IT recruiting

Doing This on Your LinkedIn Profile Won’t Help Your IT Job Search

LinkedIn profiles have arguably become one of the strongest assets for IT professionals in their search for new IT jobs. Technical recruiters and IT staffing agencies often contact candidates based on the strength of their LinkedIn profiles, rather than their resumes. The best profiles, the ones that attract hordes of IT recruiters and IT staffing firms, are like elegant code: concise and powerful.

Most IT recruiting firms have drilled into their candidates that a resume needs to be as brief as possible (without sacrificing quality).  IT recruiting companies are looking for even briefer LinkedIn Profiles. This means that it’s crucial to delete unnecessary information. One prime example of information that you should definitely take out of your profile is a listing of college or grad school courses.

IT staffing companies do want to see your certifications and relevant trainings (this usually means courses outside of school).  However, you’re definitely going to risk losing their interest with a list of other courses that aren’t completely relevant to your career goals. You can save this list for your resume, which IT recruiting agencies will likely ask you for later. When it comes to your LinkedIn profile, keep things a bit leaner than your resume—it will make a big difference in how recruiters see you.

 

IT job search classes
Don’t list all your programming classes on your LinkedIn profile. Photo credit: srfparis via Pixabay.

 

 

Interviewing for IT Jobs When You’re Sick

January and February are great months to work with your technical recruiters and IT staffing agencies to find new IT jobs.  They’re also months in which you’re likely to get sick—maybe a couple times.  If you’re sick, here’s how to proceed if your IT recruiters and IT staffing firms have you set up for an interview.

  1. Assess how you feel. Is it awful?  Will it affect your performance?  If so, call your IT recruiting agencies and IT staffing companies ASAP and let them know.  They can help you reschedule the interview if you aren’t in good shape to go.  On the flip side, you may be feeling a little under the weather, but you won’t have a problem interviewing.  In that case, you probably still want to go anyways.  Time is usually of the essence in employers’ searches to fill IT jobs.  Don’t delay the interview if you don’t have to.
  2. If you do go to the interview, be considerate.  Make sure you bring tissues, sneeze or cough into your hand or elbow, and hold off on shaking hands. Tell your interviewer that it’s great to meet them, but you’re getting over a cold and don’t want to risk infecting them.  This won’t come across as rude.
  3. Be your best at the interview and try not to draw any further attention to your cold or illness. You want the interviewer to focus on your candidacy and to remember you for that.  If you keep mentioning your cold, your IT recruiting companies will likely get some negative feedback about you.  You don’t want your interviewer to have any doubts about your ability to muscle through and get work done in the face of challenges.

 

IT Job Search Sick
Are you too sick to do well at your IT job interview? Call your IT recruiters ASAP. Photo credit: Mojpe.

 

 

Fix Your LinkedIn Profile, Kick Your IT Job Search into Gear

In 2016, one of the best things you can do to attract IT recruiters and IT staffing agencies is to update your LinkedIn profile. While technical recruiters and IT recruiting companies will definitely need a resume, your LinkedIn profile is almost as important. Here is one major mistake to avoid as you update: Giving excessively long descriptions of all the IT jobs you’ve ever held.

Why is this a problem and what should you be doing instead? Firstly, consider your LinkedIn profile akin to a movie trailer for your real resume. IT recruiting firms tend to see hundreds upon hundreds of LinkedIn profiles. Make it easy for IT staffing agencies to decide you’re a great candidate to contact.  Very briefly list the best information about your career. If your profile is long and full of extensive details, it’s less likely that you’ll get a call from IT staffing firms.

Here’s how to clean up your profile a bit if you have too much information under each IT job. Copy all the material to a new document so you can start fresh. Now use that info to create only a handful of statements that are all about your accomplishments at these IT jobs. Check out this blog post for some great verbs to help you build powerful sentences. With fewer bullets that really showcase your worth, get ready to impress IT staffing companies and kick your job search into gear!

 

LinkedIn Profiles IT Job Search
Time is of the essence, so cut down descriptions of your IT jobs on your LinkedIn profile! Photo credit: steinchen via Pixabay.

 

 

Use These Verbs to Revamp Your IT Resume

The New Year is a great time to polish up your resume for your IT recruiters and IT staffing firms.  Employers often hire much more in January than November or December.  To make the most effective bullet points, put the verb at the front of the sentence.

The first kind of verb that will really wow employers and IT recruiting firms are verbs that show a dedication to great customer service.  IT staffing companies often are tasked with filling IT jobs that require not only great technical skills, but also excellent communication skills and abilities with end users or clients.  Some verbs that you might want to use for these bullet points might include: Delivered, Enhanced, Expedited, Improved, Accelerated, and Outpaced.

The second kinds of verbs that will impress your IT recruiting companies and IT staffing agencies are verbs related to significantly improving something (perhaps a process, software, websites, etc).  Listing concrete achievements like this will help employers see your worth and envision you at their company.  Try using verbs like Customized, Merged, Modified, Overhauled, Refined, Remodeled, Restructured, Streamlined, and Upgraded.

The last kind of verb that will impact your resume is one that shows leadership.  Whether it’s a project you officially led, or simply a project you showed some initiative on, make sure to show off a bit and mention them as bullets under your relevant jobs.  Try to use verbs like Designed, Developed, Initiated, Instituted, Launched, Pioneered, and Spearheaded.

 

IT resumes accomplishments
What have you achieved at previous IT jobs? Don’t forget to list it on your IT resume! Photo credit: Foundry via Pixabay

 

Thank You Notes that Might Salvage a Bad IT Job Interview

All IT recruiters and IT staffing firms have had a candidate or two not perform as well as they wanted to in an interview.  Interviews for IT jobs can be intimidating and technical recruiters see IT professionals who prepare and practice, but still get nervous at the actual interview.  If you make a mistake in answering a question, there’s a chance you might be able to salvage it with a good thank you note that you give to your IT recruiting firms and IT staffing agencies to pass on to your interviewer.

Start by trying to directly address any mistakes or areas where you wish you had said more.  While the whole thank you note shouldn’t be consumed by this, a brief, well-written paragraph could go a long way.  If you mention that you wish you had given more of your technical background, or perhaps that you had solved a problem differently, you might make an impact on your interviewer.

Secondly, if you have some concrete professional achievements, projects, or work that might cast you in a better light as a candidate, go ahead and provide that.  The most effective way to prove something, especially in an IT job interview, is with hard evidence. Your IT recruiting companies and IT staffing companies will be thrilled if you can do that in your thank you note.

 

miradeshazer via Pixabay
Messed up in your IT job interview? Your thank you note may save the day. Photo credit: miradeshazer via pixabay.

 

2 Questions To Learn More About an IT Company’s Culture

IT professionals tend to enjoy their IT jobs for two reasons: their work and their company/team culture.  If you’re working with IT recruiters and IT staffing companies to find a new job, there are plenty of questions you can ask about the work itself.  Your technical recruiters and IT recruiting firms will also be able to tell you a lot about the work.  However, if you want to know about the culture of a company, you need to ask some questions in your interview.  Here are two questions that will help you get more info about the company culture, yet won’t make your interviewer uncomfortable.

  1. Do team members give each other feedback? If so, how?  If the answer suggests a formal process that feels more about blaming and punishment, you may want to consider how you feel about that.  If a company uses mistakes as true opportunities to grow and fix problems, that’s a good sign.  It’s also a very good sign when a company gives a lot of public praise.
  2. Especially in IT, you’ll want to know not only how things are between you and potential teammates, but also between you and clients or end users. Your IT recruiting agencies and IT staffing firms should already be setting you up for job interviews in which you’ll do the kind and amount of client interaction that you enjoy.  Basically you can just confirm this by asking questions like ‘how often do people in this role interact with clients or end users?  What are these interactions like?’

 

IT Jobs Culture
How much would you be interacting with end users? Don’t forget to ask in your IT interviews! Photo credit: gail via Flickr.

 

Why You Can’t Just ‘Be Yourself’ In IT Job Interviews

Technical recruiters and IT staffing firms see IT professionals make a lot of mistakes in interviewing for IT jobs.  Some are understandable, but one of the biggest mistakes that IT recruiters and IT staffing agencies often see IT professionals make when interviewing is to ignore interview etiquette completely and just be their unedited selves.  Why is this a problem?

IT recruiting firms do want candidates to be genuine and honest when they interview. You can still be honest and genuine, while adhering to interview, etiquette, though.  For instance, often IT staffing companies will advise their candidates to wear a suit to an interview.  Some candidates will ignore this advice, presumably because they want to present themselves—the way they are on an everyday basis.  The company they’re interviewing may even have a very relaxed dress code.  IT recruiting agencies very rarely see these people who don’t wear a suit get the job, though.  Wearing a suit isn’t about hiding yourself, it’s about showing that you’re capable of following rules and it shows respect.  Interviews are a formal circumstance that generally requires formal dress.  When you choose to wear jeans, you aren’t showing your true self.  You’re showing that you’re not respectful or capable of following etiquette and directions.

Another example of this kind of problematic thinking is when IT job candidates cuss or tell off-color jokes in an interview.  Editing yourself in these situations isn’t about hiding yourself.  As with wearing a suit, it’s about showing respect and conforming to the rules of certain circumstances.  Again, IT recruiting companies do not tend to see candidates land the job when they choose to swear or make rude jokes or comments.  No matter how relaxed the workplace, an interview is a special circumstance.  It’s not the moment to show yourself at anything other than your best!

barkviaFlickr
Wearing a suit and tie is important for most IT job interviews– whether the company dress code is relaxed or not. Photo credit: bark via Flickr.

Answering ‘How Would Coworkers Describe You?’ in IT Interviews

Sometimes in IT job interviews, you might be asked how your managers and coworkers would describe you.  IT recruiters and IT staffing companies come across plenty of candidates who feel uncomfortable answering this question—or just don’t know how to.  Here’s how you can prepare to answer this question—and maybe land yourself the next IT jobs you interview for!

Start by asking your technical recruiters and IT recruiting firms a few quick questions before the interview.  You’ll want your IT staffing agencies to tell you what qualities are important in this role or in the company’s corporate culture in general.  Make a list of these for yourself, then think about what qualities might apply to you.  If you see any on this list that you think apply directly to you, then highlight those.

Now think back to any performance reviews, letters of recommendation, and general feedback you’ve gotten in your current and previous jobs.  Has anybody mentioned these qualities?  Write a quick note about it for yourself.  If you can’t think of any examples of people directly mentioning it, your next best bet is to think of times when you did something for somebody that demonstrated one of these qualities.  Jot down a quick note for yourself about that moment.

The last step is to practice actually talking about these qualities as though you were speaking to an interviewer.  While your IT recruiting agencies don’t want you to sound robotic and over-rehearsed, it’s good to practice answering questions a bit before the interview so you feel comfortable doing it.  You also won’t really be able to refer to your notes on this, so it’s good to practice so that you can remember the salient points.

IT job interviews questions
Make a list of qualities your IT recruiters think are important to this IT job. Photo credit: Caleb Roenigk via flickr.

 

 

IT Job Interviews at Unconventional Locations

Sometimes your IT recruiters and IT staffing firms may set you up for IT job interviews at unconventional places, like a coffee shop.  Though it’s certainly not common for technical recruiters or IT staffing companies to do this, it’s good for IT professionals to be prepared for these kinds of interviews.  While the rules are fairly similar to interviews for IT jobs in conventional locations (like offices) here are some rules that may be less intuitive.

  1. Ask your IT recruiting agencies for advice on what to wear.  Don’t assume that the dress code will be more or less relaxed because you’ll be meeting outside an office setting. This is an easy way to start off with a good impression, so make sure you find out from your IT staffing agencies how you should dress.
  2. Ask your IT recruiting firms if they can give you a picture or description of what your interviewer looks like.  Since you’re meeting in a public place, this will help you figure out how to spot them quickly and without any awkwardness.
  3. Be on your best behavior.  Be exceptionally polite to the staff at the coffee shop, pick up after yourself, and don’t curse or tell off-color stories.  It can be easy to fall into more casual behavior outside an office setting.  Resist this urge – your IT recruiting companies are more likely to hear good feedback if you be your best, politest, most professional self throughout the whole interview.

 

IT job interviews coffee shop
Don’t order a drink that will give you a foam mustache during your IT job interview! Photo credit: Stephan Rosger via Flickr.