Job Interview Mistakes

How to Answer This Tough Job Interview Question

Technical recruiters find that IT professionals are often stumped by one question in a job interview: how would you improve our company, product, website, etc?  If this question stumps you, here are some interview tips IT staffing firms would suggest trying.

1.    Practice answering this question.  It might be obvious, but IT recruiting agencies would suggest that if a question truly intimidates you, practice.  Practice responding with a family member, friend, or in front of the mirror.  You’ll feel better prepared to answer it and may not even feel nervous if your interviewer asks it!

2.    To answer the question, most IT staffing companies would suggest that you start with a compliment—the more specific, the better.  Starting your answer on a positive note helps here.  If you can make the compliment show off your own knowledge, all the better.  Maybe the website has features you particularly admire since you’ve tried to create similar ones in previous roles.  Perhaps the product is user-friendly in a way that competitors’ aren’t.  Remember to keep this compliment efficient and on the shorter side so you have time to actually give your idea for improvement.

3.    Now give the criticism or idea for improvement in the most positive way possible.  This doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice confidence—IT staffing agencies often find that you’ll make a better impression on an interviewer if you give all your answers with confidence.  The way to keep a positive spin on it is to focus on the advantage of the change you’re suggesting rather than the cons of the way the company/website/product/etc currently exists.  Obviously IT recruiting companies would suggest you really need to avoid making negative comments about the company/website/whatever in its current state.

4.    Finish your answer by actively bringing the interviewer into the conversation.  Ask if your ideas have been considered, if the company has done something similar previously, or just try to get their feedback.  Again, this isn’t about breaking confidence.  You simply want to show your interviewer that you’re a collaborative person who’s capable of taking in criticism, new ideas, etc.  IT recruiting firms often find that the best candidate is usually the one that has a great technical background, but is also easy to work with and has good communication skills.

 

Stumped IT Job Interviews
Don’t be stumped by this interview question! Photo credit: airesa66 via Pixabay.

 

2 Surprising Questions for Job Interviews

If you’ve worked with IT recruiting agencies to find new roles, you probably understand that interviewing for IT jobs is a two-way street.  You probably ask a lot of interview questions to help you make sure the IT jobs you’re interviewing for are good fits for your needs and work habits. If you want to know about a company’s culture or pace of work, one thing IT recruiting firms suggest you ask about is lunch.  Here are two questions IT staffing firms suggest you can ask about lunch that will actually reveal a lot about an employer’s workday.

1.  Does your team often eat lunch together?  IT recruiters would suggest you ask this question to get a general idea of how friendly and collegiate coworkers are in this company.  It may be unlikely the whole team eats together every day, but if they grab lunch together a few times a week in pairs or small groups, this might say something positive about the culture.  If the environment really is very friendly, this question will probably spur the interviewer to tell you about it.

2.  Does your team usually eat lunch at their desks, or do they take time for a break?  Technical recruiters would suggest this question if you’re concerned about the pace or workload.  IT staffing companies can tell you a bit about the pace of a job as well, but this question will help round out your information. If employees are often too stressed and overworked to even take a quick walk or  go grab food, you’ll know the workload and pressure at the company is high.  That might be fine with you– and on some level that’s normal sometimes.  Sometimes a team of programmers needs to get code ready in a tight deadline.  Sometimes tech support will work through their lunch breaks to solve an important ticket.  The key is to decide if the job’s usual pace is too hectic for you.

 

IT job interview questions
Whether a team takes lunch together can tell you a lot about their culture. Photo credit: Pexels via Pixabay.

 

Are You Making This Huge Job Interview Mistake?

Technical recruiters see plenty of candidates who are perfectly suited for IT jobs but still don’t get them.  Perhaps they don’t interview well, got nervous, or arrived very late.  The most egregious mistake though, the one that makes IT staffing firms never want to work with a candidate, is when they act arrogant in job interviews.  No matter how amazing your technical experience is or how impressive your digital portfolio, IT recruiting agencies will not want to work with you if the hiring manager finds you arrogant.

What does this mean exactly?  IT staffing agencies find that today’s hiring managers want people with both technical acumen and great communication/people skills.  Things like a deep knowledge of C# may be important to some jobs in IT, but it’s likely IT staffing companies also need the person in that role to be easy to work with, too!  Arrogance is a strong mark of somebody that nobody will want to work with.  If you go to an interview and seem arrogant, you’re essentially showing that you’re missing a very key skill, even if it’s not technical.

It seems like avoiding appearing arrogant would be pretty straightforward.  Here are a couple easy tips that IT recruiting companies would suggest you consider, though.  Firstly, let the interviewers, their coworkers, even receptionists that you encounter, be in control and show them respect.  Don’t try to lead the interview.  Don’t ask the receptionist for coffee.  Don’t mention it if you’re inconvenienced or have to wait for anyone.

Secondly, if you don’t feel you’re treated well or are frustrated by something, wait to go back and talk about this with your IT recruiters.  They’ll help you decide if it’s a toxic work environment, the interviewer was acting out of character.  This is the advantage of working with IT recruiting firms.  They can help you figure these things out, without you having to risk appearing rude or arrogant to your interviewer. IT recruiters want you to land in the best IT job for you– and that includes a  job that you’ll be happy in.

 

Job interview tips
Arrogance will mean your resume gets tossed in the trash every time. Photo credit: Ramdlon via Pixabay.

 

Don’t Say This When You’re Interviewing

IT recruiters see candidates say unfortunate things in interviews for IT jobs all the time.  Mistakes happen and IT staffing companies rarely come across candidates who can give a perfect interview.  (In fact, perfect interviews are so rare that some hiring managers will tell IT recruiting agencies they’re rejecting a candidate because their interviewing felt suspiciously perfect!)  Here’s one mistake that is very easy to avoid, though: saying you’re a hard worker (especially when you say it’s one of your strengths or selling points).

Why do hiring managers and IT staffing agencies think this is a mistake in a job interview?  What if you actually are a hard worker? The problem is that this phrase isn’t easily proven.  While it’s easy for you to prove that you have experience with particular programming languages, or understand what great customer service for an end user requires, it’s not easy to prove that you are a hard worker.  It’s something that others must decide about you, particularly because it’s such a subjective thing.  So when you list being a hard worker as one of your main strengths as a candidate, you’re basically wasting your time to sell yourself in an interview.

What would IT recruiting firms suggest that you say instead of this?  As mentioned before, it’s better to point to things you can prove.  Especially in the tech field, being able to quantify your professional achievements can really go far with an interviewer.  Maybe you consistently deliver code ahead of the deadlines.  Maybe you regularly get feedback from end users that you provide excellent and efficient service.  These are the kinds of things that IT staffing firms suggest you talk about with hiring managers.  Clichés that are hard to prove (like saying you’re a hard worker) are just a waste of your time and the hiring manager’s time.  So avoid this easy mistake the next time your IT recruiting companies set you up for an interview!

 

Mistakes IT Job Interviews
Saying you’re a hard worker isn’t going to help you in IT job interviews. Photo credit: Geralt via Pixabay.

 

How to Interview for Your Dream Job

When your IT recruiters set you up for an interview for your dream job, your first instinct is to probably to tell your interviewer that.  You probably just want to gush to your interviewer about why this job is everything you told your IT staffing firms that you wanted.  Some IT professionals even say this their dream job– even if it isn’t.  Plenty of technical recruiters have had candidates say this in hopes of landing a job.  The problem is that this phrase is pretty meaningless to interviewers.  If the job you’re interviewing for is your dream job, or it just sounds good, here’s what you should do:

1.    Strike a balance.  Talk about why you’d be a great fit for the role and why the role is something you think would be ideal for your strengths, work style, technical skills, etc.  The candidates that IT recruiting firms place in IT jobs are the ones that can show how hiring them will be great for both sides.  Don’t just say the job is your dream job—show them why you’ll be a great hire too!

2.    Get specific in talking about why you’re ideally suited for a job.  When you say a job is your dream job without much elaboration, you’re just drawing on a meaningless cliché. (IT staffing agencies suggest you avoid any and all clichés in job interviews anyways!).  Give specifics that will help interviewers easily picture you in the role.  Tell your interviewer that you’ve tackled similar projects before, or you have a deep familiarity with the technologies they use.    IT recruiting companies find that the candidates who get hired can present hard evidence that they’ve had successes similar to the job description.  Can you say you’ve provided support for end users 50% faster?  Can you point to a specific project in which you successfully used a certain technology?  This is what interviewers care about.  They don’t care if you dream about the job, they care if you can prove you’re prepared to take it on and knock your goals out of the park!

 

Dream Job IT jobs
It might be your dream job, but that’s not what you should say in your job interview! Photo credit: Sipa via Pixabay.

 

How to Use Employee Reviews in Your Job Search

When you’re working with IT recruiting agencies to find your next role, they will usually tell you to do research on companies you’ll be interviewing with.  You probably are already doing basic Google searches and checking out the company’s website.  Many IT staffing companies find that candidates are also checking out reviews for potential employers on sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, Vault, Careerbliss, Google, or other sites.  If you like to peruse Glassdoor or similar sites before you interview for IT jobs, here are a few things to keep in mind.

1.       Don’t take it all at face value.  IT recruiting firms would suggest you remember that people are more often moved to write negative reviews than positive reviews.  When people are happy at their employers, they don’t always take time to leave a review with all the benefits of working at their company.  Whereas disgruntled employees are absolutely more likely to sound off on everything they’re unhappy about.

2.      Ask your technical recruiters questions first.  It’s much easier to talk to your IT staffing agencies honestly about any concerns or questions you might come up with after reading a company’s online reviews.  When you ask an employer, you have so much at stake.  You risk appearing less committed to the job, less professional or even offending your interviewer.  Your IT recruiting companies want to make sure you land in an IT job that works for you.  If you have a concern about a company after reading its employee reviews, your IT recruiters will want to make sure it’s addressed or that you don’t interview for a position that wouldn’t be a good fit for you.

3.      If there are things you love about a company’s Glassdoor company reviews, IT staffing firms suggest you take notes about it.  Bring them with you and mention them to your interviewer when you talk about why you think you’d be a good fit for a company.  Interviewers will love to hear specific examples of why you think their corporate culture is a good fit for you.  A great hire isn’t just about filling a job with somebody who has the necessary skills.  It’s also about hiring somebody who is interested in the work and happy with the team, company, and corporate culture.  Happy employees are the often most dedicated and productive assets a company has!

 

Employee reviews IT jobs
Remember that happy employees give company reviews less frequently than unhappy ones. Photo credit: kropekk_pl via Pixabay.

 

Are You Making These 3 Job Interview Mistakes?

IT recruiters see plenty of candidates who have been interviewing for years, but they still don’t land the job.  Of course, there are plenty of reasons why you might not land the IT jobs you interview for that have nothing to do with you.  (IT recruiting agencies see this all the time!)  However, it’s worth stopping and checking to make sure you aren’t making these mistakes.

1.      You’re not presenting your best, most professional self.  Especially in the tech field, where things can feel a bit more laid back, technical recruiters see this too often.  Even if the company you’re interviewing for lets people dress in jeans, curse and joke around, or act in some other casual way, don’t let it influence you.  While you don’t want to be a stick in the mud, IT staffing firms find that the candidate who comes to the interview dressed in a suit and acts professionally and politely is usually the one who gets the job.  So don’t get too casual before you get the job, no matter what your interviewers are like!

2.      You’re not prepared with good questions to ask at the end.  IT recruiting companies see this too often.  Great candidates who have studied the relevant technologies inside and out can still bomb an interview if they don’t have at least a few good questions.  Don’t ask anything you can google or get the answer to from your IT staffing agencies.  Don’t ask anything that doesn’t feel like a genuine inquiry.  Just do your research and check out these suggestions for great interview questions here.

3.      You’re too busy selling yourself to make sure the job is a good fit for you, as well.  While job interviews are about selling yourself, they’re also about making sure you land in a job you can succeed in.  IT staffing companies find that employers want candidates who are at least a little picky about the jobs they take.  If you just take any job, you may wind up in a situation in which you can’t perform well, don’t mesh well with the team or clients, or are simply very unhappy (and thus probably don’t perform well).  Employers want to see you sussing out whether a job will let you exercise your strengths and fit your work style.

 

IT Job search mistakes
Even at a startup, don’t wear jeans to your interview! Photo credit: jarmoluk via Pixabay.

 

Do You Have to Write Thank You Notes When You Use IT Recruiters?

Many IT staffing firms find that candidates will assume they don’t need to write thank you notes after interviews when they work with IT recruiters.  This is absolutely not true.  Technical recruiters nearly always ask for their candidates to send along a thank you email. Here’s why, as well as how you can write a great thank you note for your IT staffing agencies to pass along to interviewers.

Firstly, here’s why your IT recruiting firms will likely ask you for a thank you note to give to your interviewers.  A thank you note is one of the best ways to strengthen your candidacy.  These notes are not only polite (though that’s a plus) but well-written ones let you provide a lasting, written impression of you as a great candidate.  IT recruiting agencies have seen notes that do powerful things like reiterate why the candidate is a great fit for the role or expound upon an interesting question from the interview.  Skipping a thank you note is like skipping the end of your interview:  you’re skipping a prime moment to strengthen your candidacy.

So now that you understand why you need to give your IT staffing companies thank you notes to pass on to your interviewers, how do you write a stellar one?  Start by making sure you take notes during your interview.  Don’t trust yourself to remember a moment when you connected well with the interviewer or to remember a question you could have given a longer answer on.  Take a note about it so you can use it in your thank you note later.

Secondly, IT recruiting companies would suggest you keep brevity in mind.  Don’t write the interviewer a novel and try to turn the note around as quickly as you can.  A great thank you note will be written promptly and will use every word to remind an interviewer why you’re a uniquely perfect fit for the job.  Don’t waste the interviewer’s time with a generic template, either.  This doesn’t do much to show how you are uniquely qualified for the role.  Every word in a generic template is a word wasted!

Keep these tips in mind and you may just land the job next time!

 

thank you notes job interview
Even when you’re working with IT recruiters, you still need to write a thank you note! Photo credit: condesign via Pixabay.

 

 

Don’t Ask These Questions in a Job Interview

Most IT recruiting agencies make sure their candidates are prepared with job interview questions.  If you come without any, you’ll definitely hurt your chances of landing the IT jobs you interview for.  However, it’s just as important to make sure that you have effective questions to ask.  IT staffing firms can attest to the fact that there are some questions that will hurt your candidacy.  Here are 3 types of questions that IT recruiting firms would definitely suggest you avoid asking.

1.    Questions that fish for compliments.  IT staffing companies would advise you to avoid questions like ‘Why did you like my resume?’ or ‘Why did you call me in for an interview?’  Even if you don’t mean to do so, your interviewer can assume you’re seeking some kind of compliments.  Besides seriously annoying your interviewer, you risk coming across as arrogant or insecure, as well as wasting the interviewer’s time.  Questions need to help you better understand the role, corporate culture, get to know what the manager’s style is like, etc.  These kinds of questions don’t cover these areas at all.

2.    Questions that you could have found the answer to yourself.  IT staffing firms would definitely advise that you do not ask any questions that you could find the answer to by researching the company or asking your IT recruiters.  You want to appear resourceful, competent, and prepared.  By asking a question that you could have easily found the answer to, you destroy all hopes your interviewer will see you this way.  Do your research on the company and don’t hesitate to ask your technical recruiters questions.  This is part of the advantage they provide, so use it!

3.    Questions that may feel disrespectful to the interviewer.  Don’t ask if the interviewer has seen your resume, if you’ll be speaking with their boss, or how long the interview will take.  You want to make sure the interviewer feels like you deeply appreciate their time and respect them as a professional. Be extra careful not to offend your interviewer or get too casual with them.  Your only impression on them will be what your IT recruiting companies say about you and whatever you say in this interview.  So every word, every gesture, every tone counts.  Don’t take any risks in this regard, or you may hurt your chances of landing the IT job!

 

Job interview questions
Job interview questions help you…if they’re good! Photo credit: GDJ via Pixabay.

 

 

Be Ready for this Question in IT Job Interviews

The best job interviews are almost always the ones you feel prepared for.  While you can’t be ready for everything, here’s one thing IT recruiters can warn you to be ready for: questions about what you like or will miss at your current IT job.

IT staffing firms find that these kinds of questions are usually common, but some interviewers do ask some iteration of ‘what do you enjoy about your current IT role?’  IT recruiting agencies find that it’s easier to answer this kind of question correctly when you understand why it’s being asked. Technical recruiters find that this kind of question is usually asked for two reasons: to ascertain what makes you happy in IT jobs and sometimes to gauge your relationships or general performance at your current job. Taking that first motive into account, IT staffing agencies would suggest you try to speak directly to it.  Come to your interviews armed with a couple of things you actually do enjoy about your current job.  Is it the work?  Your coworkers?  Being able to list a few things, especially things you think will also be present at the role you’re interviewing for, will help your interviewer picture you enjoying (and thus more likely to succeed at) the job.

On to the second reason why this kind of question is asked: to gauge your relationships or general performance at your current job. To satisfy this motive and make yourself look like a great candidate, make sure you answer this question positively and professionally.  Even if you’re working with IT recruiting firms to find a new role because your current boss is evil and the workload is unmanageable, IT staffing companies would suggest you find something positive to say here.  It will help maintain an image of you as somebody with a positive attitude that understands professional norms.  Saying something negative here (or saying nothing) would reflect very negatively on you.  It might  even hurt your chances of landing the IT job!

 

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Don’t be caught unprepared to answer this kind of question in IT job interviews. Photo credit: NDE via Pixabay