Tag Archives: IT recruiting firm

What Salary Should You Ask For As An IT Recruiter

The big question that many prospective IT recruiters are faced with after their final interview with an IT staffing company is what salary should they demand.  Since the key to most IT recruiting companies is their commission plans, the appropriate salaries can vary.  Therefore, technical recruiters must take a number of factors into consideration:

  • Commission Plan:  This is the most critical piece of any compensation plan.   IT recruiters Boston who are confident in their work ethic and ability will want an aggressive commission plan.  This in turn, would translate into a lower salary (as ideal as it would be, you can’t have both).  If you’re an aggressive technical recruiter, then you’ll want an aggressive plan.  If you value work/life/balance, then find an IT recruiting firm who is heavier on the front end (salary).
  • Additional bonuses and/or stock:  Does the IT recruiting agency provide any additional bonuses or incentives?  Annual bonus?  Stock sharing plan?  Additional vacation time?  These are all things that IT recruiters need to know before deciding on a fair and equitable salary.
  • Insurance plan & other company contributions:  In today’s age, health insurance rates are through the roof.  Therefore, take a look at what out-of-pocket expenses you might incur with your plan.  What percentages of your health insurance will the IT staffing firm pay?  Would the money be withheld pre or post-tax?  Is there a 401k match?  A disability or life insurance plan?  All these factors will have an effect your salary requirements.
  • Vacation policy:  Holidays are scarce in the IT recruiting industry as technical staffing firms must be open if there is a chance any of their IT consultants are working.  Therefore, knowing you may only receive 5-6 holidays, dig into your vacation time.  IT recruiters Boston work hard; therefore it’s critical to have some time off to rest and recharge the battery.
  • Volume of requirements:  Outside of compensation, this is the most critical factor to success for technical recruiters.  Simply put, does the IT recruiter have enough qualified job orders to make money?  Dig into req volume; fill ratios and other metrics that will help you gauge the realistic opportunity for you to fill positions.
  • Company growth & opportunity:  Unless your career aspiration is to be a life-long technical recruiter, you’re going to want to know about the potential to move upwards within the IT recruiting firm.  Is there an opportunity to run the IT staffing branch?  A regional role?  Training other IT recruiters Boston?  Dig into the potentials, and then ask for real-life examples of people who have been promoted into these roles.
  • Personal experience:  Of course your own personal experience and past IT recruiting production numbers are a huge component that will help drive your salary requirements.  Your past annual revenue numbers can drive your market value up or down based on productivity.
  • Personal bills & expenses:  Figure out the amount of money you will need to live comfortably.  This should be your bottom line in terms of salary.  Next calculate how much you would ideally like the IT staffing agency to pay you.  Make sure that is not unrealistic and competitive.  You may not be sure what you are worth or what salary the hiring managers are willing to pay.
  • Competitor Comps:  If you can find salaries and hourly rates of the job you are interested in, you can compare them with other IT recruiting companies Boston.  This will allow you to find an average salary range for the IT recruiting position based on the current economic climate.

How to Advance Your IT Recruiting Career

The IT staffing industry is extremely competitive and like everyone else you will want to advance in your IT recruiting career.  There are various ways to do this, but you need to differentiate yourself.  It is not all about the IT recruitment skills that you have or the number of technical recruiting years on the job.  Here are a few tips to getting promoted in the technical staffing industry.

Hard Work:  There’s no substitute.  Ever.  If you’re not working for an IT recruiting firm that rewards hard work, then find another IT staffing agency.  If you work hard, good things will eventually happen.

Confidence: Be confident in all the IT recruiting work you do.  Confidence will show that you know what you are doing and as well as be sure that you are willing to back up your proposals.

Team Guru:  IT recruiters typically work in a team environment.  Be a team player.  When the day comes in which you’re promoted, you will likely be managing multiple IT recruiters Boston.  Therefore you will need to be skilled with motivating a group of people and finding how they can effectively work together.

Using these tips will help you attain that promotion in your IT staffing career.  Leaders have certain traits and in order to be one you will need to work on yours.  So take these tips and help yourself become the leader in your field.

How to overcome your fear of Public Speaking

As an IT staffing salesperson, you will have to meet with hiring managers of all levels in the information technology industry. From Director-level to VP to CTO, you are constantly making presentations for individuals or groups. If you have a fear of public speaking, you may become anxious or even avoid these types of meetings that could ultimately drive revenue for you and the IT recruiting firm that you work for. This anxiety may also prohibit you from attending networking events or any other social networking function that could produce big returns.

If you find it hard to approach new people or strike up a conversation with fellow IT recruiters, you need to practice speaking with others. A good way to practice is with friends. You can head out with friends and make an attempt to meet a new person every time you go somewhere. This will help you get over the fear of speaking with someone new while having an initial security blanket. Take note of what they say and make an attempt to show a keen interest in what they are talking about.

One other thing you can do is practice what you are going to say during your IT staffing presentation. You do not need to memorize things exactly, but rehearse your pitch and prepare answers to typical question that IT managers may ask. The more prepared you are for a meeting the more confidence you will have. As a salesperson in the IT recruiting industry, public speaking is not only a tool that will help you network, it will ultimately put money in your pocket.

If you plan on advancing in your IT recruitment career, you will eventually be giving presentations and speaking to managers and executives in your technical recruiting company. Therefore, practice your public speaking. It will give you the confidence you need and help you in various aspects of your life.

When to Move on to a New IT Job

When to Move on to a New IT job

You may not know when to start looking for a new IT job opportunity.  Most high-tech professionals tend to get comfortable where they are.  So how do you know when you should start updating your resume and applying to new IT jobs?

Here are a few ways to analyze your situation:

As an IT professional you are constantly using your technical skills and gaining knowledge.  Yet somehow you have not made it to the level you want to be.  Maybe your employer has overlooked some of your contributions to projects or they’re just not giving you the opportunity to showcase your skills. If it seems like you are being undervalued at a company then you may want to start thinking about contacting an IT recruiting firm.  It might be time to start looking for a new job in the information technology field.

Take a look at the environment in your office.  Do you feel like your fellow IT professionals make it comfortable and enjoyable?  While you don’t need to be friends with everyone, life is too short to dread coming into the office every morning.  When working in the information technology industry, you want your place of work to be a place that you can enjoy.  If not, then it might not be the best environment for you.

These are just a few of factors you may want to consider when deciding whether it is time to look for a new IT job.  Remember that change is not always a bad thing.  There are many ways to find a new IT job opportunity.  If the job search process appears to be daunting, you may want to consider contacting any number of IT recruiting companies such as AVID Technical Resources.  There you will find a number of knowledgeable IT recruiters who can assist you with finding that perfect next job.  Find out the high level of service and attention that other information technology professionals have already experienced when working with AVID. 

Updating Your Resume

As an information technology professional, you are consistently using the various IT skills that you have acquired.  You’re also exposed to new technologies that help you master your craft.  If you are an IT professional who is always on the lookout for new technical job opportunities, you need to make sure to keep track and document all of these skills and technologies.

To start, keep a notebook or create a spreadsheet that will contain all of your new skills as well as technologies that you have used in the past.  Then after you complete a project task jot down some notes about everything you participated in.

Taking notes allows you to remember everything while it’s fresh.  Most of us will not remember that small project that allowed us to perfect those IT skills.  Subsequently, when it comes time to update your resume, you run the risk of leaving out some important technologies.

In the IT staffing world, technical recruiters understand the value of listing these technologies on a candidate’s resume.  IT recruiters also know that a candidate’s market value is typically dictated upon how many technologies they have experience in using and/or whether they’re strong with certain ones that are in demand.

When working with an IT recruiting firm, you never know when the next IT job opportunity is around the corner.  So why not be prepared for when that time comes.  You will not only have some good job descriptions readily available, but it will be a cheat sheet for when you are preparing for an interview.

Assigning One Dedicated AVID IT Staffing Account Manager

One of the main differences between AVID Technical Resources and other IT recruiting companies is our approach to customer service.  Our company believes in going above and beyond for both our IT consultants and client companies.  We often meet candidates at the client site before their IT job interview to introduce them to the IT manager.  Stopping by with coffee and bagels for our IT contractors is common practice.  On the client side, we separate ourselves from the competition by providing a more personal approach with each hiring manager.  Where most IT recruiting agencies like their IT staffing salespeople to stay in the office and conduct business via the phone and email,  AVID sends their account managers on the road to meet with the IT managers face to face.  Although more time consuming (and often more expensive) we believe this is the right way to do business.  Face to face, building a relationship, getting to know the hiring manager, their team and the company culture and environment first hand.  In an age of technology and speed, this is becoming a rarity.

At AVID Technical Resources, we also believe in dedicating one IT staffing account manager to each client.  This eliminates confusion, multiple contacts from the same IT recruiting firm.  Most importantly, it reduces the chance of any company with IT staffing needs falling through the cracks and missing out on our technical recruiting services.

From an internal perspective, each IT staffing salesperson covers a very specific, and manageable, geographical territory.  He or she is responsible for every company within their respective territory and are tasked with getting to know each technical environment and the IT managers that make up the company.  This ensures there is no “rat race” to each company and no unhealthy internal competition.  In return, the IT staffing salespeople help one another out.  The result:  better customer service for our clients.

A Forward-thinking & Dynamic IT Recruiting Company

When companies remain stagnant, they eventually fail.  It starts with leadership.  If an executive is set in his or her ways, the competition will likely pass them by.  The IT staffing industry is no different.  At AVID Technical Resources, we pride ourselves in being a dynamic and forward-thinking IT recruiting firm.  As technology evolves, so does our company.  We embrace technologic advances from new software to social media.  AVID understands the importance of changing as the economy changes and evolving as our IT recruiting industry evolves.  Most important, we never stop moving; we never remain stagnant.

A good example of this is social media.  Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have grown in popularity over the years.  AVID saw the emergence a few years ago, before many companies had even heard of the sites.  Therefore, our company Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin pages have been built out, optimized and are designed to market every one of our IT jobs.

Another good example is Search Engine Optimization.  AVID recognized the dominance of Google and the importance of SEO years ago.  Subsequently, this IT recruiting company has invested years and thousands of dollars into optimization.  Because of this, our IT recruiters are able to identify more prospective IT candidates and our salespeople frequently have clients find them.

Slow-moving, stagnant companies eventually become extinct.  Forward-thinking, dynamic companies rise to the top.  This approach has helped AVID Technical Resources become one of the Fastest-Growing Private IT staffing companies in the country: https://www.avidtr.com/about-avid-awards-and-recognition.aspx.

IT Staffing – a Very Competitive Industry

The world of IT staffing is a highly competitive industry. IT recruiting agencies race to the best candidates and are constantly battling for the very best high-tech resources.  It often comes down to which IT recruiter calls or emails the respective candidate first.  Because of that, the most successful IT recruiters typically start their day early and end pretty late (and checking their Blackberrys in between).

One of the misconceptions that both candidates and clients have with IT recruiting firms is that they have a “bench” full of resources who are ready to go.  Although IT recruiters are on the phones with prospective candidates all day long, this is actually a reactive industry.  Because there are so many different technologies and nuances to each skill set, IT staffing firms typically receive a requirement before they begin their search for candidates.  Once they have the detailed IT job specs, then the IT recruiting agency will jump on an immediate search.

Communication is critical in any successful IT job placement.  Candidates must be honest with IT recruiters, and in return, the IT recruiters must be honest with the candidates.  If he/she has already applied for the position at hand, then that must be made clear.  If the candidate does not fit the requirements or ultimately will not be submitted for the IT job, then that must also be communicated.  Open, honest dialogue is important to every successful IT job placement.

Similarly, clients and IT staffing agencies need to have the same relationship.  IT recruiting firms need to communicate whether the candidates they submit are close to accepting any other offers.  Therefore, the client knows how quick they need to move.  By managing the “client’s expectations,” there is no excuse if they lose the candidate to another opportunity because they dragged their feet.  Likewise, clients need to “manage the expectations” of the IT recruiting firm when they call out an IT job order.  They need to communicate how quick they’re looking to interview, and subsequently hire, the resource.  By doing this, the IT recruiter can properly work with candidates to make sure everyone is on the same page.