Tag Archives: IT headhunters

IT Recruiters Ask You Cut Back on that Cologne…

At small IT recruiting companies, there is a common culprit who seems to have taken a dip in the perfume or cologne bottle prior to work.  Initially, people do not seem to mind or may enjoy the scent.  By the third hour, the lingering aroma irritates noses and technical recruiters are complaining of headaches and nausea.  How do IT headhunters handle a scent problem without offending the perpetrator?

Brief and Honest

At IT staffing firms, recruiters work in close proximity of one another, around hiring managers, and candidates throughout the day.  When a technical recruiter is wearing an overpowering scent, ask them about it privately.  Point out it is a strong scent and, next time, suggest using a little less.  If the scent is making you sick, ask the IT recruiter to not wear it in the IT staffing office and explain you are sensitive to scents.  The recruiter may be offended at first, but will most likely appreciate hearing it from one of his peers than a supervisor.

Discrete

If you find you do not have the will or way to tactfully approach the smelly IT headhunter, notify your supervisor of the issue.  By having human resources address the problem, management will be less apt to embarrass and pinpoint the recruiter.  Also, by addressing entire technical recruiting companies, other recruiters will be mindful of what they choose to wear and prevent potential scent issues.

You are the Offender

You may be the offender and not realize it because you do not smell it yourself.  Offices have less ventilation than the outdoors and public areas, so try to use less or none at all.  If you choose to use scented products, candles, or lotions, ask others in the office if they mind.

Remember, you are working in small corridors for extended hours.  You and your co-workers have a right to breathe!

Office Gossip in the IT Staffing Industry

To say you have never been the victim of gossip or rumors is a proud feeling.  To say you have never participated in gossiping and spreading rumors is even better.  Unfortunately, most IT headhunters are not perfect and have helped in some way spread non-truths about a fellow  acquaintance.  As rumors begin to circulate about an IT recruiter or yourself, how do you handle the situation?

Address It

When word gets out there will be internal changes in IT recruiting companies or personal matters regarding a technical recruiter, you might seem excited you have been chosen to share the news.  Before you further spread the information, follow up with the facts.  For changes within the IT staffing companies, confirm the changes with hiring managers or the corporate executives. If you are close enough to the victim of the personal rumors, take them aside and tell them what has been said.  The point is not to hurt the victim further or pry for details, but to let him be aware of what is being circulated and allow him to address the problem before it escalates.

Do Not Participate

You can always choose to ignore the rumors or tell other technical recruiters that you are not interested in hearing peers’ business.  If the messenger takes defense, ask why they are telling you this information.  Typically people who participate in gossip do so to feel better about themselves while hurting others.  When they realize they are doing this, they may back down from future IT recruiting office bullying.

Be Positive

As the saying goes if you do not have anything nice to say do not saying anything at all.  When someone has nothing pleasant to say at technical recruiting firms about someone take the initiative and follow up with a positive comment.  The office gossiper will realize you support the victim and will not come to you in the future to get his rumor fix.  Also, it may make the rumor supplier feel guilty about his actions and see the victim from a different perspective.

Office rumors and gossip are more common than one would think, especially with sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  With the support of anti-bullying movement, hopefully the hurtful slander will eventually be put to an end.

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!

Thanksgiving Travel Tips for IT Recruiters

What is there to not enjoy about Thanksgiving?  This holiday grants technical recruiters a day off from the IT staffing office to spend time with family and friends while enjoying plenty of food, parades, and football.  While travel conditions are not ideal as traffic congestion reaches its peak, here are some tips for the IT recruiter to not only enjoy his holiday, but also survive the journey to reach his Thanksgiving destination.

Car Planning

A majority of Thanksgiving travelers opt to drive when traveling.  Try to plan ahead by taking into account at least two hours of traffic if you must leave on Wednesday.  Leaving on Tuesday night and returning on Friday is bound to save you time as most travelers leave Wednesday and return on Sunday after a long weekend.

Living in New England, IT recruiters Boston cannot predict perfect weather conditions so ensure your wind shield wipers perform correctly and replace if necessary.  Check tire air pressure, oil, and the engine.  To save a few dollars, fill your gas tank early.  Worst case scenario, print back up directions in case your GPS is not cooperating to save a potential head ache later.

Air Line Planning

Avoid the long lines at the airport by checking in online and packing only essential items in a carryon bag.  Airline fees can add up for additional baggage, so consider shipping items if necessary.  Finally, plan to leave extra early to ensure you arrive at the airport on time and do not miss your flight.  Planes tend to be full so changing your flight may delay your trip further.

Staying at Home

If you are not the one doing the traveling, take a breather and rest a little easy.  Offer to help those who will be your guests with travel arrangements and make their visit as pleasant as possible.  Start preparing the meal early and use your IT recruiting skills to gather help so Thursday will not be as stressful.  Lastly, enjoy the leftovers and some Black Friday shopping!

Remember, not all IT recruiting companies and candidates have the Friday after Thanksgiving off.  IT headhunters should be ready and willing to make or take calls and concerns from their IT consultants.

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 Staffing: Is a Small Company for You?

As candidates seek new career opportunities, they have the opportunity to choose from large corporations or small businesses.   While most are easily swayed by the aura of a prominent brand name, they may not realize the benefits they pass up from snubbing the smaller corportations.  Here are some reason IT contractors should consider working with the little guys.

Part of the Team

Smaller companies tend to be teams working together to reach a common objective.  Each IT headhunter plays a crucial role toward the process of achieving that goal through teamwork and an individual strive.  Working side by side, technical recruiters are bound to develop more personal relationships than the standard IT recruiting connection.  Also, because employees in a small IT staffing company work in such a tight knit group, workers have the opportunity to voice suggestions and provide honest feedback to management.

Tangible Results

The efforts of a technical recruiter are more likely to be noticed at small technical recruiting companies than at a larger corporation.  He will have the opportunity to see how his work contributes to a project and its final output.  IT headhunters can also help to implement new policies if the company is flexible and standards are not already in place.

Learning Experience

Most emerging companies perform on the trial and error process.  IT recruiters must be ready to step outside of their comfort zone, make mistakes, and take on additional responsibilities.  The benefits to employees are they are exposed and cross trained to different departments and forced to find a drive for inner creativity.

Is it the Right Atmosphere for You?

As an IT contractor, are you ready to on the risk?  Not all emerging businesses are guaranteed successes, but if the company thrives, you will be taken along for the ride.  Likewise, if it fails, you will experience the downfall and disappointment.  Are you ready for additional responsibility?  The words “not my job” are rarely used at small companies.  You must be willing to take on more than your fair share of work to succeed at the company.  Finally, if you are not willing to work in a team, emerging corporations are not the place for you.

Not everyone is cut out to work in a small company, but part of finding out is being involved in the experience!

IT Recruiters Learn to Recover from Mistakes

If you are human, chances are you have made a mistake.  Some oversights can be easily mended and forgotten, but what about ones that have lingering effects?  How do technical recruiters handle an error that not only affects their work, but also others within IT staffing firms?  Here are some tips for IT headhunters who wish to remain responsible and confident while recovering from a serious mistake.

Take Control

When you notice a mistake at an IT recruiting firm, do not wait for others to confront you nor play the blame game.  Rather than looking for someone to attribute the guilt and shame, stick to the facts and confront those who will be affected by your actions using “I” statements.  Think of reasons why the mistake occurred and how it could have been prevented to piece together a solution.  Notify others at the IT staffing firm with an outline of the issues along with a plan.  They may be able to help you find a resolution.

Fix the Problem                                                                                                                      

The sooner you approach the problem, the faster it will be resolved, so do not procrastinate.  Consider all outcomes as you devise a plan.  After you have developed a strategy for the solution, implement it.  Do not be afraid to ask fellow IT recruiting reps for help along the way, too. Fixing the problem is a learning experience because you will know what not to do in the future.  The mistake has already occurred, so the worst should be over.

Reevaluate

When all is settled, reevaluate the situation.  You should learn from your experience, whether it be what to do or not to do and how to prevent a mistake such as this in the IT staffing industry and technical recruiting firms.  Try not to beat yourself up too much about it either.  Everyone is human and has mistakes from time to time, but what matters most is how you overcome the challenge.

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!

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!

IT Recruiting: Lunch Etiquette

Technical recruiting companies frequently engage in lunch meetings with their candidates to discuss business and life in general.  These gatherings can range from low key to a strict agenda depending on the client.  If IT recruiters are uncertain of how to behave during a meeting, here are some tips to stay in line during a standard corporate lunch.

Before

Technical recruiters should look up the menu in advance so they do not waste time deciding on lunch.  Choose two different meals, one light and the other a full meal while avoiding messy and finger foods.  Plan to arrive fifteen minutes early and dress professionally.  IT headhunters may be over dressed for the restaurant or relative to their client, but it is better than standing out in a negative way.  Prepare an itinerary for the meeting and leave phones off or in the car.

At the Meeting

IT recruiting firms should greet their client with a firm handshake and wait to be seated.  Place napkins on the lap and do not put cell phones on the table even if they are on silent.  The contractor should place his order first, and then the IT staffing rep can choose his meal depending on what the contractor orders.  This way the contractor will not be waiting for the recruiter to finish his steak if the candidate only ordered a salad.  Also, try to avoid going to the meeting hungry because technical recruiting firms may become too distracted with food to discuss the importance of the meeting.  Before diving into business, make small talk to set a comfortable mood and then transition the subject after placing the order.

The Food

Anything that can stain or get stuck in the teeth of an IT recruiter should be saved for a night out with the pals.  Also, food that is messy and difficult to eat is distracting and can upset the client while alcohol is typically avoided.  When the technical recruiter is finished eating, rest the utensils on the plate with the napkin on the table.  It might be tempting to take a doggy bag with you, but fight the urge.

Be polite to all wait staff and maintain focus through the meeting.  If the recruiter extended the invite, cover the bill and be discreet in regards to tipping.  Remember to thank clients for their time!