Tag Archives: hiring managers

IT Recruiting Phone Etiquette

It is the end of a long work week and a technical recruiter has been glued to the phone.  After a much needed lunch break, he returns to his desk.  When his phone rings, he answers unenthused with an exaggerated yawn while snacking on chips.

Is this how IT recruiting companies typically manage their phone calls and portray the IT staffing company image?  Here are some tips for IT recruiters who may need a friendly reminder of proper phone etiquette.

Pay Attention

Phone calls with hiring managers and potential candidates may extend beyond the typical length of conversation, but have patience.  Never interrupt a speaker and remain calm while listening to what they have to say.  If the conversation becomes side tracked, direct it back to the point.

While multitasking is encouraged at IT staffing firms, do not be tempted to play with your cell phone or carry on a conversation with a coworker even if you are using the mute button.  The mute button should be used sparingly and never to speak poorly of the end speaker.  One quick slip up puts you at risk of offending the client and embarrassing yourself.

Attitude

Because physical expressions are lost in pure verbal communication, focus on your tone of voice.  Answer the phone in a friendly manner while introducing your name and maintaining a sincere, positive attitude.  Never treat a call as if it were a burden, you never know who could be on the other end or listening.

When you are in a hurry, apologize in advance and try to listen to the caller’s main points.  If you must place a person on hold, ask for permission or notify the caller first.  Then, follow up in a quiet area when you have more time to speak.

Technical recruiters should avoid yawning on the phone as it can be misconstrued as the recruiter is bored with the conversation.  Try to avoid eating while on the phone as this is a distraction and irritating for the caller to hear chewing in their ear.  When you must yawn or eat, use the mute button.

Volume

If people from five cubicles away are complaining about an IT recruiter speaking too loudly, imagine how the person on the phone feels.  Speaking too softly or mumbling can be just as bad as yelling during a conversation.  Annunciate your words and speak slowly at an appropriate volume. Be sure the listener can hear you as well.  If on your cell phone, tell the caller in the event of lost service or bad connection.

It can be easy to forget proper phone etiquette, especially after a long day.  When you find yourself or others are beginning to slip up, coach your way through it!

IT Recruiters Prepare for the Winter

The trees have lost their vibrant colors and look skeletal in the park.  There is a bitter cold frost brewing in the air.  With the first week of December upon us, IT recruiting companies are aware of the winter pangs.  How can technical recruiters bear the dipping temperatures as winter approaches?  Read on for some helpful tips!

Accessorize

Winter is the perfect opportunity to splurge on high quality wool pea coats or down jackets.  Dress up the coats and jackets with hats, scarves, and gloves for extra warmth.  Invest in water proof snow boots to combat the impending blizzards.  Try to dress in layers so you will be comfortable both outside and inside the IT recruiting office.

Travel

The winter is an excellent time to utilize public transportation, especially if you are weary of driving in less than desirable circumstances or wish to avoid shoveling.  If you must use your car, make sure it is up to winter driving standards. Check your car to ensure it is prepared for the winter and ice with snow tires, proper brakes, and plenty of gas, antifreeze, and windshield wiper fluid.  Pack an emergency bag in your trunk in the event of a roadside emergency.

Stay Active

Exercise has been proven to boost one’s mood, so do not use the dark and dreary cold as an excuse to be lazy or catch the winter blues.  Invite a fellow IT recruiter for a weekend ski or snowboarding trip.  Get your daily dose of vitamin D by walking with a technical recruiter during lunch when the sun is at its peak of the day.   Take outdoor activities such as running and biking indoors to the gym.  If you choose to continue  fitness outside, dress appropriately for the dark and temperature.

There are plenty of other ways for technical recruiting agencies to stay warm during the winter.  Grab coffee or tea with candidates and hiring managers or bake for the IT staffing office.  Remember, when you feel the winter blues sneaking up on you remind yourself spring will be here before you know it!

Are IT Recruiters too Tech Savy?

For a technical recruiter, imagine a day without your phone.  Then, picture your day without electricity at IT staffing companies.  Would you be able to survive the full work day?  Are technical recruiters simply taking these things for granted or are IT recruiting companies too dependent on technology?

There are benefits to the convenience of technological advances as they save society time, money, and provide a constant means of contact.  But as it continues to progress, are IT staffing agencies beginning to experience more faults than anticipated?

Lack of Formal Communication

If an IT recruiter or candidate is struggling to have a conversation in person or on the phone, they may rely too heavily on email and texting.  A solid relationship cannot be based solely upon text messages and email exchange.  This form of communication neglects tone and expression which convey character and personality.  Also, this method of contact provides users the options to put off responses or ignore communication all together.

Distractions

Do you check your phone during meetings, IT job interviews, and conversations with potential candidates or hiring managers?  You might be capable of multitasking, but in this instance you are paying more attention to one party than the other.  Even devices that are supposed to help you such as a GPS could distract you from safety.  Next time you are on the phone, minimize your windows or put down your cell phone and thoroughly listen.  If you are meeting in public, pay full attention to the speaker and react appropriately to what they have to say.

Too Many Excuses

Miss a call?  I did not have service.  Miss an email?  It did not go to my inbox or went to my spam.  I just received your message, sorry for the delay and is it too late?  IT recruiting agencies have heard all the excuses with technology to blame.  Technology is not one hundred percent reliable even with a back up in place.  Often when it fails, there is a significant amount of catch up work to follow.  In the event of a disaster such as a data failure, is it really worth it?

The Wheels Stop Turning

When you have a device doing more than half the work for you, you are not forced to think.  Your logic and reasoning skills will soon dwindle as you look to technology to provide you the answer.  Also, you will lose a sense of creativity because the machine will give you a solution.  You will no longer need to experience events or new places as others’ opinions may persuade you.

Not all technology is not necessarily a bad thing.  While it may help our community, it can also backfire so use it wisely!

IT Recruiting: Social Media Hindering Chances of Employment?

Most of us do not think twice when using Twitter to update statuses or post new profile pictures on Facebook.  We routinely monitor our activity to keep pages clean and work friendly.  But as a candidate, is your page being used against you?  Technical recruiters, do you ensure not to discriminate when filling positions?  IT recruiters and applicants need to be weary of these potential hardships social media imposes on candidacy.

Unintended Discrimination

Upon reviewing a resume, a technical recruiter notices the applicant is an alumnus of his college.  Immediately, the IT recruiter feels a connection and is favorable of this candidate.  He opens a new tab and looks at the candidate’s Facebook and LinkedIn to view his contacts and friends.  The IT headhunter begins to create judgments and puts the applicant’s resume aside.

Before reaching out to this candidate about his background and experience, this recruiter was biased by a mutual connection.  This relationship moved the candidate forward among his peers, but the recruiter did not like his circle of friends so it also backfired.  While this seems to be an immature approach at weeding out applicants, it happens more often than one would think.  To be safe, IT headhunters should avoid the temptation of judging and favoritism when researching potential new hires.

Too Personal

A hiring manager searches a candidate on Google and discovers the candidate’s Twitter.  He notices the candidate tweets at least twice per hour about controversial and personal matters that some may find offensive.  The hiring manager crosses him off his list.

When a candidate is running his mouth, exposing confidential information, or sharing too personal information, hiring managers may reconsider their choice or snub the applicant all together.  You may be a different person on the internet than in the office, but you could miss the opportunity to prove yourself by this slip up.  As difficult as it may be to make all information private, be mindful of your actions and share your objectionable opinions with only those who choose to subscribe to your tweets.

Overlook Most Qualified

An IT staffing rep decides to utilize social networking sites over LinkedIn and the typical Monster.  He posts his open IT jobs on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  He has an overwhelming response, but none seem to be the right fit.

By limiting himself to just social networking sites, the recruiter could be missing the most qualified candidates.  Rather than just using these sites, he could expand his candidate pool by including them within his resources.

New social media sites are popping up daily and seem to be a trend that will not be dying down any time soon.  Using them as a means to expand your network is a way to help speed along the hiring process, but do not forget that sometimes the traditional method can be just as effective, if not better!

IT Staffing Agencies Favorites: Friend or Foe?

Most IT staffing firms have the office favorite that strives beyond the required work to win over not only other technical recruiters, but also their clients, candidates, and hiring managers.  Their work is superior to the standards of IT recruiting companies and consistently accepts and meets challenges with outstanding value, feedback, and performance.  Are these workers inspirational or toxic to IT recruiting company morale?

Motivation

By having an IT staffing rep set the bar for performance, one will have an understanding of the realistic expectations from managers.  If one experiences difficulty achieving his goals, he may be less intimidated to reach out to the office favorite for suggestions or tips rather than his supervisor.  These outstanding performers have the ability to make advancements during their career and can offer mentoring to employees who need extra help or push.  Also, by observing how the office favorite is treated among his peers, other employees will work to meet their potential.

Disheartening

Workers may become apathetic in terms of improving their skills and output if they consistently hear how one employee is carrying the team.  Because they are less likely to be acknowledged for their effort, they may become unenthusiastic and lose a drive for improvement.  Worse, these unmotivated employees may resent the office favorite for making them feel and appear incompetent by comparison.

For the Future

Rather thin pinpointing an exceptional employee, managers should recognize all outstanding work.  If a technical recruiter significantly improves one quarter, acknowledge and commend him for his hard work.  When an IT recruiter makes an effort to advance, but fails to meet his goal, provide feedback and areas to tweak in order to make progress.  Only mentioning mistakes and poor performance is bound to bring down the atmosphere of IT staffing companies.  Remember that teamwork is a group effort, so all responsibilities apply to IT headhunters, not just the superstars!

IT Recruiting: Did You Blab through Your Interview?

During your last IT job interview did the timeframe go from the anticipated one hour to two or three hours?  You may leave thinking you won the hiring managers over, but think again.  If you were doing most of the talking and managers seem disinterested, this is generally not a good sign.  Some IT candidates might speak more when they are nervous or have so much experience on their resume they do not know where to begin.  Here are some suggestions for maintaining confidence and control while not spilling too much detail during any upcoming interviews for IT jobs.

Prepare Your Questions and Answers

Look up typical interview questions and prepare your answers along with relevant examples.  When you have finished, practice by having a mock interview with a family member, friend, or IT recruiter and, if necessary, time your responses.  You do not want to provide too much detail to the point where you bore the hiring manager or technical recruiter, but you also do not want to leave out any important experience.  Ask for honest feedback and weed out any unrelated material by sticking to the point.

Take a Breath

In order to qualify for a position, you must communicate why your experience and skills are ideal for the role.  Almost everyone becomes nervous when they are put on the spot and rushing through their speech is a common occurrence.  Rather than flying through your spiel, annunciate each word and pause to check for the attention of IT recruiters and hiring managers.  This pause will also indicate you have made a point and allow them to comment or ask for further detail.

Look for the Signs

If the hiring managers appear to be bored, wrap up your response and wait for the next question.  When a manager stops taking notes, move the interview on to the next stage for new material. Checking the clock could indicate they are short on time, so get to the point!

Other Advice

Speaking too much during an interview may indicate to IT staffing companies and hiring managers that you are easily distracted or may talk too much on the job.  Also, by not letting managers or technical recruiters get a word in you are being disrespectful and frustrating which most coworkers cannot handle in the IT staffing office.  Interviews only provide a glimpse of who you are as an employee and your experiences so make use of the time with valid, relevant points.

IT Recruiting: Don’t Shoot the Messenger

Most IT contractors are aware of the hardships when applying and interviewing for IT jobs. Luckily, the process is eased when working with a technical recruiter as the recruiter provides tips for your resume and interview.  During the interview, the spotlight is on the candidate.  This is your time to shine and win over the hiring managers.  What happens when you follow the advice of your IT recruiter and you are rejected?  Do you blame the IT staffing firm?

The Offender

It is a difficult experience for a recruiter to tell an applicant they did not make the final cut, especially when they are subject to the candidate’s blame and guilt. Technical recruiters root for their candidates throughout their interview process.  They are not the ultimate decision makers when it comes to hiring an applicant and cannot reconsider the decision of a hiring manager.

The Victim

A candidate feels a loss of pride when they are rejected for an IT job.  They may feel misled or a loss of hope upon first hearing the message.  Rather than taking it out on the recruiter, ask for feedback.  The IT staffing rep can provide honest opinions from the hiring managers on why the candidate may not be the best fit for the position.  Do not be afraid to ask the recruiter to be kept in mind for other positions!

The Aftermath

No one enjoys receiving or delivering bad news, especially regarding a missed opportunity.  As IT recruiters, explain why his skills were not applicable or if there simply was a better applicant while lending the disheartened candidate an ear as he vents.   Suggest other openings you may have in mind and follow up with other positions as they arise.

As a candidate, you are allowed to express your feelings, but do not burn a bridge in the process.  This failed interview could open the door to new positions and potential opportunities.  If you made mistakes, use this experience as part of the learning process.  Finally, remember that it is better to hear unfortunate news early such as being unqualified now than later down the interview process or during the position.

Sloppy IT Recruiters

Technical recruiters know that like apples, it takes one bad IT recruiter to spoil the bunch.  Recruiters are often viewed as money driven IT headhunters who care more about their commissions than the well being of their clients.  To maintain your ground as an honest recruiter, avoid these sloppy and often dishonest recruiting tactics.

The Bait and Switch

IT recruiting companies send an email saying you are an ideal fit for recruiters’ open positions.  You head to a IT recruiting agency expecting an interview when the recruiter sits you down and asks you all your employment history and skills, which are on your resume.  You soon realize there is no open position and the technical recruiting company is just looking to populate their database with clients.

There might be open positions, but the one initially offered is not mentioned.  The suggested roles are more entry level IT jobs that slightly relate to your skills.  The sloppy technical recruiter tries to talk up the jobs and make reaches in terms of relating your experience to the tasks and responsibilities to their open positions.  When you decline, the recruiter pushes you to make a commitment where you do not feel comfortable.

Unresponsive

Once technical recruiting companies establish a commitment with candidates, they should follow up throughout the duration of their contract.  Recruiters who seem to drop off the face of the earth post interviewing pose signs of a potentially weak relationship and could worry clients or hiring managers about the stability of their positions.

Impersonal

Recruiters have the advantage that they can spend more time discussing the skills of IT contractors and experience than a hiring manager can learn in one just one interview.  When you talk to a contractor, try to establish a rapport so you can both feel comfortable with one another.  When you send emails, make it personal rather than sending a mass mail.  If you must send a mass mail, always check to make sure email addresses are hidden from other recipients.

Not all IT recruiting agencies behave the same so obviously their performances differ.  Those that treat their clients as people and not inventory will see better results and reviews.  You will also be happier with your day to day tasks as well!

IT Recruiting: What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?

Technical recruiters typically take notes during phone conversations with prospective candidates and hiring managers.  The writing may be scribbles with some mark ups such as doodles on the margin or perfectly neat and aligned.  Ever wonder what the penmanship of IT recruiters says about their personality or mood?  Continue reading for some insight on everyday calligraphy.

Slant

Take note of the degree in slant for handwriting.  If it is leaning to the right, the IT recruiter may be more of a social butterfly and enjoy working with others.  When writing slants more to the left, the technical recruiter typically prefers working alone, focuses on attention to detail, and does not appreciate others trying to trump him with authority.  When recruiters of IT staffing companies have penmanship that seems to have no slant, they may be more rational decision makers and tend to let their emotions guide them.

Size

When handwriting is large it means technical recruiting companies have confidence coupled with outgoing personalities… think John Hancock, they want to be noticed!  If penmanship is small, recruiters prefer to be focused or working in the background and may also be shy and thoughtful.  Those with average sized handwriting are considered easy going and well adjusted to different situations within the IT staffing industry.

Loops

Scrutinize loops if the handwriting is in cursive.  If loops tend to be closed, consider one’s mood.  Are they feeling agitated or easily annoyed?  Closed loops signify that one is unconvinced and discouraged while wider loops indicate an adventurous personality and expression of oneself.

Other Things to Think About…

Is the penmanship half cursive half print?  Some believe these may be the most intelligent workers of IT recruiting firms because the brain is working faster than the hand in these instances.  If words are rounder, this person may be a people pleaser and avoid confrontation.  Pointier letters indicate one is focused on his own wants and needs at the technical recruiting firm.  People who doodle in the margins tend to be the creative thinkers while those with neat notes have more organized thoughts.

All of these indications are up for debate, but fun to think about.  Next time you are on the phone with a client or taking notes at a presentation, take note of your handwriting.  It may be telling you more than you think!

Technical Recruiters Warn: The Flu Season Approaches

As the temperature drops, fevers rise.  From October through the month of May, flu season raises its ugly head to spite IT recruiting offices throughout the Northeast.  When IT recruiters find they are the victim of the plague, should they be the office heroes or stay curled up in bed?  Here are some reasons why it is better to stay quarantined at home than in the office when a technical recruiter becomes ill.

Causes of Illness

Germs and viruses are incubated in colder weather as more people opt to stay indoors longer.  The air becomes stale and recycled.  Another reason illnesses are on the rise is because children are back in school.  Children are more weary of bacteria and easily spread their germs, bringing it home to their families as well.  Soon the whole household will be sick and will share it with fellow IT headhunters, wiping the IT staffing company.

Reasons People Come to Work Sick

Whether they are afraid of being reprimanded for their absence or hurting their chances of being promoted, some employees try to make it to technical recruiting companies under any condition.  With jobs being cut across the country as the recession continues, there are less replacements to cover workloads and cross train on projects.  Employees may avoid taking a sick day because they would prefer to use their PTO for vacation time, but which is more important: overall health or a day’s work of pay?

Reduced Productivity

An IT recruiter will not be the office hero if he is working at fifty percent of his healthy productivity level.  Soon he will be bringing other’s efficiency levels down with him whether from contagiousness or pure distraction.  If a recruiter must work while sick, he should offer to sift through resumes at home if possible and be available via phone or email.

Hiring managers would rather have happy and health employees than ones who miserably strain themselves while taking a toll not only on their physical health, but also their mental health.  If you are not feeling one hundred percent well or begin to feel sick, notify your supervisor in a timely manner and request a sick day.  IT staffing companies will thank you in advance!