IT Job Interviews

Set Yourself Apart in Job Interviews With This Tactic

IT recruiters notice that most candidates who are skilled at job interviews tend to have a few things in common.  One thing IT staffing companies notice good interviewers do is highlight key qualities about themselves.  Here’s one key quality IT recruiting companies suggest you highlight in a job interview: that you’re reliable and will stick around for your whole contract (or at least a few years if it’s a permanent role).

Why is it necessary for you to make this obvious to your interviewers?  Wouldn’t they assume that you won’t leave before a contract ends or in a particularly short time?  In the tech field, the truth is that this isn’t a given.  IT recruiting agencies find that far too often, companies hire candidates who will leave a job early to pursue other opportunities, move, etc.   While this is certainly a problem in other industries, IT staffing firms find this kind of behavior is especially hard on companies in the tech field.  Often employers are trying to complete projects by certain deadlines.  Unexpectedly losing a member of their team makes it hard to do this.  There’s also often a fair amount of training that goes into getting IT professionals up to speed to work on a project.  So when they leave before it’s done, this makes it even harder to replace them with somebody fast enough.  Basically, IT recruiting firms find that employers trying to fill IT jobs are (usually justly) worried that the people they hire will not be reliable and stick around a decent amount of time— thus costing them time, money, and causing a great deal of stress.

Taking this employer perspective into consideration as you interview can really make you stand out as a candidate.  When you go into job interviews, take some time to demonstrate that you are ready to stick around until your contract is done, or at least a few years if the job is permanent.  Take a minute to show how you’ve been reliable for past employers to really drive this point home.  Showing your interviewer that you are capable of being reliable and sticking around will go far in building your candidacy.  Even if they don’t ask about this topic, technical recruiters would highly suggest you make sure to drive this point home for your interviewer.  It will make you stand out as an excellent candidate.

 

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Stand out as an exceptional candidate with this interview tip. Photo credit: Magnascan via Pixabay.

 

Ready to Start Hiring? Do These 2 Things!

When you’re working with IT recruiting agencies to fill your open IT jobs, there are two major components to consider: evaluating candidates to make sure they’re the best fit for the job and making sure you sell your team and corporate culture to the best candidates.  Of course, IT recruiting firms will help you achieve both of these components, but there are some things that your company must do—IT staffing agencies can’t do these things for you.  Here are 2 things your company will need to do help attract the best candidates.

1.    Pay attention to your online reputation.  5-10 years ago, companies didn’t have to worry about sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, or Google.  Today, these sites are often the first place job seekers go for research after technical recruiters call them about a job. It’s important to check and even manage your presence on these sites.  Getting bad reviews can happen to any company, no matter how good they are to employees.  Disgruntled employees or trolls can leave a surprise scathing review on your listing on major sites.  It’s important to try to respond to these reviews if you have grounds to.  Depending on the content, you may also want to seriously consider the reviewer’s feedback if it seems useful.

2.    Communicate with your IT staffing companies about your online reputation.  It will also help you attract better candidates if you let the IT staffing firms you’re working with know ahead of time about bad reviews.  Especially if there’s a good response to these reviews, your IT recruiting companies can pass this information on to candidates if they ask about it.  (Candidates will often bring up concerns about a potential employer with the IT recruiters they work with in a more candid way than they would with an interviewer.)  If you have great reviews online, make sure you point these out to the recruiters you’re working with.  These are a strong tool for IT recruiters to use in selling your open jobs to great candidates.

 

IT Recruiting Online Company Reputation
What are your company’s reviews like online? Don’t be surprised by a bad review! Photo credit: StockSnap via Pixabay.

 

Avoid Asking Illegal Interview Questions

IT recruiters find that even when employers are experienced at interviewing to fill IT jobs, they may still wind up mistakenly asking illegal questions.  In fact, a recent study shows that 1 in 5 employers asks illegal questions when they’re interviewing.  While asking these questions doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get sued, IT staffing agencies would strongly suggest you take time to make sure your interviewers are fully versed on what they can and can’t legally ask.  It may save you a great deal of trouble (and money) in the future.  Here are some basic guidelines IT recruiting firms would suggest you follow in formulating your questions.

1.    Don’t ask about their family structure.  Asking whether a candidate is married, has children, expecting, etc may lead you into muddy waters.  Often interviewers aren’t asking these kinds of questions with bad intentions.  However, IT recruiters would suggest you choose other topics for friendly chit chat instead.

2.    Don’t ask about their religion, gender, or sexual orientation.  These are some of the most important areas IT staffing firms would suggest you avoid.  Even if you’re just trying to make a connection with the candidate, these areas are the most dangerous in terms of potential lawsuits.

3.    Don’t ask if English is a candidate’s first language or if they’re a US citizen.  The IT recruiting agencies your company works with will be able to let you know if a candidate needs sponsorship or is authorized to work in the US.  Let your IT staffing companies protect you here—let them look into this information for you.

 

Interview Questions IT Jobs
Don’t risk asking illegal interview questions. A lawsuit is too expensive. Photo credit: OpenRoadPR via Pixabay.

 

2 Ways Candidates Blow Job Interviews

IT recruiting agencies have heard some interviewing horror stories from IT professionals and interviewers alike.  Sometimes even when candidates have prepped and studied the technologies their IT recruiters recommended, things can still happen that make it hard (or impossible) to land the job.  The worst stories technical recruiters hear are about the times candidates blow interviews for IT jobs by saying something controversial or talk about compensation in a counterproductive way.

How can you avoid making either of these mistakes?  IT staffing agencies would suggest you start by making sure you don’t talk about politics, religion, or make any remarks that could be construed as intolerant of a particular group.  You never know how your interviewer feels about any of these topics– and thus whether you may be offending them.  Even if you don’t personally offend the interviewer, you may still lose your chance at landing the job.  The interviewer might still tell your IT recruiting firms that they find you deeply unprofessional (and thus unemployable).  Don’t take any risks in what you say—it’s simply not worth it.

When it comes to money, hold off on discussing it in the interview.  The truth is, this part is really your IT staffing companies’ responsibility.  Since interviewers often don’t want to discuss compensation, benefits, etc until they extend an offer, you’ll be breaking professional norms if you broach the topic during the interview.  IT recruiting companies also find that since candidates take their compensation so personally (as they should), they have a hard time discussing the topic in a productive, professional way.  Letting your IT staffing firms handle the negotiation for your compensation package is the best way to ensure that you don’t risk putting off your interviewer.

 

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These mistakes can send even the best interview performance up in flames. Photo credit: stones via pixabay.

 

 

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.

 

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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 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!

 

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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.