Tag Archives: IT consultants

Avoiding Bad Advice in IT Jobs or Job Hunting

IT recruiters come across IT consultants who act upon a lot of bad advice. IT staffing firms find that unfortunately, there is plenty of terrible advice that is nearly indistinguishable from good advice about during, on the hunt for, and when leaving IT jobs.   IT professionals who are polishing their resumes, or simply trying to figure out how to improve in their current job, can take a few steps in trying to avoid poor advice about how to act in the information technology field.

Firstly, consider the source of the advice.  If you would trust the source normally, considering finding at least one more source that would confirm the advice.  If you wouldn’t normally trust the source but are intrigued by the advice, try to find at least 3 places that confirm it.  Good advice is something most people can agree on, especially when it comes to the job hunt or workplace etiquette.

The second way to avoid bad advice about your job hunt or job etiquette is to consider checking with your IT headhunters or IT recruiting agencies before proceeding with it.  If they helped you land your current job or are helping you find a new one, it is in their best interest that you perform well and do the right things.  They also tend to have relationships with your employers/potential employers, or at the very least, companies that are similar to them.  Your technical recruiters will very likely know if you should follow or discard a piece of advice because they know your employers’ or potential employers’ preferences.

 

When You Have Too Much Work at Your IT Job

The undeniable growth of information technology means that IT professionals are likely to be dealing with an overwhelming amount of work at some time or another.  IT recruiters would prefer that IT contractors approach their IT managers with a few things in mind.

Firstly, IT headhunters would prefer that IT consultants assess their circumstances in rational, detailed ways. Start by creating a list of what projects need to be done, their deadlines, and any complications or projected dates that the project could actually be completed by.  Next, making a meeting with the best IT manger to speak to about the situation.  Bring the list and go over it in a calm way.  Emotional outbursts, while easy to give in to if one is very stressed or overwhelmed by a workload, will deeply hurt your case.  Lastly, be prepared to offer or help find the solution to your frustration.  Offering alternatives (ones that are viable and will still help your boss) or being helpful as they try to create an alternative, will also earn you points.  If you make the task of reconfiguring your workload easier for your boss, you will make them far happier to do it for you.

The Importance of Taking Your Breaks in IT

Many IT professionals will choose to work through their lunch hours or breaks when their IT jobs get particularly busy.  Like any other kind of professional outside of information technology, IT recruiters and IT consultants can get caught up in the rush of deadlines or program releases, forgetting to take their half hour or hour lunch break during the day.  Even though this seems like the best way to get things done quickly, IT headhunters, IT consultants, and IT managers should seriously reconsider skipping all breaks during the workday.

There are two major reasons to make sure you take your lunch break—or at least a break at some point during the day.  The first is that your productivity may not be the best it could be if you don’t take time away from your work.  Walking away from your work and thinking of other things even for 20 minutes can free up your brain for a bit.   Sometimes, giving it that break will result in a surprising sudden insight.  Studies have shown repeatedly that problem-solving can occur more efficiently when people take breaks from the problem.

The second reason is that you might eat better. Studies have shown that people tend to eat more when they eat their lunch alone at their desk.  They tend to be so focused on their work, they’re less attuned to the “hungry” and “sated” signals their body might be sending.  People who step away from their desks for lunch might also make better nutritional choices, too.  There are a few reasons for this, but again, it probably comes down to focus.  Putting all focus on making good food choices, rather than on your work, will make it easier to make better decisions.  Of course, the better you eat, the better you’ll be able to perform later in the day.  So this second reason feeds right back into the first: better nutrition = better productivity.

IT Professionals are Commuting More…and Liking it

Information technology has plenty of telecommuting, but IT professionals and technical recruiters also spend quite a bit of time commuting to their IT jobs, too.  According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, IT contractors and IT headhunters, among their peers from other fields, tend to find ways to enjoy their commutes far more than in the past 5 or 10 years.

Mobile devices are a big part of this increase in commute satisfaction for IT consultants and IT managers. Commuters tend to use them to entertain themselves, get work done, or accomplish personal tasks online.  Some commuters are even finding ways to schedule their commutes as part of their work days.  Whether commuters focus or work or pleasure during their commutes, they seem to be more appreciative of them.

 

IT Professionals Shouldn’t Quit on Youtube

Information technology recently saw one of its most egregious infractions of employee behavior when  digital video content company IT professionals made sure an ‘I quit’ video went viral.  Even though IT contractors might find that their resumes are in high demand they’re getting calls from IT headhunters constantly, quitting in a blaze is still a terrible idea.

This is a particularly bad idea when technical recruiters and IT managers can easily find your ‘I quit’ video, or at least references to it, with a quick google search.  Millennials are comfortable with living a life that is, if not constantly in public, at least publicly searchable.  They are probably too comfortable with this idea.  IT recruiting companies would strongly encourage that nobody try what Marina Shifrin did at home…or at work.  Even though it seemed clever and will probably result in a plum job for her, most IT consultants should avoid making their unprofessional behavior so public. IT staffing firms and hiring managers might not always find it funny or entertaining.

How IT Professionals Can Safely Talk about the Government Shutdown

Like every other field, the information technology field is attempting to divine whether it will suffer in the wake of the government shutdown.  Of course, IT professionals have a lot of reservations about talking about a topic like this at their IT jobs.  It’s a deeply uncomfortable thing to discuss with coworkers, never mind the fact that IT recruiters Boston to IT recruiters CA would vehemently state that IT contractors avoid such discussions with their coworkers or IT managers.

So what is the best way for IT consultants to deal with conversations, like one about the government shutdown, that could be veritable minefields in the office?  There are two routes to take.  The most obvious, of course, is to simply not participate. Finding some way to leave the conversation (hopefully in a way that feels organic, and not abrupt), is probably most common.  The second route is to take a page from Megan Garber’s observations in today’s version of The Atlantic, and find the elements that are not politically, racially, religiously, economically, etc- charged.  Like the panda-cam that has been shut off due the government shutdown.  Find the universally agreeable element, and stick to that like pandas to a bamboo tree.

 

Doing Your Research Before an IT Interview

IT recruiters and IT staffing companies tend to recommend that IT consultants do their research before interviewing for IT jobs.  This might seem straightforward enough, but it’s worth it for IT contractors to review the research they need to do that is not technology-specific as they prepare to meet IT managers.

The first step any technical recruiters will suggest is to research the company.  Going to the company’s website and blog are good first stops.  It’s also worth it to check out glass door for your own reference to see if you’ll like the work environment.

The next step IT recruiting agencies would recommend is reading industry-specific news.  Reviewing recent news for the industry that you’ll be interviewing in will give you something interesting to speak with our interviewer about.  You might also have some ideas of what the company’s priorities are or major factors in its business.

The last step to consider is to look up the person you’ll be interviewed by.  Looking for common ground, finding out their role, and finding out more about their background will all help you become the most appealing candidate you can be.  People love to work with people who understand them, so you can show up already having a basic understanding of your interviewer.

Don’t Fake it in IT Interviews

IT staffing companies and technical recruiters give plenty of advice to IT consultants about interviews: what to wear, when to get there, what kinds of questions to be ready to respond to or ask.  There is a subtle underlying rule that IT headhunters hope that IT contractors are already aware of, though.  It’s best to be genuine throughout an interview. 

While IT staffing firms aren’t looking for people who flaunt the rules of office and interview etiquette, they are looking for people who provide more genuine, personable responses to questions than their resumes might provide.  IT professionals who give the perfect, cookie-cutter response to questions are pretty questionable in their own right.  IT managers know nothing about them at the end of the interview because the answers they’ve given don’t say much about them as employees.

IT professionals who are getting ready to interview can easily avoid the trap of looking too perfect.  Preparing for interviews should be done in a way that doesn’t rob you of your personality or work style.  If you find suggested answers to questions online or elsewhere, make sure they are still answers you could honestly give.   Perhaps doing this kind of preparation might take a bit longer, but it’s worth it.  The price of not doing it will likely result in not getting the job.

When to Stay in Your IT Job…and When to Leave

IT consultants must ask themselves a tough question from time to time: Should I start looking to leave my current job?  IT professionals who are considering polishing their resumes should consider a few major factors before trying to move on to new IT jobs.

The first major fact is the state of the economy and the information technology.  Currently, IT contractors will find that the economy is not in the best shape.  However, the IT field is booming.  Making a move wouldn’t be prohibitively risky at the moment.

The next factor to consider is motivation.  IT recruiters and IT staffing agencies tend to shy away from people who only want to leave their jobs for more money, because they’re bored, or because they’re overworked.  A combination of factors is acceptable, but on their own, each of these factors can be addressed and probably improved at least somewhat.

The last factor to consider is time.  If you’ve only been with your current employer for less than a year (and it’s not a contract), it’s best to try to wait it out.  Technical recruiters do have more tolerance for what might be called ‘job hopping’ in other fields, but if you can avoid having less than a year at any location, you should wait.

 

Avoiding Conflict in IT

IT jobs tend to require that IT contractors have either teamwork skills or customer service skills.  With requirements like these, IT staffing firms find it imperative to ensure that the IT consultants they work with not only have flawless resumes, but can also avoid and defuse conflicts.

The best case scenario for IT recruiting agencies is to find IT job candidates who are capable not only of avoiding their own conflict, but also knowing when to defuse other people’s conflicts.  Technical recruiters prefer to work with candidates who recognize that the first step to avoiding any conflict is to emotionally detach from a situation.  Secondly, keeping the opposite perspective in mind is key to easily detangling a disagreement. Empathy never hurts on this front, either.

When it comes to positively impacting work conflicts with co-workers, IT staffing companies want candidates who are aware of when they are needed.  Instances with IT managers and superiors should be avoided.  These people don’t want inferiors attempting to resolve their issues.  Issues between peers are better grounds to interfere on, but only minimally.  IT headhunters don’t want busybodies.  The only scenario that absolutely requires intervention every single time is when a disagreement is about to occur in front of or with a client or potential client.  Keeping the client happy and confident in the company is of the utmost importance– and disagreements never help with those goals.