Tag Archives: IT contractors

Should IT Recruiters Be Allowed to Play Music at Work?

IT recruiters are typically working 8-10 hour days, usually locked in an office, strapped to their desk sourcing through hundreds of resumes and talking to dozens of candidates each day.  While caffeine may help technical recruiters to physically get through each day, music can help mentally.  Therefore, should IT recruiting companies Boston allow their technical recruiters Boston to play music at their desk?  Overall, yes, however IT recruiting firms must provide some stipulations:

1)  One source of music for the entire IT staffing office.  If every IT recruiter has their own music playing, it will drown out conversations and ultimately be heard from IT contractors and candidates on the other end of the phone.

2)  The music must be kept at a soft volume.  The last thing IT recruiting agencies want is to lose credibility because their office sounds like a rock concert in the background of every phone call.

3)  No rap or offensive lyrics.  This is common sense.

Therefore, IT staffing firms should allow one source of music for their IT recruiters CA, but kept at low decibels without offensive lyrics.

Holidays Aren’t Always Cheery For IT Recruiting Firms

While IT recruiters enjoy some time off around the holidays just as much as anyone else, IT staffing companies are a little less cheery than most other industries given the loss of revenue.  Technical recruiters who work for contract IT recruiting agencies, make their money based on how many hours their IT consultants work.   If their IT contractors don’t work, IT recruiters Boston and their respective IT recruiting companies MA don’t get paid.  Therefore, santa isn’t typically dropping off gifts to IT staffing agencies around the holidays.  Instead IT recruiting firms see a drop in revenue and their IT recruiters LA a reduced paycheck for these weeks.

On the flip side, while IT recruiting companies Boston dread looking at their revenue report around the holidays, they love IT consultants who work overtime hours.  Again, IT recruiting firms CA make money off every hour their IT consultants work.  Therefore, OT can be the best friend to IT recruiters San Diego.

Therefore, in an ideal world, IT consultants will make up any missed hours for time off around the holidays to ensure they still put in a forty hour week for both their paycheck and their IT recruiter who ultimately found them the IT job.

A Critical Position Inside IT Recruiting Companies

One might be surprised that one of the most important positions within IT recruiting firms and IT consulting companies is not IT staffing salespeople or even technical recruiters.  This position isn’t even a revenue generating role, it typically doesn’t have management or executive powers either.  The position is a Customer Support Representative or payroll admininistrator.  Simply put, it’s the person who speaks with the IT consultants on a weekly basis and enters their hours/compensation into payroll.

IT contractors are the lifeline of IT recruiting companies.  Therefore, any role that virtually has direct interaction with the IT consultants on a daily basis is of critical importance.   His or her customer service skills, attention to detail and organization must be exceptional, otherwise IT recruiting agencies run the risk of losing their technical consultants.

Therefore, if you’re an IT recruiter Boston or technical recruiter CA, go out of your way to thank your CSR as he or she may be the glue that keeps IT staffing agencies together.

Don’t Celebrate Victories Too Early in IT Recruiting

IT recruiters know all too well not to celebrate a new hire until the IT contractors walk through the client’s door and officially start their first day of work.  Technical recruitersknow not to celebrate because if you’ve work in the IT recruiting industry long enough, you have learned the hard way.  Ultimately, no matter how many questions IT recruiters Boston ask to qualify a candidate and confirm their commitment, there is never a guarantee when it comes to people.  The unfortunate reality is that IT recruiters CA are selling the most unreliable product on the market:  people.

While this might paint a bleak picture of our society, luckily for IT recruiting firms, for every one candidate who gives technical recruiters Bostontheir commitment, then backs out or does not show up to work on his/her first day, there are 10+ people who stand behind their word, work hard and reinforce the faith that there are good people out there.

Therefore, if you’re considering a career in IT staffing, be sure to prepare yourself for some ups and downs.  Most important, when an information technology candidate backs out and leaves you high and dry, roll with the punches and remember that a success story is only a call away so get back up on the horse and persevere.

Leadership in Tech

Managers working in technology need to have well-developed leadership skills to compliment their technical qualifications. Technical recruiters understand that technical employers that partner with IT staffing firms seek technical candidates that are both tech-savvy and display strong interpersonal skills. Technical managers need to be skilled in technical training, which has it’s own language. Being familar with this language and conveying it articulately to new technical hires is a key focal point of a technical managers responsibilites. IT recruiters and IT staffing agencies speak to technical candidates over the phone to guage leadership ability, and technical employers hiring candidates for a technical management position will definitely ask interview questions aimed at determing a technical candidate’s level of proficiency in that area.

Landing a top-paying technical job involves not just qualifications, but also the ability to recognize the highly subjective nature of the hiring process. A technical candidate who uses these variables to his or her advantage has the highest chance of walking away with a job offer. Complimenting an interviewer on a wardrobe choice at the start of the conversation won’t compensate for an incomplete technical skillset, but if a candidate’s qualifications are solid, and the candidate can convey strong confidence in his or her area of technical expertise, starting the interview conversation on a positive note can only help make a positive impression and break any tension in the air from the start. Keeping these subtelties of the interviewing process in mind will help skilled technical professionals move into management with ease.

How to Source for Recruitment with Talent Management Systems

Technical recruiters who have been involved in the information technology and staffing industry for a while will be able to attest to the transformations that have taken place in the technical job landscape, and the huge increases in employer demand for IT roles. IT recruiting companies that understand the evolution of best practices in the IT recruiting world, and employ best practice strategies, have emerged as cutting-edge forces in the current workforce environment. Technical hiring managers who recognize IT talent management as the core business function that it is in today’s high-activity technical job market will serve as a valuable resource to other IT staffers for that reason.

Technical recruiters who stay on the edge of recruitment technology trends are in the best position to take advantage of them before they become common knowledge, and perform on a more competitive level than other technical staffers. Ultimately, the technical recruiters who work for IT staffing agencies are one of the best tools employers have at their disposal when developing talent and a solid workforce. IT staffing firms who develop a global perspective on the IT staffing industry, and hiring managers in the information technology industry will stay current and relevant.

Review: “The Inside Scoop: Recruiters Share Their Tips on Job Search Success with College Students”

College students or recent grads considering a career in technical recruiting will want to pick up a copy of The Inside Scoop: Recruiters Share Their Tips on Job Search Success with College Students. A lucrative career in the IT staffing industry can be a great career option for motivated young professionals. As Cunningham points out, an internship at an IT recruiting firm can be a great way to learn more about the industry. Since a big part of IT recruiting is understanding the qualifications for the job, and giving IT contractors advice that may give them a better chance for an open IT job than other IT consultants competing for the job, this book can be very helpful for the novice IT recruiter looking to learn the basics of the job.

As any IT recruiter working in the information technology industry knows, a lot of the work IT staffing firms engage in happens behind the scenes. Chapters covering the best techniques for writing resumes and cover letters can serve IT hiring managers well, so that they are both familiar with these skills themselves but also able to coach IT contractors on those fronts. Interview questions common to various technical positions and dressing to make a good impression are key topics for any IT recruiter to make sure his or her candidate is well-versed in before an interview.  As any successful interviewer knows, the key to turning the interview opportunity into an offer is the ability to close well. A strong thank you note, negotiating skills, and conveying positive qualities through non-verbal cues all play  a key role in the successful interviewer’s arsenal. Technical consultants and IT recruiters will find this book to be a practical guide to success in the information technology industry.

Review:”Technical Recruiting Success for IT Firms”

AVID Technical Resources reviews “Technical Recruiting Success for IT Firms” by Dawson.  In the book, Dawson speaks from his high level of success in technical recruiting, and his perspective as a technical staffing consultant. His recruiting techniques involve IT staffing secrets he has identified and developed over time. His check lists offer ways to run through a list of tips, and apply them to each IT candidate, leading to higher placement rates and higher chances of turning technical candidates into working technical contractors.

One challenge a technical hiring manager may face is difficulties maintaining exclusivity. In the competitive IT recruiting industry, other IT staffing agencies may seek to interfere with a headhunter’s exclusive job coverage. Dawson reveals techniques for protecting those exclusive relationships, and turning them into solid placements for good IT professionals. He also covers the art of negotiating rates, a key factor for a technical candidate’s contentment and likelihood of staying in a role on a long-term contract. He closes with tips on managing references, and interview strategies. Pick up this book for a thorough look at a technical recruiters’ task list!

Are IT Recruiting Companies Using Twitter Properly?

IT staffing firms might be wondering what the purpose of using Twitter when their technical recruiters have Facebook or LinkedIn.  If they are actively using Twitter, are they maximizing its benefits to the full potential?  The IT recruiters of AVID Technical Resources are happy and willing to provide some valuable insight on how to make the best use of Twitter, especially for IT recruiting tactics!

Potential Clients

If IT headhunters are interested in working with a particular client company, get noticed by following them on Twitter.  The social media platform allows for quick response in real time.  News about upcoming layoffs, strategies, or budget expansion can also help to see potential growth and development for IT recruiting firms.  If they are having a difficult time getting in touch with companies, try tweeting at them.  For public relation purposes, companies are more willing to publicly respond to tweets versus emails.

Current Clients

Follow your current customers as a heads up for any unexpected changes or just to see how companies or IT consultants are doing.  If a prospective candidate is vocalizing his disappointment with technical recruiting companies, immediately follow up to see if you can help to satisfy both parties.  When IT contractors praise your company, retweet your well deserved compliment!  You can also use Twitter for referrals to expand your network and build your client base.

Increase SEO

Twitter allows SEO for growing companies.  By keeping your Twitter account public, your corporate account will appear in searches such as Google and Bing.  Posting links or tweeting trends also helps to get your business’ name on the internet.  Tweet relevant information to your company or interesting news to drive discussion, too.

The best part of Twitter is it only allows 140 characters per tweet, eliminating clutter and noise while getting to the point.  In today’s world, too much information is just as bad as too little, so keep it short and simple with your tweets!

IT Recruiting: Persistent or Overly Aggressive… Back Off

Chances are you have heard it is good to follow up with hiring managers after IT job interviews.  Sometimes, this is not the case if you are working with an IT recruiter.  When IT contractors choose to work with technical recruiting companies, they develop their relationship with client companies through IT staffing firms.  Before you sit down to type out a thank you email to the hiring manager, consult your technical recruiter and read on for more tips.

Let IT Recruitersdo their job!

The gift of IT headhunters is they do some of the hard work for you.  Trust that they will in fact follow up with hiring managers for a prompt response and relay that information to you in a timely manner.  Remind yourself that IT recruiting companies would not be in business if they were not determined to land their IT consultants positions.  Instead of trying to nix the middle man, sit back and let technical recruiters take the reins.

Desperation is a turn off

A phone call with the recruiter along with a thank you to the hiring manager is necessary.  In the thank you, ask your recruiter when to expect feedback or a decision timeframe.  If you follow up more than the suggested time frame, you will be pestering your recruiter, which may lead him to believe you are impatient rather than persistent.  It is unlikely that he would forget to provide feedback, so he most likely has not heard back yet.  Also, by keeping to yourself you will be able to focus on other upcoming interviews and IT job opportunities.

Did the interview go well?

If you are sitting by the phone waiting for feedback, try to reflect on how the interview went and how badly you want this role.  If this position did not fit your interests or skill level, then you can relax during the wait period.  For IT jobs that meet your qualifications, calling in to check with your recruiter once is acceptable, but avoid going overboard with emails, texts, and phone calls.

If your recruiter gave you a specific time frame and has not responded to you in a timely manner or provided feedback, reach out to them.  They may be busy, but it is no excuse to not respect your agreement and keep you hanging.