Tag Archives: IT recruiter

How to keep your IT job search on track

Looking for an IT job is a daunting task.  You are constantly worried about finding an IT job description that you fit and making sure you have the qualifications.  It isn’t easy and there are many distractions.

Here are a few tips from our IT recruiters about find a job in the Information Technology Industry:

1. Keep track of the IT jobs

 

When searching through different websites you will end up applying to the same IT job if they appear in different search engines.  Therefore, be sure to keep track to each that you apply to.

2. Don’t Double Submit

If you’re working with various IT staffing agencies, communicate what IT jobs you have applied to so they don’t double submit your resume.  This looks bad for everyone.

3. Organize your IT job searching time

Throughout your entire search, IT recruiters suggest allotting a certain amount of time to each task.  You should divide it up in searching for IT jobs, applying to the IT jobs, and preparing documents for applications and submissions.  If you do not divvy up your free time, then you might spend too much time on one task.

4. Follow up

Keep a spreadsheet of all the IT jobs that you applied to, then mark the date.  Follow up with the contact person once a week with a call or an email.  If you’re utilizing an IT recruitment firm, then follow up with your respective IT recruiter.  Hint, if you don’t have a contact person’s name, try to find a profile on Linkedin.

We hope these tips help you find that ideal IT job.  If you need more help in your IT job search, call an IT staffing agency such as AVID Technical Resources.  They’ll put you in touch with a qualified IT recruiter to assist with your search and set you on the right path.

Experiences from our IT recruiter Intern

This summer we hired 3 interns to help us out with recruiting information technology candidates.  We went through the interview process and identified the right candidates for our IT recruiting internship program.  They seemed to be a good fit with our company culture and appeared to have the drive/motivation.  Looking back, we were right.  Each has proved to us they have the skills and qualities to be a successful recruiter in the IT staffing industry.

Now that the summer is coming to an end, our interns chose to tell us about their experience working as an IT recruiter for one of the fastest growing IT staffing companies in the country.

He summarized his experience like this:

1. People Skills

Having people skills is a factor that helps talking to prospective candidates about the different IT job opportunities you have available.  An IT recruiter needs to know how to connect with a candidate on a personal level to make them feel comfortable and willing to listen to what you have to say.

2. Cold Calling

An IT recruiter will receive many applications to job postings, but in the end, you will need to go digging through a resume database for some candidates that fit the IT job description

3. Phone manners

IT recruiters need to work on their phone manners, especially when you are constantly working with prospective candidates.  Acting in a professional manner will always help keep the candidate interested and comfortable.

4. Hard Work

In order to succeed you need to put in the time and effort.  Nothing is free in life and you need to work hard to get the results you want.  Finding the right candidate is not as easy as picking a name out of a hat.  An IT recruiter has to search through databases and applications to find candidates who will fit the IT job description, as well as the culture in the company.

Overall, our IT recruiter interns felt that they learned valuable lessons from working in the IT staffing Industry.

How to market yourself during an IT Job interview

IT recruiters are constantly selling positions to prospective candidates.  Each IT recruiter knows that their job needs to appeal to what the prospective candidate is looking for, so they “sell” the opportunity (while obviously keeping the candidate’s best interests first).  Candidates should do the same in return.

Recently, we asked a handful of IT recruiters to make a list of additional recommendations.  Here are some of the responses:

  • Look presentable:  As much as a hiring manager may not care about looks, they are not going to hire someone who is dressed sloppily or comes to work late.  The impression they will get from that is that your work is sloppy and assignments might not be completed on time.
  • Show off:  During an interview you have to make yourself look good.  Show off the work you have accomplished in the past.   If you did a great job on a project tell the hiring manager about the time and effort you put into it.  It will show your dedication to completing an assignment.
  • Confidence:  The most important factor in marketing yourself is having confidence.  Have confidence in yourself and let it show during the IT job interview.  Confidence is extremely important especially in the IT staffing industry.  Having an IT job requires knowledge of technical aspects that other workers may not be aware of.  If something goes wrong, they want to know that you’ll be able to speak up about it and feel comfortable working through a problem

So remember to think like a salesperson and sell yourself!  You will see much better results with various IT staffing agencies and direct clients as well.

How to network with others without blurring the line between business and personal

As an IT recruiter you are constantly meeting new people and making new connections through email or social media networks.  However, when you begin adding all these people to your networks, these people typically have access to your personal contacts as well.  You want to build business relationships, but where do you draw a line between your work and home life?

Many IT recruiters have chosen to create two profiles:  A work profile and a personal one in order to avoid mixing in with their personal lives with business.  Another option that IT recruiters have chosen is to make their profiles private and only allow a certain group of people to see their whole profile.   This can become annoying and tedious trying to keep both parts of your lives separate.

IT recruiters should keep work connections on certain social networks (such as LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook) separate from personal accounts.  Not only for privacy reasons, but credibility, professional and even safety reasons as well.

How to write a thank you note after an IT job interview

You have just interviewed for that perfect IT job.  Now what do you do? Send a thank you note.  Typically, you should send a thank you note to every person you meet with.  It not only thanks the interviewer(s) for their time, it also reinforces your interest in the position.  If you interviewed through a technical recruiting company, then send the thank you note to your IT recruiter.

Here are some tips that our IT staffing company offers for writing Thank You notes:

  1. Like it or not, email is the standard form of communication these days.  It not only is efficient, it pretty much guarantees delivery (with proof of delivery).  However, a personal note shows that you go above and beyond, so don’t shy away from writing a note.  Check your handwriting.  If you have illegible handwriting, make sure you type the note so that the interviewer will be able to read what you have to say.
  2. Spell Check.  Spelling or grammatical errors will damage your credibility.  Also make sure you spell each recipient’s name correctly!
  3. Take notes during the interview. Reference some of the topics/items that you discussed in the IT job interview.
  4. Reiterate your experience.  Remind the interviewer why you are a good fit for the IT job.
  5. Send the thank you note the same day – no exceptions!

Working with an IT Recruiter – Communication is Key

IT recruiters are constantly looking for candidates to fill positions for IT jobs.  They go through resume after resume looking for qualifications.  However, a resume can only say so much.  The important piece to any successful IT job placement is communication.

Build a relationship with IT recruiters and use a few different IT staffing agencies that you feel comfortable with.  Let the IT recruiter get a sense of your personality and the kind of environment you are looking for in an IT job.  The more they know about you, the more accurate they can be with their IT job opportunities. Be open and honest with the IT recruiter and expect the same in return.  Set expectations from the start.

In addition, keep in touch with the IT recruiter, as it will help make you stand out and ensure he or she turns to you first when the appropriate IT job opens up.  Lastly, finding a new IT job is all about networking.  IT recruiters are networking on a daily basis, by connecting with them (ie Linkedin); you’re significantly increasing your personal network as well.

A day in the Life of an IT recruiter

The IT staffing is a very fast-paced, sometimes hectic industry.  IT recruiters are speaking to hundreds of prospective candidates each week.  Even the very best IT recruiters can find it challenging to ensure they keep all of their candidates organized and within reach.  Additionally, in the IT recruiting world, clients typically needed IT contractors “yesterday.”  Therefore, when an IT job order gets called in, IT recruiters need to tap into their candidate network immediately and/or begin their IT recruiting process as quickly as possible.  Days are hectic and nights can be long depending upon the client’s sense of urgency.  Therefore, the IT staffing industry is not for everyone.  Those who do not do well under pressure or thrive in a hectic environment, best not enter the IT recruiting world.  On the flip side, people who like to be busy and thrive on an ever-changing job, tend to fare very well in the IT staffing industry.

A typical day for an IT recruiter….is anything but typical.  They will usually be assigned to one IT job order.  As they search the IT staffing agency’s database, and other IT job boards such as Monster, Dice, CareerBuilder, Hot Jobs, they will make dozens (if not hundreds) of calls.  Or they will send out countless emails every day.  As people respond, the IT recruiter works to communicate with each person via email or phone.  As the IT recruiter is taking the time to respond to every person, additional prospective candidates continue to flood in via postings or responses.  On many occasions, as these tasks are keeping an IT recruiter busy, he or she may have a handful of internal candidate interviews as well.  This adds more work to an already busy day.

As you can see, a day in the life of an IT recruiter is typically hectic.  However, for the right person who thrives on the fast-paced, exciting work environment, the IT staffing industry can be extremely rewarding (both in terms of monetarily and intrinsic satisfaction as the IT recruiter is ultimately helping people find work).

Why use an IT staffing Agency?

Fortune 500 companies know that when they post that IT job they will get thousands of responses.  This is  not only because people need a job, but also because so many want to work at their company.  An IT staffing company knows that and keeps the company’s name off the job post to avoid all those applicants who just apply for the company’s name.

Taking an action like this not only speeds up the process, but also eliminates candidates who were not qualified for the position.  The IT recruiter then reviews the applicant’s resume to make sure their qualifications meet your requirements as well as do a short phone screen.  After the IT recruiters have gone through all those steps, they elect the absolute best candidate(s) and send only the most qualified candidates to the hiring manager.

An IT recruiter will work with you to make sure that all your needs are met and you find as many candidates that will fit those needs!

Managing Client Expectations

IT recruiting companies uncover IT jobs of all different levels and skill sets.  IT Recruiters, then have to look for a candidate that best matches the requirements.  In today’s economy, many hiring managers are looking for a wish list of technologies and experience.  Because of the high unemployment rate, clients tend to think there are highly qualified candidates available at a discounted price.  Some of this it true.  However, even in the recent recession, highly skilled IT professionals have found new jobs, or their companies find a way to keep them.  Therefore, it’s important for IT staffing agencies to manager their client’s expectations with every new requirement.

By managing a client’s expectations, the IT recruiter is providing honest and accurate information so the hiring manager can plan accordingly.  For example, if the hiring manager is looking for a niche skill set, yet needs the person to start immediately, he or she needs to know that it might take days or even more than a week for the IT recruiting firm to identify the right candidate.  Another example: if the client is looking for someone with a hot technology, yet their budgeted rate is low, the IT recruiter needs to educate them as to what skill-level they will realistically will get for their money.  For one final example, if the hiring manager has an immediate need, and the IT recruiter identifies a candidate with multiple irons in the fire, then they need to know that time is of the essence.

These are just a few examples of managing a client’s expectations.  Regardless of the situation, an open, honest, relationship makes for a strong business partnership between the IT recruiter and the hiring manager.

Hiring Managers: How to Work with an IT Recruiter

Our main goal as an IT staffing company is to assist you, the client, in finding the perfect candidate for the IT job.  In order to make this process quick and efficient, without sending candidates over who do not qualify, we need your help.

These are some things that will help an IT recruiter when finding you a candidate:

  1. Honesty: Let us know if you are working with other IT staffing agencies.  We will not hold this against you.  We encourage working with other IT recruiting agencies, as that will help you find the best candidate.  We need to know which IT recruiting firms these are so if one of our candidates is also working with them we don’t send you the same candidate twice.
  2. Rates: Be as upfront as you can with your budget.  We don’t want to waste your time, or of course, ours, if you have a set rate that you cannot exceed.  Instead, if we know your budget, we can work around that to find you the best possible candidate who fits into those particulars.
  3. Feedback: As technical recruiters, we need to know how a candidate interviewed – whether it was good or bad – so that we can adjust our search and send you new candidates that are on target.  This feedback is important with resumes, not just interviews.
  4. IT job descriptions: The more thorough and accurate, the better.  These are critical so we can find you the right candidate.  IT recruiters search for technology skills but we also need to know which of the requirements are must haves and others are just an added bonus.
  5. Interview availability: In order to get a candidate in to see you, we need to know what your availability is to interview and how soon you will be doing interviews.  IT recruiters are always trying to find candidates and send them over right away, but if we do not have answers for them then they will not be willing to wait for the position. In order to make the hiring process as seamless as possible, let us know the dates you are available so we can set things up right away for you.
  6. Start Date: In order to get the right candidate at the appropriate time we need to know when you would ideally like the person to start.  If you plan on hiring them for 3 months later and we were not made aware of this, we may have found a candidate who was looking for a position right away that will not be able to start working.  As IT recruiters, we do not want to waste your time sending candidates over who may not even be able to work right away (or at a later time period, etc).