Tag Archives: IT recruiting

Showing Your IT Recruiter Some Gratitude

The priority for technical recruiters is to find qualified candidates for their open IT jobs.  Unfortunately, IT people in the IT recruiting industry are often perceived as pushy, money hungry individuals whose main concern is their commission cut.  Working with technical recruiters on a daily basis, one will find this misconception to be far from the truth.

Successful IT staffing firms earn their keep through communication and research.  Hours extend beyond the typical 9-5 to accommodate candidates’ availability.  IT headhunters do not pry for details to be nosey, they are conducting preliminary screenings to ensure an applicant fits the hiring client’s criteria.  From the countless hours spent sifting and tweeking resumes while also prepping for interviews, a thank you is well deserved!

The Overlooked IT Recruiter

You may have interviewed with the hiring manager, but remember who helped you along the process.  You are most likely not your technical recruiter’s only candidate.  By the end of the day, he has probably spoken to dozens of existing and prospective applicants.  Let your IT recruiter know his hard work and determination are appreciated!

Make a Lasting Impression While Showing Character

Networking happens to be one of the top ways to secure an IT job in a competitive market.   IT staffing representatives are your gateway to new career opportunities. Maintain a relationship with your IT headhunter and stand out from other candidates with follow up emails and thank you notes.  Thank you’s might seem second nature, but you would be surprise what separates strong applicants from weak applicants.  If your contract should come to an end, he may remember you for upcoming positions.

Going Beyond the Thank You

If your IT recruiter did an outstanding job, why limit your thank you to just him?  Pay it forward and let others know how privileged you were to work with him.  Yelp and Google Places are just some of the ways you can extend your thank you beyond email and phone calls.  Your review can help others land positions and bring in more business for your IT staffing representative!

Managing Your Management

No two IT recruiters work the same, each must adapt to his own form of management.  Unfortunately, you cannot choose who you work with, but you can adjust your working habits.  Here are some guidelines to ease transitions into new IT recruiting job:

Responsibility
Maintaining your responsibility and staying focused is ideal in all work environments.  Allowing projects and questions to slip through the cracks or exceed deadlines creates a snowball effect which leads to future issues.  Stop the problem in its tracks and be one of the technical recruiters in the office people look to for problem solving.  You will be recognized for your proficiency and boost your confidence.  Taking action and following through on your projects are key traits for upward mobility with most IT staffing jobs and positive feedback from your fellow technical recruiters Boston could mean future advancements.

WARNING: Take care of yourself before you help others.  Often people will seek you out for advice and help on projects, but make sure all your work is complete before you take on additional responsibilities.

Honesty
Be honest about tasks you cannot handle.  If you are working above and beyond your work capacity, it will show in your output.  Take a step back and analyze what you can complete in terms of importance and time sensitivity.  IT staffing firms assure that upper level management would rather see you complete one of your tasks with 100% competence than finish three projects with errors.

If you find you have made a mistake, bring it to the attention of your IT Recruiting Manager so you know the proper way to amend it.  Trying to cover slip ups might cause you to make more errors while trying to balance current work.

Never guess answers to anyone’s questions.  When you do not know the correct response to someone’s inquiry, tell them you will find out an answer for them and seek out the appropriate staff.  Remember to follow up and ask if there are any additional questions you can help with.   Honesty and integrity can get you far in the work place.

WARNING: Too much honesty is not best in the work place.  Keep all personal matters to yourself as it can interfere with work relationships amongst your fellow IT recruiters.   

 Communication
Openly communicate with your fellow IT recruiters Boston, supervisors and other co-workers, especially when you are collaborating on a project.  Not only will you not waste time on tasks that are possibly complete, you can learn new ways to handle tasks.  Communicating frequently keeps all technical recruiters on the same page and helps to build solid relationships.  Use it to your advantage, as you have the potential to network from these connections.

WARNING: Do not communicate too much.  Inbox clutter and irrelevant phone calls are not efficient as it is a distraction.  Stay on task and communicate when necessary, but if you are busy stay on task!

Motivation
Staying motivated and recognizing achievements helps IT staffing employees improve their tasks.  Commending work while providing tips for improvement also gives employees an idea of how well they are doing and ignites a drive.  Reach out to your peers if you feel you need additional inspiration or support.

WARNING: Some people cannot handle criticism well, be aware of sensitivity.  A compliment sandwich (providing two compliments with a criticism in between) might ease the initial response.

Follow the Leader
Upper level management within IT recruiting companies should be setting examples.  When you are in doubt about how to respond in a certain situation, follow the discretion of your supervisor.  Plan and organize according to your style.  If you find it is not working for you or there is a more efficient way, make suggestions.

WARNING: A manager might have the work ethic ‘do as I say, not as I do’.  Unfortunately, this is not a rarity with IT recruiting jobs.  In this instance, follow the command of your supervisor and be sure to complete your work the CORRECT way.  If your manager involves you in unethical activity or asks you to perform tasks which you do not feel comfortable, reach out to his manager or your with your concerns.  

From laid back to strict management, always carry yourself in a professional manner.  You can adapt to a style of management, it just takes focus and commitment.  For more helpful articles visit AVID’s job seekers page!

The Key to Being Successful in the IT Recruiting Industry

The key to being successful in the IT staffing industry is building a strong relationship with your client. A lot of people think that as an IT recruiter you are just responsible to find candidates to fill the open IT jobs. But how do we as teams get these open jobs? By building strong relationships with our clients.

Key attributes to being well rounded IT Recruiters:

We need to know what the product is. The product is your client. IT recruiters Boston need to get to know the client and the IT job before being able to help them. Technical recruiters need to know the service they client provides, their background and anything else that will help them identify the right candidate. This is an important piece of the IT recruiting firm’s ability to successfully service their client.

Being a good listener is also an important trait for IT recruiters. Thinking you know what your client wants and really knowing what their wants and needs come from listening. As a technical recruiter you need to be able to stand back and just listen and know the right questions to ask to get more information to better be able to understand what the client is looking for in a candidate.

Timely feedback is an important step in the IT recruitment process so everyone is on the same page as to the status of the candidate and assignment. You want to provide your candidates with immediate feedback so nobody is left in the dark.

Don’t promise anything you can’t deliver. It’s important for IT recruiters to land the deal but keeping your credibility is more important. Be honest with people about the standings and not telling them what you think they want to hear might get you further.

Another thing that plays a key role in an IT recruiter is their attitude. Attitude can really make or break someone. Having a bad attitude is not a good thing in the IT recruiting industry. You need to always be positive. You want to be your client’s solution not a problem to them.

To be a successful technical recruiter all of these aforementioned attributes are key, but wanting to be successful is important too. You have to want it and want to work at it every day to really be good at what you do. The IT staffing industry changes all the time and you have to be able to change with it and understand why it is changing the way it is.

Finding Good IT Recruiters

The IT recruiting industry is very competitive – as a result there are hundreds of IT staffing companies Boston all hunting for open technical positions.  Given the sheer volume of technical recruiting firms, you can only imagine how many IT recruiters there are to choose from.

Like any other service industry, first look for referrals from people you trust.  Find out whether someone you know has had a positive experience working with an IT recruiter, then ask for the person’s contact name and number.  Next, find out for yourself.  Speak with the technical recruiter on the phone.  Gauge their personality, aggressiveness, information technology job knowledge, ask about their client base, how long they’ve been in the IT recruiting Boston industry, how long they’ve been a technical recruiter at this company in which they’re currently employed.  Future questions or tests:  Do technical recruiters return your calls or emails?  Do they contact you with IT job opportunities?  Do they have resume suggestions, search advice or do they provide any value-add whatsoever?

Additionally, don’t limit your conversation to just one IT headhunter.  The most IT recruiters Boston you can speak with, the better your odds of finding that exceptional professional who excels at his or her job.  Lastly, look for feedback and/or reviews online.  In today’s technological age, you can uncover information on virtually any professional.  Find out what other prospective IT job candidates have said about these IT recruiters.  Read their experiences.

Looking for a new IT job is tedious work and not always very easy to do on your own.  Having technical recruiters working at different IT staffing agencies will help you get started, but don’t forget to look for positions on your own as well.  If you find an opportunity that interests you, try contacting the IT recruiters you have spoken with and see if they have any connections at the company.

In the end, the more IT recruiters know about you the easier it will be for them to find a new position for you.  They might not have a position right away, just remember to be patient and keep you job search activity at a high level.

How Most IT Recruiting Offices are Set Up

All of the IT recruiting companies Boston that I have worked for, and all of the IT staffing offices that I’ve been in, have all been set up the same way.  First, there is a general “pit” in the middle of the office.  This is where the IT recruiters Boston will sit.  The openness allows for easy communication – verbal instant messaging you might call it.

A typical day in the IT recruiting world is anything but typical.  Technical recruiters might be talking to prospective candidates one minute, setting up an interview the next.  Soon after, they may have the opportunity to roll out an offer or break the news that the candidate did not get the job they interviewed for.  IT recruiters may have to call one of their current IT contractors with feedback on their job performance or they may have to release them from their assignment.

Because there are so many nuances to the IT recruiting role, so many different scenarios that may arise day in and day out, the open floor also provides another purpose.  It allows other IT recruiters MA to hear virtually all other conversations.  This proves very beneficial for technical recruiters as it allows them to absorb as many techniques and IT recruiting scenarios as possible.

In some IT staffing offices, there are offices surrounding the “pit” housing salespeople and account managers.  The offices allow them with a bit more privacy, mainly so their IT managers don’t hear all of the background chatter.  When cold calling a client, every second of the conversation counts.  You don’t want to lose credibility if the background noise gives the client the impression you’re in a call center.

In other technical staffing locations, the technical recruiters and IT staffing salespeople sit in the pit together.  Just as it’s critical for technical recruiters to hear their peer’s conversations, it’s equally as critical for the salespeople.  The conversations can be a teaching tool and/or just another opportunity for others to absorb new techniques and styles.

Another benefit of having technical recruiters and IT staffing Boston salespeople sit together on the floor is simply communication.  With any successful placement, the recruiter and salesperson must communicate effectively.  An open pit allows for the two sides with this ability – more verbal instant messaging.

Is Cold Calling a Dying Art with IT Staffing Salespeople?

When I first started in the IT recruiting industry fourteen years ago, there were no resume databases, no job boards, no social media and no professional networking websites.  In fact, email was something still pretty new that we didn’t utilize on a daily basis.  As an IT staffing salesperson, I was set up with a phone and call sheets.  Smile and dial, cold call until your fingers got tired or your mouth went dry.

While it’s still critical to get an IT manager on the phone to build a relationship, IT staffing salespeople rely far more heavily on email.  Whether it’s right or wrong, good or bad, email is pushing the art of cold calling into extinction.

Regardless of your career, if you stop practicing, you get rusty.  Cold calling is no different.  The more you cold call, the better you’re able to hone your skills.  The more you cold call, the better you’re able to rebut objections, nudge a client into taking the time to meet with you or even convince an IT manager to give you a chance to fill his/her open hiring need.

While cold calling might be a dying art with salespeople in the technical recruiting industry, it’s still a constant in the world of technical recruiters.  Regardless of whether an IT recruiter initiates contact with a prospective candidate via email, it is virtually impossible, or more accurately, virtually scary to think of a technical recruiter never speaking with a candidate live before sending his or her resume to a client.  There are so many nuances to a typical IT recruitment.  There are so many questions that could only be answered in a live conversation in which the technical recruiter can analyze a candidate’s response.  The slightest hesitations, changes in pitch or tone can tip off any astute IT recruiters who are used to picking up on subtle signs that ultimately lead to the truth.

How To Find The IT Recruiting Job That is Right For You

There are so numerous IT recruiting  jobs out there.  The problem for many IT recruiters is that they may not know they’re value or level of experience in comparison to other technical recruiters.  Therefore, here are a few ways to navigate the IT recruitment industry and find the right job for you.

Try taking on new projects within your current IT staffing company. This will allow you to venture into other parts of the recruiting industry without having to switch careers.  During these projects you may meet new people within the company and learn about the kinds of tasks they do in their technical recruiting job.

Read blogs that pertain to the IT recruitment industry.  Many IT recruiting companies have blogs that are saturated with industry information and technical chatter.  Learn about other recruiting professionals and what they are doing for a living.  You can research the companies they work for and the opportunities they have access to.  This will allow you to see what IT recruiters MA are up to and what you can potentially do in the future.

If there is something you think might interest you, try presenting a project to your boss that will allow you to try out them out.  Trying out new roles will help you decide whether it is the right thing for you.

Also contact one of the many IT staffing firms local to you.  Build a relationship with a handful of headunters (based on their credibility, responsiveness and other factors that separate them from the thousands of recruiters out there).  Research local IT recruiting agencies.  Find which specialize in information technology, then read the reviews about each company.  Narrow your search to the best of the best as this is your career you’re putting in their hands.

In the end, the more you try out and explore other roles or companies, the more you’ll be able to identify what it is you want to do within the information technology recruiting industry…..and what company you want to work for.  Activity is king, sitting back and doing nothing will get you nowhere.

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.

Tips to Remember When Working with an IT Recruiting Agency

Job seekers approach IT recruiting agencies like they are job banks.  Most believe that just handing in their resumes will get them an interview or even an IT job right away.  Of course these are some of the common misunderstandings of the IT recruiting industry.

When working with an IT staffing agency, remember that you still need to do your part as a job seeker.  Send your resume, establish contact with an IT recruiter and keep in touch with them as you work to build a relationship.  Update the IT recruiters on jobs you have applied to as well as any interviews you have.  Full disclosure on both sides makes for a strong recruiter/candidate relationship and an efficient IT job search process. You never know if someone in the IT recruiting firm may know someone in the company that could put in a good word or help your chances of landing that technical position.

Another thing you need to remember is that the IT recruiters Boston are not assigned to every IT job they have available.  The technical recruiters are assigned to a set of jobs and then work on those positions.  Therefore, do not expect them to be calling you for every IT job position they have available.  It’s up to you to stay current with the IT jobs they have on their website, then have your point of contact put you in touch with the proper IT recruiter assigned to the position you wish to speak to them about.

Also, IT recruiting is a reactive industry.  IT staffing salespeople typically receive job orders first, then try to find the candidates.  Another misconception is that IT recruiters are like agents.  You send them your resume and they shop it around.  Sure, there is an element of that in the IT recruiting industry.  However, keep in mind, technical recruiters typically receive the IT job requirement first, then source to find the right candidates.

So take a look at what you are doing on your part as a job seeker.  Working with IT recruiters Boston to find your next job is the right thing to do.  The more you understand how the industry works, the better your expectations will be managed, and then hopefully met.  Lastly, remember that the stronger relationships that you build with IT recruiters Providence, the better the chances of you being their first call when that perfect IT job opens up.

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.