Tag Archives: IT professionals

How IT Managers Can Deliver Negative Feedback Effectively

One of the toughest duties managers in information technology take on is delivering negative feedback to the IT contractors who report to them.  IT jobs can be high stress and difficult in their own right, so the best IT professionals in management positions know how to give negative feedback in a way that does not exacerbate any existing stressful circumstances.  There are a couple of major things to seriously consider so that IT consultants receive negative feedback in a constructive way.

IT managers should start by making sure that negative feedback is given in a conversation full of positive feedback, as well.  Starting with an honest, genuine compliment will put the IT professional at ease.  Ending the conversation with one will also help keep the entire experience a positive, constructive one.  People tend to remember endings and beginnings better than any other part of a conversation.

The second thing to consider is how the negative feedback can be approached.  If you approach it as an issue that you as the manager and your report need to deal with together, things will be better.  Giving the report the feeling that you’re truly on their team will make them feel more open to finding solutions.  Speaking of solutions, it’s also important that the conversation revolve around those.  It’s important to identify the problem, but making sure it gets fixed and doesn’t happen in the future is far more important.  Note that both of these tips require a face-to-face interaction.  You can’t create a team and solution-oriented feeling over an email in the way that you could in person or on the phone (at the very least).

 

Unplugging from Your IT Job During Your Vacation

Information technology can be a 24/7 field, but there are ways for technical recruiters to tactfully unplug from their IT jobs during the holidays and vacations.  IT recruiters want their IT contractors to make sure they’re reliable and satisfy their IT manager’s needs.  Keeping this goal in mind as you make your plan to unplug for vacation or holiday time will make all the difference.

The first thing IT consultants can do to successfully leave work at work is to plan ahead.  Taking a survey of the projects and issues that may need attention during planned holiday or vacation time is key.  IT headhunters are looking for IT professionals that would not only get their work done, but make sure their team’s goals are not compromised if they’re off the clock.  If a project will come up when you’re off work, consider trying to get your part of it done ahead of time or leaving behind the resources your team will need to cover your part of it.  Making sure you have done everything you can to anticipate any major issues that come up while you’re gone will give you peace of mind and give your teammates and managers confidence in you—now and in the future.  Being a considerate team player is invaluable.

The second thing IT professionals should do is to set up a contingency plan for contact while they’re away.  Depending on the situation, you may need to set up an emergency contact protocol.  Without being obnoxious, get your manager and teammates on the same page with you about what constitutes an emergency.  This will save you from a lot of phone calls or emails you find unnecessary.

The last step is to stand by your own word.  If you draw boundaries, you need to make sure you don’t destroy them yourself.  Nobody will respect boundaries that you yourself don’t respect.

Red Flags to Watch for in IT Job Hunting

Good IT recruiters want to put their IT contractors in IT jobs where they fit both in terms of the skills on their resumes and the workplace culture.  While IT headhunters can do their best to try to make good matches for workplace culture, IT consultants can do the most to make sure they wind up in a job with a great boss and good coworkers.  There are two kinds of red flags to watch out for in interviews: Red flags that indicate your boss will be difficult to work for and red flags that indicate the company culture is too toxic for you.

Though a single red flag isn’t really enough to avoid a job on its own, a few or more of these signs will show you that you may not be compatible with this boss.  If your interviewer comes in very late, hasn’t read your resume at all previous to the interviewer, or checks email and/or takes calls during the interview, it’s worth considering how much guidance you need from a boss.  If you rely heavily on a boss who is organized and provides pretty frequent direction, this isn’t the boss for you.  Their inability to be prepared and focus on the interview at hand shows quite a bit about how they’ll act during the regular work day.  On the other hand, if you prefer to work as autonomously as possible, these signs aren’t necessarily a problem.

Another major red flag to notice is how your interviewer/potential boss  speaks of the person who holds or previously held the position.  If he or she is warm and commends the person, this is a great sign.  However, if your potential boss skirts the issue of the previous person who held the role, or trashes them outright, take time to consider how you deal with difficult personalities.  If they don’t bother you, it’s not an issue.  If you need to have a positive, friendly relationship with your boss to be productive, however, this may not the job for you.

The last red flag that IT staffing agencies would want their IT professionals to watch out for is how the workplace culture looks.  If you find reviews of the workplace culture on glassdoor or other similar websites that terrify you, try to confirm or disprove these for yourself when you go on the interview.  You might also consider checking around with professional contacts in your field.  Word can travel fast, particularly when a work environment is toxic.  Better to know before you take a job if you’d like the workplace culture there or not.

 

Why Taking a Counteroffer in IT isn’t Your Best Bet

Information technology’s shorter, project-driven timelines tend to make it more common for IT professionals to find themselves with counteroffers from their IT jobs.  IT recruiters of course often tend to vehemently argue against taking counteroffers.  There are some solid reasons IT contractors should stop and consider this point of view.

The first reason IT staffing companies tend to recommend that IT consultants not take a counteroffer from their employer is that the outcome may not be particularly rosy.  By indicating that you’re ready to leave, you’ve already demonstrated a breach of loyalty and trust.  This won’t be forgotten, no matter how desperately your employer fights to keep you.  Additionally, your counteroffer will certainly make its way around the office, so you may not only lose fans in your managers, but also your co-workers.  Coworkers may resent your heightened compensation and the way you got it.  Research suggests that over 90% of those who took counteroffers wound up leaving their employer anyways after less than a year.  You may also wind up having to leave of your own accord.  Even if your employer fights to keep you and your coworkers are not upset with you, the floor may fall out from under you when they find a new, more loyal replacement for you.

The second reason IT recruiting companies discourage taking counteroffers is that the change you’re seeking won’t likely come with a counteroffer.  If you’ve been hunting for a new job, chances are that money isn’t your only concern.  If your IT managers truly valued you, they’d respond with money or some other arrangement if you voiced concerns.  Or perhaps you’re looking for growth that simply isn’t possible in your role or company.  You may even simply be seeking a change.  No matter the reasons, both the ones that are obvious to you and are more subconscious, you aren’t likely to find them back at your old employer, even with more money or a promotion.  You started your job search because you couldn’t find something(s) at your current position.  It’s time to go pursue those things elsewhere.

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.

 

Boost Your Career: Offering and Asking for Help in IT

Asking for help can often be perceived as a last resort in information technology, as can offering help.  These actions might either make IT managers and any other IT contractors you work with perceive you as incompetent, or overly confident and having a workload that is unsuitably small.  However, when strategically done,

IT professionals can make a big impression in their IT jobs by offering or asking for some help.

Ask for some help: IT consultants can create a positive impression with their managers and IT recruiters by seeking out feedback and opportunities for growth.  If you ask for help from a manager in making sure you’re meeting expectations or perhaps figuring out how to take on a bigger role in your team, you’ll earn their devotion.  Another way to ask for help and boost your career is to seek out feedback and learning opportunities from very strong coworkers in your field.  Without impinging on their time and expectations, ask a coworker who is great at a skill you’d like to sharpen or acquire to let you watch them or learn from them.  Your ambition to get better at what you do or add to your skill-set will really impress the people you work with.

Offer some help: This one is far easier to implement with a higher impact.  Without impinging upon your own responsibilities, etc, try to identify a few specific things that you can help coworkers or managers with.  Offering to help with specific projects that you’re confident you can contribute effectively to will make a big impression on managers and coworkers.  It’s easy for them to say yes to your offer, and the results will exceed expectations (that you wouldn’t have participated in this project at all).

Giving Gifts in Your IT Job

As the holidays swiftly approach, some IT professionals may be trying to figure out how to give gifts within their office.  IT contractors should exercise some caution before bringing in presents for people at their IT jobs.  There are a few guidelines IT consultants should consider before they purchase gifts for their IT managers or coworkers.

Cost: Don’t spend above $20 on any one person and try to spend the same amount on everybody.

Rank: When it comes to higher ranks, it’s best for gifts to flow downward.  There are instances when it does make sense to buy a boss or manager a gift, but there are a lot of possible issues with this, so it’s better to avoid it or buy one with a your team.

Appropriateness: As with any other instance in the office, jokes are dangerous territory.  Giving gag gifts or things that might be offensive to the recipient (or somebody else) aren’t worth the risk.

Don’t make people feel left out: If you’re only giving gifts to a few people, be discreet.  Some would advise giving gifts to everyone or nobody, and you may choose to heed that advice.  If you don’t, at least try to make it seem as though you did (so don’t give your selected few gifts in front of everyone).

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.

 

Keeping Stress in IT at the Office

Sometimes information technology can be a stressful field to work in.  IT recruiters can be required to solve problems in tight time frames or for IT managers or end users who are particularly frazzled.  While technical recruiters often warn the IT contractors they work with about possible stressors in a job, sometimes you just can’t be prepared for something stressful at work.  If IT contractors encounter a lot of stress at work, it’s important from them to find a way not to take it out on family, friends, etc.

While IT jobs can be stressful sometimes, IT professionals should try to avoid bringing that stress home with them if they can.  One way to do this is to seek out support before you can bottle up your frustration or anxiety.  Getting on the phone or out to coffee with a trusted mentor, or even just a friend who is willing to listen, will help.  It’s also better to have a few methods for stress relief on hand for when you need them.  Figuring out that a jog after work will make you feel better will also help you ensure that you don’t take work stress out on your family.  The best part of achieving success in this goal is that it will help make you happier.  Being happier around your family or friends after work will make them happier, and their mood will in turn boost your own happiness.