solutions, not problems. 

How can you do this?  Make sure you think one step beyond issues that arise or you’re concerned will arise.  IT recruiting firms have an easy time placing the kind of employee who not only notices a problem, but can then anticipate for his boss what some possible solutions would be for it.   Employees who make solutions, not just identifying problems, their focus are easy to manage and work with.  These are the kind of people IT recruiting companies get requests for—employees that make life easier for their teammates and bosses.  Take a shot at this the next time you spot a problem—you’ll be surprised at how well this habit will impact your job performance and career.

 

 

Don’t Lose IT Jobs For These Silly Mistakes

IT recruiters see all sorts of reasons that IT contractors fail to get IT jobs.  Sometimes IT professionals don’t get jobs for good reasons: they don’t have the right skills, experience, or their salary expectations aren’t right for the job.  However, sometimes technical recruiters find out that their candidates don’t get the job for very avoidable reasons.  Here are a couple below that you can avoid the next time your IT staffing agencies or IT recruiting companies set you up for a job interview.

Don’t come off as selfish or too interested in compensation/benefits.  While compensation is certainly a very important part of any IT job, the best thing you can do is let your IT staffing firms handle this part.  Have candid conversations with IT recruiting agencies about what you expect for benefits and compensation before you go on interviews.  They can handle this topic for you, leaving you free to really focus on the job and the company in interviews.  When an interviewer gets the impression that you’re more interested what you’re getting paid, they’ll be concerned you’re not interested in the work itself.  This is a red flag you can easily avoid!

Don’t cross professional boundaries.  Sometimes, when people are either nervous in interviews or too relaxed, they can be less than professional.  You certainly don’t want to come across as a robot, but you’ll shoot yourself in the foot if you start to overshare, swear, or get too chummy with your interviewer.  Making your interviewer uncomfortable is the quickest way to lose a potential job, so keep things professional at all times!

Don’t show up too early or late.  Being either too early or too late are easy to avoid.  They’re also easy reasons interviewers to jump to all sorts of negative assumptions about you.  Show up 10-15 minutes early for an interview.