Tag Archives: IT headhunters

Searching For a New IT Job During Holidays

Many people might advise IT consultants looking for new IT jobs to just hold off on their search during the holiday season.  Though it often seems as though the holidays are a slow time for business and hiring, this just isn’t true in information technology.  No matter how close it is to Christmas or New Years, IT recruiters have a full list of jobs they are actively seeking to fill with IT contractors.  Beyond making sure you’re in touch and checking in with IT headhunters, there are a few other things you can be doing to make sure your job search is still productive during the holidays.

  1. Polish your materials, both online and off.  Make sure your LinkedIn profile is fresh and up to date, as are all versions of your resumes.
  2. Send holiday cards.  Send them to your technical recruiters, possible professional contacts who might be able to help you out, and to your references.  Mention that you’re on the hunt to the appropriate recipients.
  3. Go to holiday gatherings, both personal and professional.  Again, mention to the appropriate people that you’re looking for a new IT job.  Get the word out and network.  Holiday gatherings are generally happy and people will be in a good mood and more likely than usual to be helpful.

Career U-Turns in IT

Information technology requires IT professionals to move IT jobs a bit more often than the average professional for a number of reasons.  But even IT contractors haven’t really considered going back to the previous employers a generally acceptable career move until somewhat recently.  Now, it is far more acceptable for IT consultants to consider jobs from IT recruiters that are at a previous employer.

Should you consider going back to a previous employer if IT headhunters approach you with a job there?  Only if you can honestly say yes to a few criteria:

1. You didn’t leave because of things that are likely still true of this employer.  If you left because a contract ended and things were on good terms, this is an opportunity worth considering.  If you left because the workplace culture was a bad fit and you can’t definitively, without a doubt decide if it’s changed, this is not a good place to return to.

2. You aren’t looking to go back because you don’t like your current employer.  Going back to a previous employer, unless you loved them, is not the best way to remedy your unhappiness with a new job.  IT recruiters would rather you find a job you are happy in and want to stay at and work hard at for your entire contract.  If you were only mildly satisfied at this workplace, it’s best to look elsewhere for a better fit.

3. This job will help you continue moving your career forward, or at the very least won’t move it backwards.  Don’t step back just because it’s comfortable.  You’ll regret it later when you are ready to move forwards in your career.  Change and new challenges can be scary, but it’s best to push through them rather than take a step back.

 

Why Being Laid Back in IT Makes You More Marketable

A recent study shows that IT professionals who work closely with their coworkers are more likely to dislike them.  IT jobs that require IT contractors to work in a heavily team-oriented environment (versus ones that are more independent in nature) will provide far situations in which IT consultants are more likely to get frustrated with coworkers and their work habits.

Knowing about these risks, IT managers want IT headhunters to seek out particular kinds of people for team-oriented positions.  Technical recruiters are specifically looking for people who not only have stellar resumes, but who are also slow to get irritated or upset.  These are the people who will be less likely to hate their coworkers, no matter what their work habits.  More importantly, these are the people IT recruiters can count on to stay calm and get the job done, no matter how their coworkers behave on the job.

Handling Difficult End Users in IT

IT professionals are often faced with difficult end users in their IT jobs.  Even if these end users are less than easy to please and grateful, IT managers count on IT contractors to handle them with grace and top notch customer service.   IT headhunters also deeply value IT consultants who can tout their interpersonal skills, particularly in difficult situations.  How can you sail smoothly through difficult situations with end users?

Set expectations early.  If time is an issue for the user, be upfront about when they will be likely to receive service and a complete solution for their issue.

Maintain a calm, polite demeanor– no matter what.  Keeping your cool will help your end user also maintain a better attitude.  It will also help you to avoid becoming too submissive or domineering.  If you’re too submissive, you might invite abuse.  If you’re too domineering, you may aggravate the user or garner some very bad reviews about your service later.  Keeping your personal interaction unremarkable will make it easy for the end user to focus on the most important thing: the fact that you solve their issue.

Stay focused and only take information that is valuable from the end user.  Sometimes they can, in an attempt to be helpful, give half-baked theories, extra information, or start trying to make small talk.  As mentioned earlier, don’t be rude or dismissive.  Do attempt to keep your eyes on the prize, though and don’t get distracted by extraneous and incorrect information.  Your goal is to fix the end user’s issue, so filter out everything but the useful data to do that.

 

Deal-breakers in IT

All IT contractors have their deal-breakers for IT jobs.  Whether it’s poor management or abusive behavior from IT managers, options for telecommuting or flexible scheduling, or particular kinds of commutes or distances for commutes, there are just some reasons IT consultants will turn down a job IT staffing agencies recommend.

Deal-breakers are certainly acceptable, especially in a field like information technology, where the jobs are pretty plentiful.  In fact, they can also be very helpful if stated within reason to IT headhunters. IT recruiters want to know what IT professionals’ deal-breakers are so they avoid placing them in jobs that are not good fits for them long term.  If an IT professional keeps a deal-breaker under wraps, and then winds up in a job that has it, they won’t stay long.  This will potentially burn bridges for them, their IT recruiting agencies they work with, the hiring managers, and others.  Having a copious list of deal-breakers that make most jobs impossible is not going to do you any good.  However, being aware of your (reasonable) deal-breakers and making sure your technical recruiters are also aware of them will make your placements much more likely to be successful—for everyone involved.

 

Taking Risks in Your IT Career

Information technology demands certain certifications and education as entry tickets, but experience counts just as much for IT professionals when it comes to promotions and expanding their careers.  IT headhunters would advise IT contractors to be wary of taking IT jobs they aren’t prepared for, but the IT consultant who takes a job or project that sounds slightly unappealing or a little more challenging will be deeply rewarded.

Challenging experiences at work can really pay off later in the form of better offers of IT jobs from IT staffing agencies, better pay, and better confidence.  Technical recruiters can certainly vouch for the fact that taking some risks or making some sacrifices at work will pay off in the long run.  In such a hot market, no new IT skill will go unrewarded and getting great references or earning the respect of IT managers and IT headhunters will quickly pay off. So the next time you’re offered or come across a job or project outside your usual skill-set, seriously consider diving in anyways.  It might just propel your career to the next level.

 

Starting a New Job in IT

IT contractors start new IT jobs much more often than their counterparts in other fields.  The best IT consultants, the ones IT recruiting agencies love to work with, are the ones who know how to start a new job well.  IT headhunters really appreciate IT professionals who know how to make a great first impression with IT managers because that first impression really sets the tone for the rest of the contract.  Here are a few ways to start a job well:

1.      Create goals for yourself.  Make sure these goals are in line not only with your job description, but the company’s goals overall.  The best asset a manager can have is a report who understands the big picture.

2.      Don’t ignore your coworkers.  In fact, take time to make sure you get to know them a bit, try to do what you can to help them out, and make sure to give them credit where credit is due.  Being a team player is incredibly impressive because it’s not always easy to do.  If you put energy into actually making your teammates’ plates less full at work and their days more pleasant, you’ll be recognized for it.

3.      Figure out the office culture and try to blend into it as quickly as possible.  The best new employees are the ones who don’t feel new.  Figure out the written and unwritten rules at work and start to follow them as soon as possible.

 

How to Plan for Holiday Time in IT

IT professionals may have begun trying to figure out their holiday plans and what days to ask for off (or not) from their IT jobs.  IT consultants are particularly prone to having tough decisions to make around holiday time because information technology is often a 24/7 kind of field.  IT managers often need their IT contractors’ coverage even during days the rest of the country will close up shop. What, then, is the best way to approach the quandary of trying to get time off in a situation that requires hands on deck, if not all hands on deck, all the time?

Firstly, consider the needs of the company and the needs of your team as you make your decisions.  Making sure to take stock of major deadlines, releases, or what your teammates might need you for until the end of the year.  IT headhunters don’t like working with the kind of employees who don’t at least consider their employers’ and teammates needs.  Secondly, try to consider not only your personal situation, but your teammates’ personal situations.  Do they have children?  Do they need to travel for the holidays?  Or do they not care about them at all.  It is true that having children or being religious shouldn’t automatically give somebody particular holidays off and automatically stick everyone else with a day at work. However, it’s also the right thing to do as a teammate to at least make an effort to accommodate your teammates’ needs.  They’ll probably do the same for you in turn.    Lastly, consider checking into options for overtime or holiday pay. Don’t be demanding, but make sure you’re aware of all your options.  There may be overtime or time-and-a-half pay for holidays that you and your team are not aware of.  You may just wind up fighting for the chance to work on the holidays.

 

Making Job Interviews Two-Sided in IT

IT consultants and their IT staffing agencies often focus on how to approach interviewers so that IT managers are impressed.  While this strategy makes sense, it’s important for IT contractors to be sure that they are also impressed by the company, job description, and the managerial style they will be managed with.

IT staffing agencies and the candidates they work with will be well-served if they make sure that any interviews serve as a chance for contractors to figure out if they actually want the IT jobs in question.  The first benefit of really conducting a truly two-way interview is that IT recruiting companies and the IT professionals they’re working with make positive, long-lasting matches.  If a candidate winds up in a job they don’t like, or worse, can’t do, nobody really wins.  The second benefit is that positive business contacts are fostered all around.  IT headhunters make great relationships with hiring managers, the candidates they’re working with make good relationships with hiring managers and technical recruiters, and everyone walks away with their network expanded a bit.

Ensuring the job interview process is two-sided, not one-sided, might be intimidating at first.  However, with a robust Information Technology sector, IT professionals shouldn’t be concerned.  This is the perfect market to be picky in, and it’s better to land in a job that fits you well in the long run, anyways.

 

Fighting the Right Battles in Your IT Job

IT professionals may come across many inconveniences and deficiencies at their IT jobs.  Perhaps they are IT contractors, but would like to be taken on as permanent employees.  Perhaps they are lacking software or tools that would make their jobs easier and more effective.  Or perhaps they are just frustrated with the way their IT managers treat them.  Most IT consultants hold off on picking too many battles at their workplaces for fear of angering their bosses or the IT staffing firms that placed them in their jobs.  While this strategy makes sense, there are some battles IT headhunters might actually appreciate their contractors taking on.

IT recruiting agencies would certainly appreciate not having their candidate turn out to be whiny and difficult to manage.  The better a candidate is at putting their head down and getting a job done, the more technical recruiters will want to work with them again.  However, sometimes there are issues with the workplace that, if fixed, would benefit the company greatly.  Advocating cautiously with a well-researched solution can certainly get an IT manager’s attention.  Sometimes, even if your solution to an issue isn’t used, getting the conversation started is still a victory.  Perhaps a more effective procedure can be found at work or a cheaper or more efficient tool can be used.  Management and IT staffing companies will deeply appreciate an IT consultant who picks and fights suavely the battles that benefit his or her entire company.