Who is AVID?

IT Professionals Shouldn’t Write Objectives on Their Resumes

When you’re polishing your resume, you shouldn’t waste an inch of space.  IT recruiting firms and hiring managers are attracted by resumes that use every word to show why you’re an excellent candidate.  With this in mind, your IT staffing companies would suggest that you do not include an objective on your resume.

Why would IT recruiting agencies tell you to leave an objective off your resume?  Basically, an objective doesn’t accomplish the most important goal: showing technical recruiters and potential employers why you’d be an asset for them.  Objectives tell IT staffing firms and hiring managers what you want in your next IT jobs. Your resume isn’t the place to do this.  You can tell IT recruiters what you want in your next role when you speak to them (on the phone or in person).  Essentially, every word of your objective is space you could be using to better entice hiring managers and IT recruiting companies.

So what do you write instead of an objective?  Use that extra space in your resume to show off your professional achievements, technical skills and experience, and contributions that you’ve made at previous IT jobs.  Make sure you’ve got all relevant technical skills listed at the beginning of your resume.  Or put a few extra bullets below your most recent position to show how you brought value to your team.  Maybe you consistently delivered or debugged code ahead of deadline.  Perhaps you provided exemplary customer service to the end users you worked with.  These are the kinds of things you want on your resume instead of objectives.

Especially in tech, hiring managers love to rely on hard data when they make decisions.  Provide these hiring managers with some hard data about why you’re an excellent candidate by listing what you’ve done for your previous employers.  IT staffing agencies and hiring managers will be able to easily picture you in the roles you want to be submitted for.  Thus putting this info on your resume will do much more for you than any objective would!

 

Resume Objective
Stop! Don’t waste space on your resume with an objective. Photo credit: Knerri61 via Pixabay.

 

3 Questions About the Education Section on Your Resume

IT staffing agencies see a lot of confusion around the ‘Education’ section on resumes.  Here are some answers to questions that IT recruiting firms often get from candidates about how to write this section of a resume when you’re searching for IT jobs.

  1. Where Do I Put the Education Section? The answer  IT recruiters give here relies heavily on where you are in your career.  If you’re working with IT staffing companies to find one of your first jobs, your education section can be at the top.  This is because it’s your most significant experience.  You haven’t had much professional experience yet, so the years you spent studying technologies or languages are going to matter most to potential employers.  If you’re not a recent graduate, IT recruiting agencies would rather see your education as one of the last categories on your resume.  Your professional experience will be far more significant to IT recruiters and hiring managers than your degrees.
  2. What Should I Do if I’m Still Finishing a Degree or Certification? In the tech field it’s especially common for people to be completing an online degree or certification as they work.  IT staffing firms see a lot of candidates who return to school to brush up on technologies or learn new ones.  If you’re in the middle of learning a new programming language or getting a new certification, don’t leave it off your resume.  Your IT recruiters won’t know that you’re ready for new kinds of roles if you don’t add in these classes, programs, etc!  Instead, list the degree, certification, etc (and where you’re getting it from).  Give the date completed as ‘In progress.’
  3. How Do I Document it If I Went to More Than One College? This is a trend IT recruiting companies are seeing more and more as the cost of college rises.  Plenty of IT professionals will get an AS from a less expensive school and complete their BA or BS in a better (and more expensive) name brand school.  Technical recruiters won’t hold it against you if you just list the place you completed your degree in.  In fact, it’s better to streamline your education section a bit by doing this.  It doesn’t matter if you got your degree at 2 or more different universities.  Especially in the tech field, your experience and skill-set tend to matter more than your education anyways.  So save the space for the more important info and just list the final place you earned your degree (even if you didn’t start there!).

 

ITJobSearchQuestions
Have questions about how to create the ‘Education’ section of your IT resume? Photo credit: Dalomo via Pixabay.

 

 

Avoid This Mistake in Interviews for Cool IT Companies

IT staffing companies find that sometimes candidates will get hung up on the companies they work for, rather than making sure they land in IT jobs that are good fits for them.  Especially in the tech industry, IT recruiting companies find that candidates will be dazzled by a company’s name, reputation, or cool benefits.  While IT recruiters certainly understand the appeal of working for a company known to provide free snacks or fun company outings, it’s important not to lose sight of the most important thing in your interviews: making sure the job is a good fit for you and selling yourself as a great fit for the job (if that’s the case)!

So what does this mean, exactly?  Basically, IT staffing firms suggest that you approach an interview with a really coveted employer as though it was a normal job interview.  Focus on sussing out whether the position would be something you can succeed in.  Make sure to highlight the aspects of your candidacy that speak to the role.  You can certainly make a few remarks about why you’d be excited to work at this company or on this team (this is something IT recruiting agencies want candidates to do anyways), but don’t let these remarks dominate your interview.  Hiring managers don’t want to hire somebody who doesn’t seem like they can do the work, nor do they want to hire somebody who is too focused on the perks and benefits, rather than the job itself.

It’s also worth noting that the more interesting perks or reputation a company has, the more challenging a role will likely be.  Technical recruiters find that companies use fun incentives as a way to compensate employees for long hours or to retain very skilled IT professionals.  You wouldn’t want to be hired for a role you couldn’t succeed in, even if the perks were amazing.  You’d still wind up leaving or being let go if you couldn’t meet your manager’s expectations.

So if your IT staffing firms set you up with an interview at a really cool company, play it cool.  Make sure the job is a good fit for and you and interview the way you would anywhere else!

 

DreamITCompanies
Don’t get caught up in the cool reputation of company when you’re interviewing for IT jobs. Photo credit: PublicDomain 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!

 

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

 

 

Is Your IT Resume Mobile Ready?

In today’s world, searching for IT jobs requires more than just polishing your resume and printing it on nice paper for IT recruiters.  Especially if you’re trying to attract IT recruiting firms, it’s important to make sure your resume is adapted for a more digital world. Here’s how to make sure your resume can be most attractive to technical recruiters.

  1. Polish the content on your resume. IT staffing firms will be less likely to want to work with you if your resume is difficult to read, doesn’t show off your professional achievements, or is so long it could be a novel.  Check out more tips here on how to update your resume to attract IT recruiting agencies.
  2. Make your resume mobile-friendly. This means a few things.  Make sure it’s clean and brief. Don’t use any graphics, odd formats, or colors.  Cut out all extraneous information.  (It’s worth noting that IT recruiting agencies prefer this on mobile formats or otherwise.)  Try emailing yourself your resume and checking it on your phone.  Busy IT staffing agencies and hiring managers often have to look at your resume that way.  Make sure the view is good.
  3. Don’t forget hyperlinks. If you have a website, professional blog, or online portfolio, don’t forget to provide links to it.  IT recruiting companies may also appreciate seeing a link to your LinkedIn profile.  Take full advantage of all that a digital resume can do to bolster your candidacy.

 

IT resume mobile ready
Test your IT resume on your phone – it may help you land your next IT job. Photo credit: FirmBee via Pixabay.

 

This Programming Language Will Land You IT Jobs in 2016

IT recruiting firms are finding that one of the biggest programming languages of 2016 will be Scala.  There are a few reasons why having this language on your resume will make you more attractive to IT recruiters and hiring managers.

1. Scala is used by some important companies.  LinkedIn, Twitter, Novell, and Sony are just some of the big name companies that are having their technical recruiters reach out to IT professionals with Scala. Even if you aren’t looking for IT jobs at these companies, their influence will likely trickle down.  Scala will probably become important to IT recruiting companies working for other employers, as well.

2. Scala is a great language for startups.  As a language that is elegant and concise, it allows solid programming that can be done quickly.  Since many startups often need quick releases of new products, IT staffing firms will likely see Scala become a more common requirement for them.

3. Scala has a strong community.  Since people are what drive a programming language’s popularity, this is a big factor in how popular a language will be.  With such a strong community for Scala, IT recruiting agencies will likely see it become more and more valuable to employers.

 

IT Jobs Scala
Scala will make your IT resume more attractive to IT recruiters this year. Photo credit: StockSnap via Pixabay.

 

2 LinkedIn Post Mistakes That Hurt Your IT Job Search

These days, IT recruiters find that most of the candidates they work with are on LinkedIn.  Most IT professionals are on LinkedIn to either actively seek IT jobs or for networking or professional purposes.  IT staffing firms also see plenty of candidates publishing posts on LinkedIn.  Some of these posts are great, but some are really detrimental to the candidates who post them.  They might offend technical recruiters, hiring managers, colleagues, or even make the author seem unprofessional or unemployable.  Here’s a basic set of guidelines IT recruiting agencies would suggest using as you decide what to post on LinkedIn.

1. Stay away from politics, religion, money, or other hot button topics.  If what you’re writing would feel inflammatory or risky to say in an office setting, it’s not going to go over well in a LinkedIn post.  Even if it’s not the main topic of your post, references to religion or politics probably won’t help your professional reputation.  Remember that the point of a LinkedIn post is boosting your reputation as an IT professional with your network, potential employers, and IT staffing companies.  Don’t publish a post that could negatively impact the way IT recruiting firms, hiring managers, coworkers, etc see you.

2. Use anecdotes and info from your personal life judiciously.  Sometimes using stories from your personal life can make a post more interesting and make it easier for people to relate to you.  Say you’re writing a post about learning a new programming language.  It could resonate with people if you talk about seeing similarities in your learning process and the way your child is learning to talk.  On the flip side, your network, IT staffing agencies, and potential employers don’t want to read a post that is all about your personal life.  They may get the impression that you don’t understand professional norms — which is never attractive to IT recruiting companies or hiring managers.

 

IT job search LinkedIn posts
Posting about your political views on LinkedIn? Don’t do it. Photo credit: Life-of-Pix via Pixabay.

 

 

Fix Your Elevator Pitch for IT Job Interviews

IT recruiters find that some candidates like to use an elevator pitch in interviews or when first meeting technical recruiters.  While elevator pitches are a good tool to have in your back pocket, IT staffing companies would suggest you make one important tweak to yours: make sure it speaks to what you can offer a hiring manager, rather than what you want from your next role.

How do you achieve this?  Focus your elevator pitch around your professional achievements, rather than the ‘objective’ section of your resume (which, by the way, IT recruiting firms would suggest you also delete).  When a hiring manager or IT staffing firms ask you about yourself, what they want to know is why you should be hired for their IT jobs.  For instance, did you provide excellent customer service?  Did you help your team deliver a program on time for your users?  These are the kinds of highlights IT recruiting agencies want to hear.  You want a job where you can grow or be appreciated by your managers and end users?  Not worth mentioning in your elevator pitch.  When they start looking for roles for you, IT staffing agencies will ask you directly what you’re looking for in your next role.  Keep your elevator pitch about what you can offer a future employer—and they may just actually become your employer.

 

ITJobSearchElevatorPitch
Make your elevator pitch for IT job interviews more powerful by focusing on your value as a potential employee. Photo credit: Nakataza02 via Pixabay.

 

This May Be the Most Important Part of Your IT Resume to Update

Often, when IT recruiters and hiring managers are looking over resumes to fill IT jobs, they don’t have the time to really scrutinize them in detail.  If you’re an IT professional who may want to attract technical recruiters to help in your job search, this means you need to make it easy for IT staffing agencies to quickly confirm you’re a great fit for positions.  One surefire way to do this?  Create a thorough, well-formatted ‘Technical Skills’ section at the top of your resume.

IT recruiting firms often see that candidates will update their experience, but may not create–  or just as bad, update–  a section that solely lists their technical skills and certifications. If you leave skills off this section, you might just be losing IT staffing companies’ interest.  Often this is the first part of the resume that IT recruiters will scan.  It will also help to keep and maintain IT staffing agencies’and hiring managers’ interest if you format your technical skills section in a neat, easy-to-read manner.  Complicated or messy diagrams may lead IT recruiting companies to pass on your resume or to miss an important skill.  The last and most important thing to keep in mind is that you should put your technical skills section right at the top of your resume. By making this section the first thing people read, it will help IT recruiting agencies to be able to quickly decide you’re a  good fit for a position.

 

updatingITResumes
Update your technical skills section– it could be what gets your IT recruiter’s attention! Photo credit: Stokpic via Pixabay.