Tag Archives: IT recruiting firms

Dress codes have been moving towards a more relaxed feel in all industries, but especially in IT, for a long time.  IT recruiters have been working with employers who have a jeans and t-shirt dress codes for years.  There’s just one problem with this trend:  Technical recruiters find that often, candidates will assume they can come to interviews in jeans.   Even for the most casual of workplaces, 99% of IT staffing firms agree: It’s important to go to your job interview in a suit.

Why do you need to wear a suit when everyone around you will be wearing jeans?  There are a few reasons.  Firstly, wearing a suit indicates that you understand basic professional norms.  Interviewing has required a suit for decades and it will likely continue that way.  When IT staffing agencies tell you to wear a suit to your interview, they’re helping you send a message about more than just your closet.  They want you to show employers that you know how to be a professional—right as you walk in the door.  If you show up wearing jeans and t-shirt, employers have a moment to wonder what else you’ll do in a job.  Do you come in late?  Do you leave early?  Do you swear or tell inappropriate jokes?  So wear that suit and iron it.  Have a strong handshake, and set the stage for employers to assume you’re a seasoned professional who knows how to act in an office.

The second reason IT recruiting firms tell you that you need to wear a suit to a job interview is because it helps you demonstrate a level of respect for the employer.  As a candidate, you’re coming into the employer’s office and you’re doing it at their invitation.  They’re taking time out of their busy schedules to interview you.  Show that you’re grateful and you know you’re on their turf by wearing a suit.  If you get the job, you can wear jeans and t-shirts with the other employees.  However, as a candidate, the balance of power is different.  Wearing a suit shows that you understand this.

The last reason you should wear a suit to interview for IT jobs is that it gives you an advantage.  A suit makes anybody look a little better, a little more polished.  It helps interviewers envision you as a capable, accomplished professional.  Why eschew this advantage?  Your technical skills will speak for themselves, but there’s no harm in adding that extra oomph to your candidacy with your suit.  It’s one easy way that IT staffing firms suggest you can help yourself land the job!

Want to see our open IT jobs?  Follow us on LinkedIn.  We post new jobs daily!

Hiring for open IT jobs can be difficult.  It can be difficult to write job descriptions which accurately ask for the candidate you need– especially when most tech projects are a moving target.  Add to that the fact that there’s already a lack of qualified IT professionals in the US.  This creates a strong job seeker’s market, where the candidate can set the terms and be picky about the jobs they take.  Add to that the usual stresses of hiring: how do you find somebody who can do everything they say they can do and mesh well with your team?  But while hiring for open tech positions can be difficult, figuring out what questions to ask shouldn’t.  Here are 4 questions IT recruiters suggest using that will help you find the best candidate for your team.

1.      What was the environment like in the last job you held?  The one before that? IT staffing firms suggest this question, especially first, because it gives you strong sense of a candidates’ technical experience.  The candidate should respond to this question by giving you an idea of what technologies they used in their past jobs, what development method was used, and the size and scope of responsibilities.  With this info, you’ll quickly hear if the candidate is prepared to handle your company environment.  If, for example, your candidate is a Sys Admin coming from a small company, you’ll know they may not be ready to take on a huge company with numerous servers instead of one or two.

2.      What do you like to do?  What don’t you like to do?  IT recruiting firms find this question helps create an open, honest dialogue about the job description.  Since, as discussed earlier, IT professionals are in demand, most feel comfortable being blunt about what they want in their next position.  Listen carefully to see if the candidate quickly lists off work that will be a big part of the job description.  You’ll also be likely to hear how happy (or unhappy) a candidate is to interact with a team, end users, etc.  If you don’t hear any of this, then you can certainly go back and ask it explicitly.

3.      Describe the biggest accomplishment you’ve had at a previous job.  This won’t necessarily get you a technical answer, but it probably will, especially for more advanced technical jobs.  Technical recruiters find this question will reveal more than technical skills and strengths, though.  The way a candidate answers this question will also tell you about how teamwork-oriented they are.  Listen for the pronouns.  Does the candidate use a lot of ‘we’ or ‘I’?  How does this mesh with your company culture?

4.      What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced at work?  This question reveals a few things, both technical and not technical.  You should get a more technical answer from candidates who are applying to higher level roles, like an ERP Systems Analyst, Solutions Architect, Lead Developer, etc.  This will illuminate some of their strengths for you.  Beyond technical skills and experience, the answer to this question will also tell you a lot about the candidate’s attitude as an employee.  Listen for the tone of the answer and the solution.  Does the candidate focus on the challenge and how much it hindered them, or do they focus on what they did to overcome it?  IT staffing agencies find that great candidates will use this question to show off their technical acumen.  They should use the opportunity to tell a story of how their skills helped them fix a major issue, not badmouth former employers, bosses, coworkers, etc.