Tag Archives: IT contractors

IT Perks are Growing Despite a Bad Economy

IT staffing companies and IT consultants are seeing a trend that feels incongruous in today’s job market: more perks at tech companies.  In an economy with unemployment rates at an uncomfortably high amount, pay cuts everywhere, and people being forced to double-up on job responsibilities, the information technology industry is booming and working hard to keep the supply of IT contractors as high as the supply of IT jobs.   IT recruiting agencies are likely to be familiar with Google and Yahoo as examples of the elaborate perks offered to entice IT professionals.  A deluge of free services make IT staffing firms working with Google and Yahoo more like sirens than IT recruiters.

Of course, IT staffing companies only submit resumes to companies like Google and Yahoo for candidates that are ready to commit a larger portion than 40 hours of their week.  IT managers at tech companies may be offering amazing benefits and perks, but they are also offering incredibly demanding jobs for IT headhunters to fill.

Team-Building in the IT World

The information technology field has always been open to new business practices.  One of the newest growing trends is group exercise classes as team-building tools.  IT recruiters and IT contractors have become aware of more and more companies that offer classes likeCrossfit in-house and out of the office.

IT staffing firms hear a mélange of good and bad feedback on these classes as team-building exercises.  Since the trend is growing, there are of course plenty of IT consultants who tell IT recruiting agencies how much they love the classes and the effect they have on their teams at work.  IT staffing companies are certainly also hearing some negative responses from IT professionals on exercise classes as team-building tools.  Some people have suggested to IT recruiting companies that intense exercise classes like Crossfit are not appealing to them.  Thus they are left out of the activity, effectively making a team-building activity one that actually divides.  Others object to team-building exercise classes because they have their own workout routines and classes they are already dedicated to.  These people tell IT staffing firms a similar message: these team-building activities divide them from the team.

Because IT recruiting firms are getting mixed reviews, the jury might still be out on the effectiveness of exercise classes in IT jobs. One thing is for sure, though: they certainly get a reaction from employees.

The Best Qualities in IT References

Great references are a must for IT contractors looking to attract IT recruiters. IT staffing firms certainly appreciate sparkling resumes, but to get further in the process nothing beats the marketability of IT professionals with references that are impressive, relevant, well-spoken, and easy to contact.   IT consultants should consider a few major things when assembling references for IT recruiting agencies to use on their behalf.

Firstly, IT staffing firms would prefer references who are as impressive and relevant as possible.  Using past managers for jobs in the same or similar fields is preferable.  The better the title (while still being somebody who can speak thoroughly about your abilities), the more impressive it will be to IT recruiting companies and the IT managers they work for.

Secondly, IT recruiting firms are looking for references who are up to date and easy to contact.  A great verbal reference is worthless if the IT professional has lost their contact information or worse, lost track of them entirely and has old and useless contact information. One way to avoid this pitfall is a necessary prior step: getting permission.  It’s polite to make sure you have permission to use somebody as a reference.  In getting that permission, the second part of the conversation should be getting the best method of contact for IT staffing companies to use for this reference.

Lastly, IT headhunters most prefer an organized, thorough listing of references laid out for them in one document.  IT recruiters CA to IT recruiters Boston will appreciate a list that is easy to use themselves or to hand to IT managers they work with.

Stepping into an IT Manger’s Shoes — the Key to Success

IT professionals and IT recruiters are both subject to the whims of IT managers.  As in any field, an IT manager is complex and has his/her own even more complex set of priorities.  The best way to work well with a manager is for technical recruiters and IT consultants to try to consider things from their point of view.  Here are 2 major ways a manager’s perspective can become clearer to IT staffing agencies and IT professionals.

1. Consider the Manager’s priorities, not your own- IT staffing firms and IT consultants have a very different list of priorities than an IT manager.  A pressing request for interview feedback might be imperative to IT recruiting firms, but they need to respect that it may be at the bottom of the list for a manager.  A bug in code or a difficult co-worker might be a major issue for  IT contractors, but he or she should consider that these problems may be nearly insignificant to their manager.

2. Make the manager’s job easy- If IT staffing companies or IT professionals can find ways to meet an manager’s needs with little feedback or supervision, or even to anticipate these needs, they will become invaluable.  Being a self-starter, self-motivated, and an independent worker make you easy to manage.  If you’re easy to manage, IT managers—and the IT recruiting agencies who work for them—will want to work with you over and over again.

Preparing for an IT job interview- Step by Step

IT staffing firms have a laundry list of qualities they look for in an IT consultant, but one of the most important is ability and willingness to prepare for IT job interviews.  Technical recruiters encounter a myriad of IT contractors who do not seem to follow the major steps in prepare for interviews.  This is shocking because these steps are simple, take very little time, and pretty intuitive.

The first thing recruiting firms would prefer that IT professionals do to prepare for a job interview is to research the company.  This can be done quickly by checking out their website and/or general presence on the web.  Secondly, IT staffing agencies suggest that IT job candidates read, memorize, and seriously think about the job description. IT recruiting agencies want to send in candidates who have deeply considered what IT jobs require and how the candidates can meet those requirements.  Lastly, IT staffing companies want their IT consultants to practice answering and asking standard interview questions.  Encountering these questions for the first time, or the first time in a long time, does not look good for the candidate or the IT recruiting agencies they represent.   Following each of these steps will definitely guarantee at success—if not in getting the job, at least in convincing IT recruiting companies that you are a great person to work with.

IT Certifications: Honey for Hummingbirds

If IT recruiters were hummingbirds, what would be IT professionals’ honey, so to speak?  IT certifications are certainly a possible solution for the metaphor. IT staffing firms appreciate IT certifications for many reasons.  Perhaps the most obvious reason IT recruiting companies appreciate IT certifications is that it makes candidates eligible and more likely to get IT jobs.  IT staffing companies feel confident in passing resumes for IT contractors for positions who have relevant certifications.  Even if the certified candidates don’t get the positions,  simply suggesting them to IT managers still reflects well on IT staffing agencies.

While IT certifications are generally a great investment that attracts IT recruiting firms, it is imperative to note that experience will always trump a certification.  If IT consultants don’t put a certification to good use, IT headhunters will be generally uninterested and move on to the next possible job candidate.

Mentoring in the IT World

Mentoring is an effective practice across a myriad of professional fields, including information technology.  IT professionals can certainly make themselves more attractive to technical recruiters nationwide, from IT recruiters CA to IT recruiters Boston by working with a mentor to hone their technical skills, professional demeanors, and resumes.  IT staffing firms will be especially excited to find female IT consultants who have had strong mentoring.  In a male-dominated field, women are certainly sought after by many IT headhunters for the unique perspectives they can bring to IT jobs.

What are some ways IT contractors can find mentors for themselves?  IT recruiting firms can suggest companies with strong mentoring programs.  One can also network online or in person at local meetups.  It is important to consider the search for a mentor to be fluid—one can multiple mentors and the time it takes to grow these relationships is not fixed.

IT is Re-Shaping Etiquette Rules Quickly

Emily Post’s opinion hasn’t carried much weight in society for a while, but recently there has been a rash of blogs that are concerned with etiquette—as it’s been changed by information technology.  IT recruiters, IT contractors, and all IT professionals in general are certainly pressured to keep up with the subtle changes in etiquette that are byproducts of constant changes in online and digital communication.  By being aware of the nuances of communication that are so quickly changing, technical recruiters can demonstrate how in touch they are with a technology company’s needs and the requirements of their IT jobs.

IT staffing firms, for instance, tend to operate by the LMGTFY rule.  LMGTFY, or Let Me Google that For You, is a very current courtesy.  If IT recruiters or IT consultants could easily google information for themselves, asking for it is considered rude.  It is in especially poor taste for IT staffing agencies or IT professionals to break the LMGTFY rule with potential candidates or employers they are submitting resumes to.  In addition to breaking etiquette, IT recruiting companies that violate the LMGTFY rule are also demonstrating a lack of resourcefulness and initiative.

Coming to an IT Company Near You: More Women

IT recruiting agencies, IT consultants, and the information technology industry as a whole has long decried its lack of women, especially in powerful positions.  Recently, however, it seems as though strides have been made towards actually doing something about this problem.  IT recruiters and IT contractors will certainly recognize the name Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s hyper-visible CEO who recently ended Yahoo’s telecommuting policy.  IT staffing companies are also likely to know her friend and fellow female tech executive Sheryl Sandberg.  Sandberg’s feminist manifesto brings a new perspective that is particularly relevant to technical recruiters and the IT professionals with whom they work.

The charge to bring more women into IT jobs  isn’t just coming from the top, though.  Various programs are being promoted and implemented in schools to make Math, Science, coding, and programming more popular amongst young girls.  IT recruiting companies may not yet see an increase in resumes from women, but a solid investment in future generations of female IT professionals is certainly equally important.   Hopefully the combined current efforts of these various feminists will inspire even more women to make themselves available to IT recruiters Boston, IT recruiters CA, and IT recruiters NY.

Change in the IT World: Necessary and Risky

Facebook’s changes this week certainly haven’t gone unnoticed by IT recruiters or the rest of the world.  While analyses on the details of these changes vary, the consensus seems to be one that the information technology world, and thus technical recruiters and IT consultants, have long understood: Change is key to staying relevant, but it needs to be done with caution.  IT recruiting firms and the IT professionals they work with often seek the balance between change and prudence in their work.  Frivolous change, change done solely for the sake of meeting technology’s break-neck pace, can meet loud criticism.  And loud criticism can mean the demise of a person or company’s reputation—at a break-neck pace, of course.

Marissa Mayer at Yahoo has also been struggling with similar issues.  As IT staffing firms and IT contractors watched her call all Yahoo employees back to work, they also saw the criticism pour in.  The results of Mayer’s change are yet to really be seen, but the consequences of shaking things up have certainly already manifested themselves and Mayer’s reputation has taken a hit.  Of course, not everyone is as visible in their actions as Mayer and Facebook, but the lesson for IT recruiting agencies and anyone else in the information technology field is just to make change cautiously.  Even when the industry standard requires IT recruiters CA to IT recruiters Boston to make change quickly to remain relevant, these changes are still subject to equally quick criticism.