Tag Archives: IT recruiting agencies

An Interview Question That Could Land You the IT Job

IT recruiters want to know that their candidates are prepared with some questions to ask in job interviews.  There are plenty of questions IT staffing firms would be happy with their candidates asking, but here’s one that might really impress your interviewers and technical recruiters: What skills, beyond the technical skills and experience we’ve already discussed, would be crucial to succeeding in this role?

Why would IT staffing agencies want you to ask this question (or some form of it)? IT recruiting companies have an easier time placing candidates who possess more than just the concrete, technical skills needed for a role.  Since many IT jobs may require contact with clients, end users, or even heavy customer service, soft skills are becoming more and more imperative.  When you ask about other skills that an IT role may require, you’re signaling to your interviewer that you understand this.

To make the question even stronger, consider trying to identify a few soft skills that could be relevant in the role.   Perhaps patience, written and verbal communication skills, or the ability to calm down upset users might be imperative in the role.  You might ask your interviewer if they believe any of these kinds of skills will be important to success in the job.  Your IT recruiting agencies are much more likely to hear positive feedback about your interview if you can show that you understand the role may be more than just the technically-oriented responsibilities.

 

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Show that you are thinking about more than just the technical requirements for IT roles. Photo credit: VirmBee via Pixabay.

 

 

 

Don’t Forget to Do This Before Your IT Job Interviews

If your IT recruiters set you up for IT job interviews, you’ve probably spent plenty of time preparing.  You probably studied relevant technologies and practiced answering the questions your technical recruiters told you to be prepared for.  You probably got background info on the company, both via your own research and from your IT staffing agencies.  But there’s one thing you may not have done that can really make a difference: practice getting yourself to the office you’ll be interviewing at.

Why would IT recruiting firms suggest that you do this, especially if you already know where that office is?  Firstly, you want to do everything you can to ensure you’re on time for your interview—not too early, not too late.  IT staffing firms would suggest you practice making your way to the interview site around the same time you’d do the interview, if you can.  (A commute that takes 30 minutes in the middle of the morning may take an hour in rush hour traffic!)  If you practice getting to the interview site, you’ll have a better idea of how much time it will take.  This means you can be able to guarantee that you show up just on time– and make a good first impression on your interviewer!

Secondly, IT recruiting agencies would suggest you practicing getting to the interview site in order to make it easier for you to relax the day of the interview.  If you’ve practiced, you can be confident and familiar in your route to get there. This will leave you free to mentally prepare to ace your interview.  If you don’t practice, you may have unforeseen issues (perhaps a certain road has construction, the train is never on time etc).  You could wind up feeling stressed and panicked before you even start interviewing.  Your IT recruiting companies want you to be ready to do your best in your interviews for IT jobs.  Don’t let your journey to the interview site get in the way of that!

 

IT Job Interview Preparation
What if the train is always late? Make sure you practice getting to your IT job interviews before you actually need to go! Photo credit: Unsplash via Pixabay.

 

Is Your Email Address Hurting Your IT Job Search?

If you’re ready to start working with IT recruiters to find a new IT role, you’ve probably already started doing the usual things in preparation.  You’ve polished your IT resume, you’ve updated your LinkedIn profile with any new IT jobs, and you’ve started reaching out to IT staffing firms.  There might be one step you’re skipping though: Creating an email address to use for your job search.

Of course, not everybody needs to create a new email address before reaching out to IT recruiting agencies to start their job search.  Plenty of people have email addresses that are unique and professional enough that technical recruiters wouldn’t bat an eye at them.  How do you know if you need a new email address for your job search? Ask yourself these questions.

Would your email address be better on a dating site?  If it’s too flirty or gives information that belongs in a dating profile (you love dogs, you’re an avid skier, a single woman, etc) don’t use it.  This is too distracting for IT staffing agencies and hiring managers.  It’s also not the most professional way to present yourself, especially when you are presenting so little about yourself.  Little things like this make a big impact.

Is your email address entirely yours?  Don’t give an email address you share with your spouse or partner.  You also shouldn’t give an email address that has your work domain.  If you don’t have an email address that is entirely yours, create one!  Your IT recruiting firms need to be able to easily communicate with you alone about your search.  Your don’t want anybody else involved in the conversation, even if you think your spouse or company wouldn’t read these emails.

Make sure your email address doesn’t trigger spam filters.  Extra punctuation or characters and certain words will make it more likely that IT recruiting companies never see your emails.  Don’t derail your job search for a few characters.  Create a new email address and get cracking on your job search with your IT staffing companies.

 

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What does your email address say about you as an IT professional? Photo credit: Geralt via Pixabay.

 

Get These Languages Under Your Belt For a New IT Job in 2016

2016 is in full swing and so is the job hunting season. If you plan to look for new IT jobs this year, IT recruiters and IT staffing companies are seeing a plethora of new jobs. If you’re still polishing up your resume and skills before you start working with IT recruiting firms, plenty of sites have put out predictions for the skills that will be most in demand.  For programmers, these are projected to be top languages in demand 2016 (as predicted by Coding Dojo’s blog):

SQL
Java
JavaScript
C#
C++
Python
PHP
Ruby on Rails
iOS/Swift

The top programming language isn’t much of a surprise to IT staffing agencies or IT professionals. SQL is ubiquitous for a few reasons, but the explosion in the need for mobile apps could be a big factor. Whatever the reason, most IT recruiting agencies are working on a job that requires it at any given time.

What is a bit of a surprise is how far in popularity Ruby on Rails has slipped in the last few years. This is apparently due to an over saturation in the market of qualified programmers who can confidently tell IT staffing firms they’ve got the language under their belt.

If you’re looking to increase your technical skills, consider adding a few of these languages — it just might help widen your options for IT roles in 2016!

 

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SQL is projected to be the top programming language in demand in 2016 in the IT job market.

 

 

Tips for Second Round IT Job Interviews

Sometimes when you’re working with IT recruiting firms to find new IT jobs, you may have to go through a second round of interviews.  IT staffing companies find that IT professionals may not necessarily be as well-prepared for a second round of interviews.  Here are some things IT recruiters would suggest you keep in mind as you complete second (or third, etc) rounds of interviews.

  1. Be patient. Your technical recruiters are sending you for a second round of interviews for a good reason.  Even if you wind up answering questions for a second time, the hiring managers may need this information to make their decision.  You wouldn’t want to be hired for a job you’re not a good fit for anyways—this almost always ends in a firing, quitting, or just general discontentment and discomfort on one or both sides.  You want your IT recruiting agencies to place you a job you can succeed in and enjoy.  It might take a couple interviews for hiring managers to be sure about that.
  2. Prepare again—and this time bring some new material. Be ready to answer questions or show off your technical proficiencies.  Prepare some new questions or anecdotes to share with your interviewers.  Treat this interview as thought it was just as important as the first.  IT staffing firms would suggest that it’s almost helpful to think of this as a first interview—just don’t forget what you learned at your last one!

 

Second Interview Prep
Don’t slack on second round IT job interviews. Prepare for these, just like your first ones. Photo credit: Unsplash via Pixabay.

 

 

 

2 Ways to Relax Before IT Job Interviews

IT staffing firms see firsthand that plenty of IT professionals get nervous before interviews— no matter how many IT jobs they’ve had. Here are two tactics that might help you relax before your IT recruiters send you to your interviews.

1. The first tactic that IT recruiting agencies would recommend is to stop playing the ‘what if’ game. You don’t have to be in IT to know what this means, because most people play the ‘what if’ game at some point in their lives. This involves letting your mind wander to all the negative possible outcomes of a circumstance. It’s particularly easy to think this way before your IT recruiting firms send you on an interview, as you need to perform well. You’ll actually do much better, though, if you don’t allow your mind to winder as much. Remember that your IT staffing companies wouldn’t send you for the interview if you weren’t qualified for the job. Remember the preparation and practice you’ve done for this interview. You may even want to try meditating for a bit before the interview, as this is shown to reduce stress. Focus on performing in the interview, rather than anticipating all the ways you’ll mess up.

2. Remember that the worst case scenario still isn’t that bad. Your IT staffing agencies will continue to send you for interviews if you don’t land this job. Your IT recruiting companies don’t want you to approach interviews too casually. However, it’s easier to relax and perform well when you remember that you won’t land every IT job you interview for—and that’s ok.

 

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Consider trying mediation before IT job interviews to reduce stress. Photo credit: Meditation geralt via pixabay.

 

Delete These 2 Words from Your LinkedIn Profile and IT Resumes

One strong tactic you can use is to polish up your LinkedIn profile and resume is deleting words that will turn off technical recruiters and potential employers.  Here are two words that won’t attract IT recruiters or hiring managers if you have them in your LinkedIn profile or resume – particularly in a summary or objective section.

  1. Don’t waste space in your summary or your taglines on LinkedIn with the word ‘motivated.’ Because it’s been so overused, it doesn’t mean much to IT staffing firms or interviewers.  What really carries weight with IT recruiting companies and hiring managers are demonstrations of your motivation.  Did you move up the ranks in a help desk department at a previous employer?  Did you volunteer for some extra projects at your last IT jobs? Listing actions and results like this on your profile is a much better use of space!
  2. In the same vein, you won’t be impressing any IT staffing agencies or potential employers by calling yourself ‘driven’ on your LinkedIn profile or resume. Again, the word is far too over-used to be effective.  It’s also not interesting to IT recruiting firms when you call yourself driven.  If you had a reference call you driven, it would carry far more weight.  However, since it’s a quality that’s hard to define, it’s important to consider that your opinion can’t really count here. You are, of course, biased about your own employability.  When you pronounce yourself driven on your LinkedIn profile or IT resume, you’re really just stating something that IT recruiting agencies already know: you think you’d be an asset as an employee.  Use the space on your LinkedIn profile or IT resume to tell them something they don’t know.  What’s your technical background?  What projects have you led?  What have you achieved in your career?  This is the kind of information that IT staffing companies want to see—not that you think that you are driven.

 

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Don’t leave ‘motivated’ on your IT resume! Photo credit: gustavofer74 via Pixabay.

 

The IT Job Interview Challenge That Doesn’t Look Like a Challenge

Most IT professionals are trying to prepare for the challenges they’ll face as they interview for IT jobs.  They prepare for the technical and non-technical questions that their IT recruiters anticipate.  They prepare so they won’t be late for their interviews, even if there’s bad traffic or bad weather.  (Because lateness is a cardinal sin to hiring managers and IT staffing firms).  They practice with family members, friends, or technical recruiters so that their nervousness can’t overwhelm them.  But here’s a challenge that you may not even recognize as a challenge: a very friendly interviewer.

How is a friendly interviewer a challenge?  Your IT recruiting agencies probably won’t warn you about this.  Nor do most tip sheets for interviews.  In fact, this sounds like a nice thing.  The truth is, though, a friendly interviewer can make you feel comfortable enough that you make a couple key mistakes.

One of the worst mistakes you might make with a friendly interviewer is losing your professionalism.  You want to make sure that, while you’re not overly stiff or unpleasant, you don’t forget to be your best, most professional self.  Never curse or tell inappropriate jokes.  Even if you have a great connection with the interviewer, they still aren’t your friend in that moment.  Don’t treat them like a friend.  Treat them like somebody you must impress.

The second mistake, one that IT staffing companies find is easier to recover from, is talking too much and/or getting off track.  Again, this is all about remembering that your interviewer is somebody to impress.  Stay focused in your answers.  Highlight the important points and relay that you have the qualities and technical background to succeed in the job.  When you go off on a long tangent about one thing (especially something irrelevant, like small talk) you are losing time to strengthen your candidacy.  Don’t let a friendly interviewer tempt you to spend 20 minutes talking about your hobbies! It’s important to remember that your IT recruiting firms don’t want you to totally skip small talk.  Some small talk is important because it shows that you are a pleasant, easy person to work with.  But your IT recruiting companies won’t hear that you got the IT job unless you keep your eyes on the prize in your interview.

 

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Don’t let a friendly interviewer let you lose your focus in IT job interviews. Photo credit: ArtWithJustin via Pixabay.

 

 

How to Answer This Scary IT Job Interview Question

IT recruiting firms hear about a lot of hard interview questions.  Usually, these questions are very technical.  However, sometimes IT recruiters hear about basic interview questions that really stump candidates.  Here’s one question that often strikes fear in the heart of IT professionals as they interview for new IT jobs: Have you ever been fired?

Obviously if you’ve never been fired before, this question is easy to answer.  However, if you have been fired before, this question sounds pretty terrifying.  The truth is, though, if you answer it correctly, it can be a chance to help cement your candidacy.  While a firing is not necessarily a good thing, technical recruiters hear about it relatively often.  Most IT staffing firms have seen at least a few perfectly competent, capable professionals fired (and then hired elsewhere!).  It’s merely a part of professional life.  As you answer this question, remember that.  Don’t lie and don’t panic as you answer the question.  Your IT recruiting firms and hiring managers would much rather you honestly answer yes, rather than lie about having ever been fired.

Your IT recruiting agencies will also want you to keep your answer short and neutral.  Don’t be tempted to bash your former employers, nor should you go into a long-winded, defensive explanation of your firing.  A quick, one sentence answer should be just fine! A good answer here will demonstrate that you can be professional, positive, and honest.  These are all qualities that your IT staffing companies (and hiring managers!) would love to have you demonstrate in an interview.  Thus you can take a question that seemed designed to hurt your candidacy and use your answer to actually strengthen it.

 

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Don’t panic yet! Your interviewer probably won’t count it against you if you were fired from a previous IT job. Photo credit geralt via Pixabay.

 

2 Insider Tips About IT Job Hunting

Sometimes it helps to get a bit of a hiring manager’s perspective as you work with IT recruiters to land your next role.    Here are two things that IT staffing firms see that are more ‘behind the scenes’ (but will still be very relevant to IT professionals).

  1. Even if your technical skills are perfect, you may not be the right fit for IT jobs. Technical recruiters see this all the time: hiring managers don’t just want somebody with the perfect arsenal of technical proficiencies.  Having a professional demeanor or certain soft skills are often just as important.  As you prepare for your interviews, ask your IT staffing companies for a full picture of what the ideal candidate is.  This might help you perform a bit better in your interviews.
  2. Your interviewer may not know exactly what they need yet. Especially in IT, the hiring process can be very dynamic.  IT recruiting agencies find that companies can sometimes change the requirements of an IT job even after interviews have begun or resumes have been reviewed.  Companies need to keep up with the speed of technologies.  Sometimes the effect of that is that the IT jobs your IT staffing agencies submitted you for this week will be a little different next week. Or perhaps you may be helping out on different projects than you (or the hiring managers)  initially anticipated.

 

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A perfect list of technical skills doesn’t guarantee you the IT job. Photo credit: geralt via Pixabay.