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Infrastructure Support - IT Staffing Services

Interview Thank You Note Tips for IT Consultants

Most IT consultants hunting for new IT jobs know a lot about how to polish resumes and ace interviews.  However, it’s almost as important for IT contractors to do something they rarely do: write excellent thank you notes after interviews. Here are some pointers that will help you write thank you notes that wow IT recruiters, IT staffing firms, and hiring managers.

Write a timely thank you note, but take your time writing it.  Whether you send the thank you note yourself, or your technical recruiters or IT recruiting agencies send them for you, make sure the note is free of errors and thoughtful.  It will make a far worse impression to just dash a note off for the sake of doing so—no matter how good the interview may have gone.

Don’t cross any boundaries. Being overly friendly or familiar in your note will make the hiring managers uncomfortable and your IT staffing agencies upset with you.  Remember to remain professional in the note.

Make sure the note highlights not only why you’d be a great candidate, but also shows that you paid attention and learned more about the company.  Making the note all about your own candidacy will make you look like less than a team player.

Important Texting Tips for IT Consultants

With smartphones becoming more and more prevalent, IT recruiters and IT consultants are finding that they’re using texting more and more often in their IT jobs and their IT job searches.  While the nature of texting is always a bit more casual, there are a few things IT contractors should avoid when texting with colleagues, clients, or technical recruiters and IT staffing firms.

Firstly, IT professionals should never use texting to schedule things.  You don’t know if your text will be received.  Sometimes texting isn’t a mode of communication somebody uses, or uses frequently enough.  A phone call or email makes things obvious and lets you know that everyone is aware of the date, location and time of a meeting.

Secondly, always double-check your messages before sending them.  Autocorrect can make a mess of a professional, well-worded message.  Don’t risk offending somebody or coming off poorly, especially when they hold your career in their hands.  Take a few seconds to re-read texts before sending them to IT staffing companies, coworkers, or clients.

Lastly, leave all negativity out of texts.  While in a phone conversation you can soften the blow of bad news or any negative statements, you can’t do the same in a text.  It’s better to keep texts neutral or collegial and warm, because you know there is no way you’ll be upsetting the recipient.

Emails Your IT Coworkers Will Always Read and Respond To

All IT professionals have, at some point or another, had a tough time getting their IT managers or coworkers to read or respond to an email. Information technology is a busy field, and sometimes IT contractors are too swamped to be able to respond to all their emails quickly. In these cases, IT consultants should want to get attention with their emails, but not be too aggressive and build bad reputations (perhaps tarnishing their chances of working with IT recruiters again or getting new IT Jobs). Here are some ways to make sure that your emails are read, but IT headhunters and IT staffing firms don’t know you as the one who’s ‘difficult to work with.’

1. Start with a really positive re line. If you use things people want to hear, like ‘Good news,’ you’ll definitely increase the likelihood your emails will be seen and responded to. It’s always easier to respond to a pleasant, positive email.

2. Make a reference to a request they’ve made or one of their top priorities (if it’s actually relevant) in your re line and early on in your email. It’s always a sure way to get somebody’s attention if you write your email with their perspectives and values in mind.

3. Keep it quick. Whatever the content you use, keep your email short. Shorter emails are easier to respond to. In a time crunch, the easier your email is to deal with, the more likely you’ll get a response.

 

Words IT Professionals Shouldn’t Use in Their LinkedIn Profiles

Any IT contractors looking for new IT jobs know that their LinkedIn profile is almost as important as resumes are.  IT recruiting agencies and new potential employers alike are drawn to IT consultants with concise, effective LinkedIn profiles that clearly demonstrate their experience in the information technology industry.  Here are some key words to scrub from your profile (and resumes) so technical recruiters and IT staffing agencies start calling you nonstop.

  1. Buzzwords: People-pleaser, synergy, team player, go-getter, etc.  Just hold back on these.  They don’t actually do you any favors because they’ve been used so frequently that they’re pretty meaningless.  It’s also far more effective to show you have these qualities through any achievements at work or recommendations you get from previous bosses, etc.
  2. I, Me, My, She, He, and other pronouns.  Generally, you don’t need to be speaking about yourself or others directly.  Doing so can get awkward at best and look downright narcissistic in the worst case scenario. While it wasn’t always true, IT companies currently tend to really value hiring somebody with a great personality.  Don’t risk making it look like you don’t have one by using pronouns in your LI profile.
  3. Ninja and other ‘creative’ titles.  While these might fit into your culture at work right now, they may turn off IT headhunters or potential new IT managers.  Better to keep your profile pretty conventional—your skills and experience is what will really turn heads.

Handling Big Mistakes in IT Departments

There are some fields, like information technology, where mistakes can make a big impact.  When IT contractors make large mistakes with big consequences at their IT jobs, how should their managers respond?  Here are some tips for both IT consultants and IT managers about how to handle big mistakes.

For the IT professionals who made the mistake: Start by taking action.  Don’t hide the mistake, because it will make things far worse—both for your company and for you.  IT recruiters and IT staffing firms will want to work with somebody who is honest with their bosses and coworkers.  Hiding mistakes looks very dishonest. Secondly, make sure that in addition to fixing it, you pay attention to why the mistake happened in the first place.  If you don’t know why the mistake happened, you can’t avoid it in the future.  Lastly, make a plan for how you’ll ensure that the mistake is fixed and will not happen again.  If you can handle it with grace and competence, you may even be able to bolster your reputation with IT headhunters.

For the managers dealing with the mistake: Start by removing any emotion from the situation.  Investigate the mistake and seek employees’ honest responses to questions like ‘what happened?’  Accusations may seem like the best way to go, but if you approach employees with a more collaborative attitude, you’ll get more help solving the problem and more information about why the problem occurred.  This leads to the second and most important point: don’t just solve the problem, figure out exactly why the mistake was made.  You need to know if your employee needs more training, if there are other factors at play, or if the employee isn’t able to meet the job’s expectations.  After the mistake is fixed, do some analysis and figure these things out.  Then work to fix these issues so you never have to deal with the same large mistake again.

How IT Professionals Can Excel at Phone Interviews

Most IT consultants have had to do phone screens or phone interviews at some point or another in their information technology careers.  While IT contractors should always be able to count on their IT recruiters to help prepare them for phone interviews, there are a few things they’ll have to do on their own.

1. Schedule (or make sure your technical recruiters schedule) the interview for a good time.  Make sure you’ll be able to get to a quiet place (with good cell reception) for the call and that you’ll have extra time in case it goes over.  Don’t put yourself in a position where you’ll be interrupted, distracted, or rushed.  Double confirm the time, phone numbers, and who will call who with your IT headhunters if they schedule the interview for you.

2. Be just as prepared for this interview as you might be for a face-to-face one.  Research the company, look over the job description, and refresh yourself on all relevant technical knowledge you’ll need to know.  If possible, have hard copies of relevant info, like your resumes and notes on relevant technologies that you can refer to if you get stuck.  Phone interviews might seem like they’re going to be less rigorous, but being the prepared candidate will really set you apart.

3. Be a little more enthusiastic than you might be in person.  You don’t have to go overboard, but keep in mind that the interviewer is only experiencing your voice.  Make sure it conveys plenty of personality and is just as engaging as you’d be in person.

IT job phone interviews
Don’t let your phone interview be interrupted by frustrating cell service! Make sure you schedule it for a time you’ll be in a good place to take the call.

Are You Answering This Question Well in IT Job Interviews?

For seasoned IT contractors, the question ‘Why do you want to work at this company?’ isn’t new territory in an IT job interview.  While it may seem like a simple question with no wrong answers, IT consultants can definitely blow this question (and in turn their shot at the IT jobs they’re interviewing for!).  What’s the correct way for IT professionals to respond to this question so they impress the interviewing managers, IT recruiters, and IT staffing firms they’re speaking to?

When faced with the question ‘Why do you want to work at this company?’ your best place to start is with your research on the company.  Start by reciting some of the awards, perks, and anything else the company might brag about.  Next, consider what the company values and find ways to match up your strengths with these values.  You may want to talk to your technical recruiters to get some ideas for this.   Lastly, take the opportunity to mention any connections you may have at the company.  If you know somebody who works there, name drop them and mention it if they said good things about working there. Having connections within the company, in addition to meeting its needs with your strengths and appreciating the benefits and achievements it tends to tout, will all create a great impression.

 

Skills You’ll Need for Your First IT Job

This spring’s recent college graduates in information technology are likely starting new IT jobs or just started them this summer.  While IT contractors fresh from college may have resumes chock full of skills and experience using particular technologies, their skills as IT professionals may not be nearly as polished.  Here are a few skills IT consultants should work on acquiring to excel at IT job interviews, in their first real jobs in the field, and to impress IT recruiters and IT staffing firms.

-Learn not to take things personally.  Negative feedback about how you interviewed, your resume, or how you’re doing at work is all going to help you in the future.  Try not to let it sting too much personally, because your feelings will get in the way of your ability to take that feedback and use it.  You’ll also appear a lot less professional if you respond emotionally or defensively to negative feedback.

-Avoid looking entitled.  Whether you’re old or young, this will rub people the wrong way. Having a humble, willing approach at work will make all the difference.  Managers and coworkers want to work with people who are easy to get along with and don’t mind pitching in to help the team.  Be that person and you’ll quickly gain a strong reputation in your field and ace your IT job interviews.

-Don’t give up easily.  If you have a problem, work hard to solve it yourself.  The best employees are the ones who don’t bother their bosses or coworkers over anything but the most imperative issues.  Needing to have your hand held often won’t make you look good in the future—at your first job or others!

First IT job skills
You graduated! Now it’s time to get ready for your first IT job!

How to Get an IT Job You Love

A staggering percentage of American workers currently hate their jobs.  While it’s unknown what percentage of them are IT professionals, it’s safe to say that there are probably quite a few IT consultants who do hate their IT jobs.  When it’s time to look for a new job, IT contractors will really benefit from making sure they prioritize the right qualities in their search.  Here are the factors that will make the most difference in how much you’ll appreciate your job.

-Does the job feel significant?  It doesn’t matter who it’s significant to or on what scale, but if you feel like your job is impactful to people, you’ll feel good about it.  Maybe as a desk support technician your work is important to the people you help all day.  Maybe as a CTO at a big company, your work is imperative to people all throughout the company.  Either way, it will mean you’re that much more likely to report back to your IT recruiters that you love your job.

-Did your IT headhunters place you with manager and coworkers you like and respect?  Especially in information technology, when things are so often team-oriented, it’s imperative to like the people who you work with and for.  If you don’t, you will probably call your technical recruiters seeking a new job soon.

-Lastly, does the job challenge you in a way that you can still succeed?  If you’re challenged in a way that’s impossible, that will simply feel stressful and unmanageable.  If your job doesn’t challenge you at all, you’ll become bored and tired of your job quickly.  However, if you are learning new things often and constantly solving problems that interest you, you’ll enjoy your work.  This might mean you should make sure you work with particular technologies or with a certain pace of work.  Figure out if job descriptions are describing a job that you can succeed at, but is not too boring, and you’ll be ensuring that you really enjoy it for a long time to come.

 

Your Hobbies: Your Opportunity to Shine in IT Job interviews!

Ever been in interviews for IT jobs and been asked about your hobbies? Most IT contractors have probably had to answer this question at least once in their careers. Maybe they even have it listed on their resumes. It seems like a softball, an easy question meant to put IT consultants at ease before having to answer the hard questions. But IT professionals can use their hobbies as one more way to show IT recruiters, IT staffing firms, and hiring managers how perfect they are for jobs. How?

Pay attention to a few things when you’re applying to a job. Try to figure out what the corporate culture is like at the company or organization the job is at. Also try to get a better idea of what kind of personal qualities would really help in the job functions (like being great at teamwork, for instance). Once you get a clear picture of these things, run through your hobbies in your mind. Do any of them give you qualities that would be an asset here?

Here are a few examples.  For a team lead position, you may want to highlight an activity that very obviously helps you develop leadership skills (like being a team captain for a recreational sports team). Another example: perhaps you do something in your spare time that requires a lot of discipline. Don’t be afraid to mention that (although try not to spend more than a few moments mentioning it in passing!) when interviewing for a job that requires you to work independently and reach goals.

Your hobbies cannot miraculously make up for any professional or experiential deficiencies. They can add a few extra points in your favor if you find the right way to talk about them, though!