IT Job Interviews

Don’t Ask This in Phone Interviews for IT Jobs

In a previous blog post, we mentioned two mistakes IT recruiters see candidates make in phone interviews.  Today we’ll explore one more phone interview mistake that can ruin your candidacy for IT jobs.  Especially if you’re working with IT staffing agencies, do not ask about benefits, vacation time, compensation, or flexible work schedules.

Why do IT recruiting companies strongly suggest you hold off on discussing these topics during the phone interview?  Firstly, the time you spend on the phone with a hiring manager will be precious—phone interviews are often particularly short.  Especially in the first phases of interviewing, you need to make sure every second is used to strengthen your candidacy for the IT jobs you’re interviewing for.  When you’re working with IT recruiting firms, they’re likely negotiating these items for you anyways.  Take advantage of this!  It means that you get to target every statement and question towards showing your interest in the work, showing off your relevant experience, and showcasing your technical knowledge.

Secondly, it may appear that you’re out of touch with professional norms if you try to broach these topics so early in the hiring process.  Technical recruiters find that often these topics aren’t discussed until an offer is made.  Since the phone interview is usually the first interview (often more of a pre-interview), you’re really jumping the gun by asking about compensation, benefits, etc at that time.  From here, it becomes too easy for interviewers to question how many other professional norms you’re not aware of.  So play it safe—save your questions about pay, vacation days, etc for your IT staffing companies, not your phone interviews with hiring managers!

 

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Don’t start asking about compensation on a phone interview– you may never land the IT job. Photo credit: Brett_Hondow via Pixabay.

 

 

 

2 Phone Interview Mistakes that Will Cost You the IT Job

When your IT staffing firms set you up for phone interviews, you might feel like there’s less pressure or it’s less intimidating than an in-person interview.  Don’t make this mistake!  IT recruiting agencies see too many great IT candidates fail phone interviews because they’re too relaxed.  In particular, here are two major mistakes that could lose you the IT jobs you’re interviewing for.

  1. Being ill-prepared. Your IT recruiters will likely give you a scheduled time and day for the interview.  Plan to be in a quiet space with good reception (or better yet, use a landline). Research the company and familiarize yourself with any technologies your IT staffing companies note that you’ll be asked about.  Practice with a family member or friend if it’s been a while since your last phone interview.
  2. Being unfocused. Sometimes technical recruiters find that candidates will give more rambling, chatty answers on phone interviews.  Since the phone is usually a more social medium, it can be easy to fall into this pattern.  Try to remember that on some level, your phone interview is just a more condensed version of your in-person interview.  Your IT recruiting firms want you to give solid, comprehensive answers that don’t keep the interviewer on the phone for an excessively long time.

 

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Being too chatty on your phone interviews won’t win you the IT job. Photo credit: niekverlaan via Pixabay.

 

Go Beyond Basic Questions in Your IT Job Interviews

The IT professionals who perform best at interviews for IT jobs are often the ones who ask great questions.  IT recruiters understand why you want to ask some of the basic questions.  You shouldn’t hesitate to ask the (appropriate) questions that you are genuinely interested in answers to.  However, technical recruiters would absolutely recommend that you ask some questions that go beyond this information.  Here’s one that will make a great impression on your interviewer: Do you have a busy season or seasons?  Are there any major deadlines coming up that you can anticipate for projects, etc?

Why do IT staffing agencies recommend you ask questions like this? Firstly, it shows that you’re considering the role in a more comprehensive way.  IT recruiting companies have the best luck placing candidates who are thinking about every aspect of the role and if/how they could succeed in it.  Asking about busy times and deadlines shows a more detailed consideration of the expectations for this role.

Secondly, IT staffing companies would suggest that asking a version of this question shows foresight and an ability to plan.  It helps your candidacy to show that you’re the kind of person who is organized, plans things out, and pays attention to other people’s schedules.  IT recruiting firms find that candidates who can show initiative and manage their own time are especially valuable, as they can do things like meet deadlines in big projects or respond to client or end user inquiries quickly with minimal oversight.

 

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Asking about busy times and anticipated deadlines makes you look like a better candidate for IT jobs. Photo credit: Unsplash via Pixabay.

 

 

 

An Interview Question That Could Land You the IT Job

IT recruiters want to know that their candidates are prepared with some questions to ask in job interviews.  There are plenty of questions IT staffing firms would be happy with their candidates asking, but here’s one that might really impress your interviewers and technical recruiters: What skills, beyond the technical skills and experience we’ve already discussed, would be crucial to succeeding in this role?

Why would IT staffing agencies want you to ask this question (or some form of it)? IT recruiting companies have an easier time placing candidates who possess more than just the concrete, technical skills needed for a role.  Since many IT jobs may require contact with clients, end users, or even heavy customer service, soft skills are becoming more and more imperative.  When you ask about other skills that an IT role may require, you’re signaling to your interviewer that you understand this.

To make the question even stronger, consider trying to identify a few soft skills that could be relevant in the role.   Perhaps patience, written and verbal communication skills, or the ability to calm down upset users might be imperative in the role.  You might ask your interviewer if they believe any of these kinds of skills will be important to success in the job.  Your IT recruiting agencies are much more likely to hear positive feedback about your interview if you can show that you understand the role may be more than just the technically-oriented responsibilities.

 

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Show that you are thinking about more than just the technical requirements for IT roles. Photo credit: VirmBee via Pixabay.

 

 

 

Ask This Question at the End of Your IT Job Interviews

The questions you’ll ask your interviewers at the end of interviews need them to accomplish a couple things.  Obviously they should inform you.  IT staffing agencies would never recommend you ask a question you don’t really care about the answer to.  It will always come across as fake and make a bad impression on your interviewer.   Yet while you don’t want your interviewer to feel like you’re working hard to impress them, you do want your questions to impress your interviewer and IT recruiting companies.  This question will achieve both of these goals: What do you think will be the biggest challenges in this role and why?

Why will this question impress your interviewer and IT recruiters? Your IT staffing companies will be glad you asked this question is because it shows that you’re really considering what it will be like to take on this role.  Technical recruiters see plenty of candidates who spend interviews focusing on selling themselves.  This is only part of what you need to do to succeed. To impress hiring managers, you need to show them that you’d be a great fit for the role, but also that this role would be a good fit for you.  When you ask questions like this one, you show potential employers and IT recruiting firms that you’re really trying to suss out if this role will be a great fit for you, too!

 

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IT recruiters wouldn’t recommend you ask questions that you aren’t actually interested in the answers to.

 

Don’t Forget to Do This Before Your IT Job Interviews

If your IT recruiters set you up for IT job interviews, you’ve probably spent plenty of time preparing.  You probably studied relevant technologies and practiced answering the questions your technical recruiters told you to be prepared for.  You probably got background info on the company, both via your own research and from your IT staffing agencies.  But there’s one thing you may not have done that can really make a difference: practice getting yourself to the office you’ll be interviewing at.

Why would IT recruiting firms suggest that you do this, especially if you already know where that office is?  Firstly, you want to do everything you can to ensure you’re on time for your interview—not too early, not too late.  IT staffing firms would suggest you practice making your way to the interview site around the same time you’d do the interview, if you can.  (A commute that takes 30 minutes in the middle of the morning may take an hour in rush hour traffic!)  If you practice getting to the interview site, you’ll have a better idea of how much time it will take.  This means you can be able to guarantee that you show up just on time– and make a good first impression on your interviewer!

Secondly, IT recruiting agencies would suggest you practicing getting to the interview site in order to make it easier for you to relax the day of the interview.  If you’ve practiced, you can be confident and familiar in your route to get there. This will leave you free to mentally prepare to ace your interview.  If you don’t practice, you may have unforeseen issues (perhaps a certain road has construction, the train is never on time etc).  You could wind up feeling stressed and panicked before you even start interviewing.  Your IT recruiting companies want you to be ready to do your best in your interviews for IT jobs.  Don’t let your journey to the interview site get in the way of that!

 

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What if the train is always late? Make sure you practice getting to your IT job interviews before you actually need to go! Photo credit: Unsplash via Pixabay.

 

2 Ways to Relax Before IT Job Interviews

IT staffing firms see firsthand that plenty of IT professionals get nervous before interviews— no matter how many IT jobs they’ve had. Here are two tactics that might help you relax before your IT recruiters send you to your interviews.

1. The first tactic that IT recruiting agencies would recommend is to stop playing the ‘what if’ game. You don’t have to be in IT to know what this means, because most people play the ‘what if’ game at some point in their lives. This involves letting your mind wander to all the negative possible outcomes of a circumstance. It’s particularly easy to think this way before your IT recruiting firms send you on an interview, as you need to perform well. You’ll actually do much better, though, if you don’t allow your mind to winder as much. Remember that your IT staffing companies wouldn’t send you for the interview if you weren’t qualified for the job. Remember the preparation and practice you’ve done for this interview. You may even want to try meditating for a bit before the interview, as this is shown to reduce stress. Focus on performing in the interview, rather than anticipating all the ways you’ll mess up.

2. Remember that the worst case scenario still isn’t that bad. Your IT staffing agencies will continue to send you for interviews if you don’t land this job. Your IT recruiting companies don’t want you to approach interviews too casually. However, it’s easier to relax and perform well when you remember that you won’t land every IT job you interview for—and that’s ok.

 

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Consider trying mediation before IT job interviews to reduce stress. Photo credit: Meditation geralt via pixabay.

 

The IT Job Interview Challenge That Doesn’t Look Like a Challenge

Most IT professionals are trying to prepare for the challenges they’ll face as they interview for IT jobs.  They prepare for the technical and non-technical questions that their IT recruiters anticipate.  They prepare so they won’t be late for their interviews, even if there’s bad traffic or bad weather.  (Because lateness is a cardinal sin to hiring managers and IT staffing firms).  They practice with family members, friends, or technical recruiters so that their nervousness can’t overwhelm them.  But here’s a challenge that you may not even recognize as a challenge: a very friendly interviewer.

How is a friendly interviewer a challenge?  Your IT recruiting agencies probably won’t warn you about this.  Nor do most tip sheets for interviews.  In fact, this sounds like a nice thing.  The truth is, though, a friendly interviewer can make you feel comfortable enough that you make a couple key mistakes.

One of the worst mistakes you might make with a friendly interviewer is losing your professionalism.  You want to make sure that, while you’re not overly stiff or unpleasant, you don’t forget to be your best, most professional self.  Never curse or tell inappropriate jokes.  Even if you have a great connection with the interviewer, they still aren’t your friend in that moment.  Don’t treat them like a friend.  Treat them like somebody you must impress.

The second mistake, one that IT staffing companies find is easier to recover from, is talking too much and/or getting off track.  Again, this is all about remembering that your interviewer is somebody to impress.  Stay focused in your answers.  Highlight the important points and relay that you have the qualities and technical background to succeed in the job.  When you go off on a long tangent about one thing (especially something irrelevant, like small talk) you are losing time to strengthen your candidacy.  Don’t let a friendly interviewer tempt you to spend 20 minutes talking about your hobbies! It’s important to remember that your IT recruiting firms don’t want you to totally skip small talk.  Some small talk is important because it shows that you are a pleasant, easy person to work with.  But your IT recruiting companies won’t hear that you got the IT job unless you keep your eyes on the prize in your interview.

 

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Don’t let a friendly interviewer let you lose your focus in IT job interviews. Photo credit: ArtWithJustin via Pixabay.

 

 

2 Insider Tips About IT Job Hunting

Sometimes it helps to get a bit of a hiring manager’s perspective as you work with IT recruiters to land your next role.    Here are two things that IT staffing firms see that are more ‘behind the scenes’ (but will still be very relevant to IT professionals).

  1. Even if your technical skills are perfect, you may not be the right fit for IT jobs. Technical recruiters see this all the time: hiring managers don’t just want somebody with the perfect arsenal of technical proficiencies.  Having a professional demeanor or certain soft skills are often just as important.  As you prepare for your interviews, ask your IT staffing companies for a full picture of what the ideal candidate is.  This might help you perform a bit better in your interviews.
  2. Your interviewer may not know exactly what they need yet. Especially in IT, the hiring process can be very dynamic.  IT recruiting agencies find that companies can sometimes change the requirements of an IT job even after interviews have begun or resumes have been reviewed.  Companies need to keep up with the speed of technologies.  Sometimes the effect of that is that the IT jobs your IT staffing agencies submitted you for this week will be a little different next week. Or perhaps you may be helping out on different projects than you (or the hiring managers)  initially anticipated.

 

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A perfect list of technical skills doesn’t guarantee you the IT job. Photo credit: geralt via Pixabay.

 

 

How to Sell Yourself (Without Clichés!) in your IT Job Interviews

In IT job interviews, most IT recruiters want their candidates to convey some qualities that feel cliché.  Your IT staffing firms may even explicitly say to you to show passion  in your interview or to make sure that you convey that you’re a team player.  The candidates that IT recruiting agencies have no trouble placing in IT jobs are great at conveying these qualities in a more concrete way.  They  give solid examples of times they show employable qualities, and thus they don’t look like they’re just describing themselves with clichés.

How do you make sure your interviewer gets it that you actually are a hard worker, a fast learner, or passionate about your work?  Start by questioning how you know these qualities are applicable to you.  Why do you think you’re a hard worker?  What do you mean when you say you’re passionate about your work? As you think about these questions, you’ll start to come up with more concrete statements.  You’re a hard worker because you don’t mind putting in the extra hours until programs are totally debugged.  You’re passionate about help desk roles because you genuinely enjoy seeing end-users able to achieve what they need to with your help.  These are the statements your IT recruiting companies really want you to give your interviewers.

To really drive home these kinds of statements, you may want to tell a quick anecdote. Your technical recruiters don’t want you to derail the interview with long stories.  Just a sentence or two about a time you demonstrated important qualities will help.  Practice these anecdotes in the mirror or with a family member or friend.  Putting time into this will really pay off – and your IT staffing companies will likely get some great feedback after your interview!

 

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Don’t say you’re a hard worker. Give concrete examples of times you stayed late at the office or gave up your weekend.