Tag Archives: IT staffing agencies

Tips for Using Skype and Facetime in Job Interviews

February 10, 2017

Skype and Facetime interviews are becoming more and more common in the tech field. Considering how often Skype and Facetime interviews are used instead of (or in conjunction with) phone screens, it’s amazing that the technology has only existed for about 15 years. If you have a video chat interview coming up, here are some tips IT staffing firms would suggest. Even if you’ve used Skype or Facetime to do job interviews before, you may still find some new info below to help you nail your future interviews.

Make sure your connection is good, right before your interview. Doing it the night before or even hours before won’t give you the same reassurance. Skype a friend or your IT recruiters for a few minutes before your scheduled interview to confirm everything is working perfectly. If you’re at home, consider asking everyone else to get off the Wi-Fi so there are no possible interruptions. IT staffing agencies have certainly seen employers nix a candidate because of a bad skype connection.

Dress like you were going to a face-to-face interview. The tech field is noted for having plenty of workplaces that are very casual, but that doesn’t usually translate to the interview. Wear a suit (or whatever your technical recruiters suggested), shower, comb your hair, etc before you interview. It’s also very important to note here that you don’t want to assume that you can wear pajama pants or sweatpants because the camera won’t show them. IT recruiting agencies have heard plenty of horror stories about this before. Avoid becoming one of them yourself and dress completely appropriately. From head to toe.

Take anything odd or distracting out of view of the camera. You may not think anything of it, but if you have some weird posters, desk toys, etc, it’s time to just clear them off and put them away. They could distract, or possibly offend the interviewer. There’s no reason to risk ruining your interview when you can just put them back after.

Make sure your username is professional. If you need a new Skype account just for job interviews, you might want to consider it. Having a silly or rude name for Skype is just as bad as having an unprofessional email address. Make a simple, easy to remember username that is comprised of your name (and possibly your birthday, location, the year, etc if your name is very common).

Video chat interivews — The web cam may not see your whole outfit, but you should dress well head to toe. Photo credit: Vitamin via Pixabay.

Find IT Recruiters Who Will Get You Jobs You’re Happy With

January 31, 2017

Working with IT recruiters doesn’t guarantee you a job that will be a great fit. Sometimes bad technical recruiters will place you in a job with a work environment you hate or with a workload you can’t handle. Here’s how to make sure you work with IT staffing firms that will help you land a role you can succeed in and enjoy.

If an IT recruiter contacts you first, really look at their messages. Do you they speak English well and write in a professional manner? Are they offering a job that makes sense for your skill-set? If the messages are confusing or suggest a role that is obviously not a fit for you, you can probably reply ‘no thanks.’

If the message does interest you and seems worth considering, look up the recruiters who contact you and the IT recruiting companies they come from. If they have bad reviews, or worse yet, no online presence, you may want to skip working with them. Legitimate IT recruiting firms have their own website and decent reviews. They probably also have a LinkedIn page and at least some social media presence. In terms of reviews, you can take everything with a grain of salt. If they have only a couple of bad reviews mixed in with a lot of good ones, they’re probably worth talking to. If IT staffing agencies have a ton of bad reviews, that’s a bad sign. Don’t be a target for an IT recruiting scam or work with an IT staffing agency that doesn’t care what you need to succeed in a role.

If your technical recruiters seem legitimate, have an open, candid conversation with them about what you want. They should care about more than just your technical skills and experience. If you have scheduling needs, are looking to avoid a long commute, or need a particular kind of work environment to succeed, they should care about this. Good IT recruiters want to place you in a job that is as compatible with your life and work style as possible. This is because happy employees are productive, successful employees. You can’t do your best work if the corporate culture of a company is suffocating to you or you’re exhausted from a marathon commute!

IT job search — Your IT recruiters should put you in a job that makes you happy. Photo credit: moonpie via Pixabay.

What Makes IT Resumes Different?

January 24, 2017

If you’re looking for new IT jobs, your first step should be to update your resume for IT recruiters and employers. As an IT professional, your resume will be a bit different from resumes in other industries. Here are some key elements of IT resumes.

The technical skills section. This is one of the most important features of a resume for IT staffing companies. It helps them decide quickly if you have the skills to be a possible fit for an open job. Make sure to put this section right at the top of your resume and keep it thorough, organized, and updated. The best technical skills section is a snapshot of the technologies and skills you’ll be talking about in your employment history below. It’s important to make sure you only add skills to this section that you are 100% confident you actually have. Technical interviews will often quickly reveal it if you lack something you’ve mentioned in the technical skills section. If an interviewer finds you ‘fudged it’ and included something you can’t actually back up, you won’t get the job (and your technical recruiters probably won’t want to work with you anymore, either).

You have more leeway to go beyond 1 page. IT recruiting companies find that employers in the tech field are a bit more lenient with the length of resumes. While you don’t want to write a novel, if you have a great arsenal of technical skills and experience, it’s ok if you need a bit of extra room to elaborate. Technical resumes have some extra sections (like the one mentioned above).Another reason you can write a longer technical resume is that hiring managers do want to see details about the projects you’ve worked on. IT staffing agencies find that when you give better detail on the technical projects you’ve done, employers have an easier time picturing you performing the role they’re hiring for.

Contract work is more accepted and more common. Many IT professionals use contracting as a legitimate way to gain skills and exposure to new technologies. Since technology is always changing so quickly, it can become necessary to move faster from company to company to get exposure to new technologies at a more compatible rate. Contracting is also just a more common way for managers to hire in the tech field. IT recruiting firms find that sometimes employers only need contractors to finish a particular project. Perhaps a company can’t afford to hire somebody with a rare skill-set permanently. Just make sure to mark when a position is contract on your resume, so people know you didn’t leave early or were fired.

Tech resumes different — Tech resumes have some key differences. Photo credit: 3dman_eu via Pixabay

This Will Land You Help Desk Jobs in 2017

January 11, 2017

Help Desk jobs are slated to be one of the most common jobs that IT recruiters will be filling this year. IT staffing firms will get a lot of Help Desk roles to fill for two reasons. Firstly, there’s plenty of turnover in the field (often because of people moving up into new phases of their career). Secondly, every company these days needs Tech Support. (This will be especially true this year as the economy continues to recover from the past recession and companies grow larger.) With IT recruiting companies expecting to have so many Help Desk job openings this year, this makes people with the right skills and experience in demand. However, this is still a competitive market. IT recruiters find that if any section of the tech field is competitive for job seekers, it’s Help Desk. Here’s the best way to make sure you’re ready to land the Help Desk job you want this year: Get your CompTIA A+ certification. While some say the certification isn’t worth it, here are 3 reasons technical recruiters would strongly suggest you get.

1. Employers trust this certification. IT staffing agencies find that employers will always choose to interview or hire the candidate with the CompTIA A+ certification over the ones who don’t. This certification is comprehensive (covering important topics like installation, preventative maintenance, networking, security and troubleshooting), vetted, and has been around long enough that it’s recognized and respected by pretty much all employers. It’s also internationally accepted, which says something about how well-regarded it is.

2. You differentiate yourself in a competitive field. Since the Help Desk market for job seekers is largely entry level, there are more people who claim to have the skills and experience necessary for these jobs than something higher level (like Data Scientist jobs). If you get this certification, you definitely set yourself apart in a section of the tech job market that it’s hard to stand out in. Though the certification may be getting more common on resumes, it still provides a strong competitive edge. Employers will always prefer to have the candidate who comes having already learned the skills they need, rather than one that who might have to learn them on the job. This can be especially imperative in a role like Help Desk, where end users expect speedy, competent service. Having a CompTIA A+ certification guarantees employers you already have a good base of skills.

3. You’ll get paid more. When you do land jobs, employers always pay more for CompTIA A+ certified candidates. While it costs money to get the certification, it’s well worth it in the gains you’ll make your salary immediately and in the future. Even if you’re not searching for a new job, your current employer will likely give you a raise if you get this certification. They may even help you pay for the process of obtaining it!

helpdesk jobs — Getting the CompTIA A+ certification will make you a more desirable Help Desk candidate. Photo credit: StartUpStockPhotos via Pixabay.

The Best Certification to Get in 2017

January 5, 2017

Is one of your new year’s resolutions to invest in your career with a new certification? The most valuable one to get in 2017 will be an AWS certification. Here are a few reasons why IT recruiters suggest you consider going after one this year.

1. You’ll make more money. AWS certified professionals often make around $100,000 a year or more. AWS certifications consistently topped income-oriented lists last year and there’s no reason they’ll fall this year. There are still far too few AWS certified tech professionals out there for the number of open IT jobs that require it. Even if you’re not looking for a new job, IT staffing companies find that many employers are happy to give raises or promotions to staff that get AWS certifications. Since the process for getting AWS certifications is so rigorous, employees nearly always become more valuable to their companies after attaining them.

2. You want to work remotely. IT recruiting firms find that many of the jobs that require AWS certifications also allow for partial or complete remote work. This is true for a few reasons. Firstly (and most obviously) cloud technology makes it easy to do this kind of work remotely. Secondly, as mentioned before, AWS certified professionals are rare. This means that employers need to woo them with excellent perks, which of course includes options for remote work.

3. An AWS certification opens doors in many industries. More and more companies are going to the cloud for their storage needs. No matter what industry you’d like to work in, there are probably companies that use cloud technologies and are seeking IT professionals with AWS certifications.

4. You want to invest in your future. An AWS certification will continue to be valuable for many years to come. The cloud will only become more popular and AWS seems to be the reigning provider. The only certification that seems somewhat comparable is Azure (and for many reasons, some people argue that this certification is less valuable on a resume). Amazon is dominating the web services market with a constant stream of new products and competitive pricing. If you get an AWS certification now, IT staffing agencies will likely have no problem finding you IT jobs for years to come.

best IT certifications — AWS certifications will help you earn more in 2017. Photo credit: Kaboompics via Pixabay.

Polish Your Resume to Land Remote IT Jobs in the New Year

December 20, 2016

If you plan on working with IT recruiting firms next year to search for new IT jobs, you’re probably already polishing your resume. If you want your technical recruiters to be able to submit you to remote jobs, there are a few things you should add to your resume.

1. Prove that you are self-motivated and have taken initiative before. IT recruiters see plenty of resumes that list the skills employers want remote workers to have. However, that’s not what will land the job. What IT recruiting agencies find really works is to demonstrate you have these important skills. Were you able to complete elements of a project on your own, with no supervision? Did you debug code without being asked? Concrete instances of things you’ve done that make you a great remote employee (or things that show you will be a great remote employee) make it easier for employers to picture you doing the same things as a part of their team.

2. Give links to your best work and relevant web presence. IT staffing companies find that having a great web presence and excellent work product to show off is especially imperative when you’re applying to remote jobs. Do you have a digital portfolio? Do you have a LinkedIn profile? A website? Make sure it’s easy for employers and IT staffing agencies to see all of them by adding links into your resume. Part of landing remote jobs is making it easy for employers and IT recruiting companies to see how you’d be a great fit for their role. Listing relevant links is one way to do that.

3. If you’ve worked remotely before, articulate how you still adhere to workplace standards and keep in communication with your team or managers. Again, giving concrete examples of your ability to be a great remote worker will go a long way in helping employers picture you in their open IT jobs. For instance, if you’re a developer, have you still participated in stand-up meetings via conference call? Do you use an internal messaging service? Helping employers and IT staffing firms see that you’ve thought about how to still be an effective member of a team, even when remote, will help you land the jobs you want.

IT jobs remote — Want to land remote IT jobs? You have to demonstrate that you have the skills. Photo credit: Life-of-Pix via Pixabay.

Tips for Exit Interviews

December 12, 2016

If you’ve been working with your IT recruiters to find a new position, the last step of your transition won’t be giving your notice. Employers often want to conduct an exit interview before you leave. These may seem like a time to vent with impunity, but the truth is that you could do some serious damage to your reputation if you handle one badly. Here are a few tips that IT staffing firms suggest following as you go through exit interviews.

1. Approach an exit interview as seriously as you do a job interview. Just like you would in a job interview, IT recruiting companies suggest you be professional, keep things positive, and be cooperative. Especially with all the back-door references that LinkedIn enables, it’s important to perform exit interviews as the kind of IT professional you to be known as. Check your emotions at the door, even if it’s tempting not to. You never know if your words will make it back to other’s ears and burn bridges for you. (Some technical recruiters suggest venting to a trusted friend or family member before the exit interview so you get it out of your system.)

2. This isn’t a time to improve the company or give much feedback. Even if exit interviews are sometimes presented this way, it’s often pretty ineffective to share criticism about an employer. In fact, IT staffing agencies find that doing this will usually just hurt you. If you’re leaving to seek out IT jobs that pay more, have a better work culture, let you do more interesting work, etc, now isn’t the time to say it. The best time to ask for a raise, to give feedback about the workplace, or to ask for more interesting projects, was when you were actually an employee. It’s often just going to be viewed as a slight if you detail all the reasons why you worked with IT recruiting agencies to get out of your current employer. And as mentioned above, it’s always a bad idea to slight people. You might unwittingly be burning an important bridge you need in the future.

3. Leave your future employer out of it. Your IT staffing companies wouldn’t suggest you spend much time talking about how excited you are to join your new employer. Even if you don’t mean to, people may assume you’re belittling your soon-to-be employer by comparison.

4. Lastly, try to say a few positive things about your soon-to-be ex employer before you go. While it’s not helpful to say something that feels fake or forced, you can probably find one or two positive things to genuinely note. Perhaps you had the opportunity to learn more about a new technology, or got to work on an interesting project. Taking a moment to mention these things you’re grateful for will make you look professional and gracious.

exitinterviewtips — Take the exit interview as seriously as the job interview. Photo credit: multifacetedgirl via Pixabay.

How to Pick a Good Coding Boot Camp

December 6, 2016

If you’re thinking about a coding boot camp, you’re not alone. IT staffing companies have seen an explosion in boot camp popularity in the last few years. IT recruiters certainly find that many candidates seeking new IT jobs (especially their first programming roles) have a boot camp on their resumes. The questions is, are they worth it? The tuition for many of these boot camps is often in the thousands, so it’s imperative you make back that money with some great IT jobs. Here’s how to make sure you pick the best boot camp for you.

1. Do research on the job market in the area you live in. What are the most in-demand programming languages? Just as importantly, what are the most in-demand programming languages for the kinds of roles you want? IT staffing firms would advise you to make sure you understand not only what skills are marketable, but what skills are marketable and will land you a job you will at least moderately enjoy. You don’t want to realize that you hate the kinds of roles you paid thousands of dollars to be able to land. IT recruiters find that people who hate their jobs rarely succeed at them, or at least succeed at them long-term.

2. Seek out recommendations. Ask people in your network if they have gone to, or know of, boot camps that are effective. Check online at sites like Course Report. You might also reach out to your IT staffing agencies to see if they can recommend any great local boot camps for the kinds of roles and skills you’d like in the future.

3. Once you find some programs that look good, IT recruiting agencies suggest that you step back and look them over one last time. Ask questions about them, including these:

What is the rate at which grads land their ideal roles?
What is the rate at which students graduate?
Do these boot camps offer connections to internships, projects or potential employers?
Can you handle the final cost of this boot camp, or will it be too expensive of a risk?

4. Based on all these steps, make a choice. IT recruiting companies would urge you to consider the fact that sometimes, your best choice may be to skip the coding boot camp (at least for now). Sometimes there truly aren’t any coding boot camps that would be a good investment in your career. Though boot camps are being hailed as the new gold rush, there are many that won’t help you land the IT jobs you want. The wise IT professional sees this– and saves their time and money.

it-jobs-coding-boot-camps — Coding boot camps are always intense, but they aren’t always worth the money. Photo credit: skeeze via Pixabay.

3 Reasons Cyber Security Jobs Will Increase

December 2, 2016

IT recruiters are seeing an increased demand for IT jobs in cyber security. While this area has been hot for IT staffing firms for at least the last few years, it will likely grow at an even faster pace in the near future for 3 reasons.

Firstly, IT recruiting companies will see more job openings in cyber security because there will likely be more attacks. The recent Dyn attacks are a good indicator of an increase in the kinds of all-out attacks that will become more frequent– and vicious. Cyber attacks will also increase because they’re a new frontier for terrorists. Cyber attacks that affect community sources of electricity, water, power, etc are likely to become a new method for terrorists.

The second reason IT staffing agencies will see more job openings in cyber security is because there will be more regulations and laws created for protection against cyber attacks. Recent events have shown cyber security to be a top concern—one that people will be forced to deal with for their own good. Businesses, governments, and other organizations that have pushed cyber security to the bottom of their to-do lists will be required by insurance carriers and laws to start paying more attention. This means IT recruiting firms will be searching for more tech professionals with the skills to help employers meet these laws and regulations.

The last reason that IT staffing companies will see an uptick in cyber security jobs in the near future is because it makes good business sense. Some businesses won’t need laws or regulations to take these threats seriously—it’s already affecting their business. These employers will look to IT recruiting agencies to help them make an investment in an important, somewhat new, business practice: protecting their data.

cyber-security-it-jobs — Companies that haven’t taken cyber security seriously will soon be forced to by laws and regulations. Photo credit: TheDigitalWay via Pixabay.

Graduating in May or June? Recruiters Can Help You Now

November 30, 2016

If you’ll be graduating from college this spring, you could benefit from calling IT staffing agencies this month. While it may seem too early, there are a few things that good IT recruiting firms can do for you so you’re even more prepared to land great IT jobs when you graduate.

Help with your resume. If you’re graduating from college or grad school, you may be creating your resume for the very first time. While your career center can advise you on basic resume templates, IT staffing firms can tell you exactly what the employers in your field are looking for. Because they have close contact with employers, technical recruiters can help you build exactly the resume they want to see— the first time you create your resume.

Guidance building a portfolio, LinkedIn profile, website for job searching, etc. Since you have about 6 months before graduation, you’ll have plenty of time to start creating things like a digital portfolio, a website, or any other materials to show off your technical skills. As mentioned before, IT recruiters have plenty of contact with employers, so they can help you create materials that will make you all the more employable.

Guidance on what to study. With 6 months to graduation, you may have enough time to focus your studies on particular technologies, programming languages, certifications, etc. Even if your classes have already been decided on, you might want to consider learning these things in your spare time or refreshing your familiarity with them. Whatever the case may be, IT recruiting agencies know what technologies are in demand with employers. They can help you prepare to meet these demands so you’re a hot commodity on the job market when you graduate.