Tag Archives: IT staffing agencies

3 Questions About the Education Section on Your Resume

IT staffing agencies see a lot of confusion around the ‘Education’ section on resumes.  Here are some answers to questions that IT recruiting firms often get from candidates about how to write this section of a resume when you’re searching for IT jobs.

  1. Where Do I Put the Education Section? The answer  IT recruiters give here relies heavily on where you are in your career.  If you’re working with IT staffing companies to find one of your first jobs, your education section can be at the top.  This is because it’s your most significant experience.  You haven’t had much professional experience yet, so the years you spent studying technologies or languages are going to matter most to potential employers.  If you’re not a recent graduate, IT recruiting agencies would rather see your education as one of the last categories on your resume.  Your professional experience will be far more significant to IT recruiters and hiring managers than your degrees.
  2. What Should I Do if I’m Still Finishing a Degree or Certification? In the tech field it’s especially common for people to be completing an online degree or certification as they work.  IT staffing firms see a lot of candidates who return to school to brush up on technologies or learn new ones.  If you’re in the middle of learning a new programming language or getting a new certification, don’t leave it off your resume.  Your IT recruiters won’t know that you’re ready for new kinds of roles if you don’t add in these classes, programs, etc!  Instead, list the degree, certification, etc (and where you’re getting it from).  Give the date completed as ‘In progress.’
  3. How Do I Document it If I Went to More Than One College? This is a trend IT recruiting companies are seeing more and more as the cost of college rises.  Plenty of IT professionals will get an AS from a less expensive school and complete their BA or BS in a better (and more expensive) name brand school.  Technical recruiters won’t hold it against you if you just list the place you completed your degree in.  In fact, it’s better to streamline your education section a bit by doing this.  It doesn’t matter if you got your degree at 2 or more different universities.  Especially in the tech field, your experience and skill-set tend to matter more than your education anyways.  So save the space for the more important info and just list the final place you earned your degree (even if you didn’t start there!).

 

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Have questions about how to create the ‘Education’ section of your IT resume? Photo credit: Dalomo via Pixabay.

 

 

Don’t Forget to Bring These Items to Interviews

There are a lot of ways to prepare for your IT job interviews.  You can role play answering important questions.  You can study up on the technologies that your IT recruiters say you’ll be quizzed on.  You can do research on the companies your technical recruiters send you to interview for.  But here’s one thing that IT staffing firms find candidates often forget to do: bring a pen and notepad.

In a digital age, especially in the tech field, why would IT recruiting firms suggest you really need to bring a pen and notepad with you to interviews?  There are 2 reasons: it helps show that you’re engaged and interested and it helps you write a killer thank you note after the interview.  To start with the first reason, IT staffing agencies want you to take notes because it helps a manager see you as organized and engaged in your interview process.  Perhaps more importantly, taking notes helps your interviewers picture you bringing these qualities to the IT jobs you’re interviewing for.

The second reason IT recruiting agencies want you to bring a pen and notepad to your interviews is to make sure you take down the information you’ll need to write an excellent thank you note.  IT staffing companies see too many candidates underestimate the power of a great thank you note.   You’ll want to bring a notepad and pen to write down details that you can use in your notes.  You could jot down are reminder of important topics you discussed, perhaps a question you wanted to expound on a bit more, or maybe just something that you really liked about their team or corporate culture.  Considering how long, stressful, and overwhelming a job interview can be (especially a technical one where you might whiteboard an answer, get quizzed on technical skills, etc) it’s a bad idea to assume you’ll remember these kinds of details.  Bringing your notepad and pen lets you prep to write thank you notes that go beyond the generic ones that IT recruiting companies are too often given to pass on to interviewers.  Why not take this chance to differentiate yourself?

 

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Don’t forget this item on your list of steps to prep for your IT job interviews. Photo credit: inspirexpressmiami via Pixabay.

 

Unconventional Titles on IT Resumes

IT recruiters come across plenty of candidates who have odd job titles in IT.  IT staffing companies find that especially in the tech field (and particularly startup companies) titles can include words like ‘ninja’ or ‘rockstar’.  If you have one of these creative titles, here’s how to handle it on your resume so you attract IT staffing firms and hiring managers.

Firstly, try to figure out what your title would be at a more conventional company.  If you’re having a hard time coming up with this, IT recruiting agencies would suggest you check out the titles other people use on LinkedIn, reach out to people in your network, or consult with your technical recruiters. Next, list your official title on your resume.  Then in parentheses, list the conventional title next to it.

The last thing IT recruiting firms would suggest you do if you have an unconventional title is to make sure the bullets below that job represent your duties and accomplishments clearly.  Good bullets will work with that conventional title to clear up any lingering confusion about your title and role.  As your write your bullets (under this and all other IT jobs on your resume) keep in mind that sometimes IT staffing agencies might be sharing your resume with less technical hiring managers.  Try to write your bullets so they can be understood by a variety of readers.

 

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Are you a Coding Ninja? You may need to add a bit more info on your IT resume. Photo credit: OpenClipartVectors via Pixabay.

 

Will an Online Degree Help Your IT Job Search?

IT recruiters are sometimes asked by candidates if an online degree will increase their prospects for IT jobs. On one hand, online degrees used to have a certain stigma to hiring managers and IT staffing agencies. On the other, these programs are becoming more and more popular, rigorous, and respected by IT recruiting firms and hiring managers in the tech field.   So are they worth the money, time, and effort now?

If you’re considering an online degree, it may be far more useful in helping you land and be considered for more IT jobs now than 10 years ago.  You just have to be careful about how you choose your program.  Start by researching the reputation of the online degree program.  There are plenty of programs that are widely known by IT staffing firms and employers as reputable, strong programs.  There are also plenty of programs that are so worthless, IT recruiting companies would just tell you to take them off your resume.  Make sure you find out exactly where the program you’re thinking about stands before you invest and time, money, etc in it.

The second thing to consider is how much interaction with clients, end-users, managers, etc your ideal roles require.  When you’re getting a degree to increase your options for roles with a lot of communication, you probably want to avoid an online degree program.  Doing real classes that help you practice working with others will be far more useful to you.  (This will also be something you can bring up in interviews.  You can demonstrate that you’ve not only studied certain technologies or skills, but you’ve also gotten to hone valuable communication skills.)  For certain positions, IT staffing companies have the easiest time placing candidates who can boast both a strong arsenal of technical skills and communication skills.  Why not pick a degree program that helps you develop both?  When you’re not seeking roles that require a lot of communication and interaction with various people, an online degree may be just as valuable to your job search as a more traditional one.

 

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Thinking about an online degree? Make sure it’s a program IT recruiters and hiring managers will respect.

 

 

3 Reasons to Take an IT Recruiter’s Call, Even if You Don’t Want To

There are a fair amount of IT professionals that prefer not to take calls from IT recruiters.  Some even add this to their resumes.  However, even if you’re not currently searching for new IT jobs, you should consider taking that call anyway.  Here are 3 reasons why you should take calls from IT staffing companies:

  1. It can be helpful to establish a relationship with technical recruiters you trust before you need them. Finding IT recruiting agencies that you like working with makes things much easier when you actually do want to search for a new role.  They’ll know you, what you want, and probably have an old copy of your resume on file.  When you’re actually ready to work with IT staffing firms, it will be an easier, more stream-lined process.
  2. IT staffing agencies have connections with hiring managers. Ever applied to jobs online and just felt like your applications were getting lost in cyberspace?  This may have been true.  Hiring managers often receive far too many submissions online to be able to adequately consider them all.  When you work with IT recruiting companies, your resume is the only one submitted or one of a very small set.  Your IT recruiters also often make a case for you to the hiring manager.  The advantage you have as an applicant when you work with IT recruiting agencies is hard to beat.
  3. IT recruiters hear about jobs you may not. Since IT recruiting firms have relationships with various employers, this means they are alerted to a myriad of jobs.  They’re also made aware of jobs before they’re even posted online.  Taking that call with a recruiter might take 5 minutes, but it will open you up to a much larger amount of potential IT jobs.

 

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Pick up that call from an IT recruiter. It could help you land a job! Photo credit: skeeze via Pixabay.

Be Ready for this Question in IT Job Interviews

The best job interviews are almost always the ones you feel prepared for.  While you can’t be ready for everything, here’s one thing IT recruiters can warn you to be ready for: questions about what you like or will miss at your current IT job.

IT staffing firms find that these kinds of questions are usually common, but some interviewers do ask some iteration of ‘what do you enjoy about your current IT role?’  IT recruiting agencies find that it’s easier to answer this kind of question correctly when you understand why it’s being asked. Technical recruiters find that this kind of question is usually asked for two reasons: to ascertain what makes you happy in IT jobs and sometimes to gauge your relationships or general performance at your current job. Taking that first motive into account, IT staffing agencies would suggest you try to speak directly to it.  Come to your interviews armed with a couple of things you actually do enjoy about your current job.  Is it the work?  Your coworkers?  Being able to list a few things, especially things you think will also be present at the role you’re interviewing for, will help your interviewer picture you enjoying (and thus more likely to succeed at) the job.

On to the second reason why this kind of question is asked: to gauge your relationships or general performance at your current job. To satisfy this motive and make yourself look like a great candidate, make sure you answer this question positively and professionally.  Even if you’re working with IT recruiting firms to find a new role because your current boss is evil and the workload is unmanageable, IT staffing companies would suggest you find something positive to say here.  It will help maintain an image of you as somebody with a positive attitude that understands professional norms.  Saying something negative here (or saying nothing) would reflect very negatively on you.  It might  even hurt your chances of landing the IT job!

 

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Don’t be caught unprepared to answer this kind of question in IT job interviews. Photo credit: NDE via Pixabay

 

 

3 Easy Tips For Better References

IT recruiters usually find that candidates have references lined up by the time they start searching for IT jobs.  Unfortunately, technical recruiters find that some candidates haven’t prepped their references well.  Here’s a few tips to make sure that you’re not only providing your IT staffing agencies with references, but references that are primed to really help your candidacy.

  1. Start by making sure you’ve spoken to your references recently and notified them of your current job search. Do this to make sure they’re prepared, but also because it’s simply the polite thing to do. (IT staffing companies are surprised by how many people skip or forget this step!)
  2. Prep your references with your current resume, the kinds of positions you’re looking for with your IT recruiting agencies, and a suggestion of what kinds of qualities and/or technical skills and experience will be pertinent to mention. If you give your references more and better information about what you need from them, they can do more to make you look good!
  3. Make sure to say thank you to your references! Unfortunately, this yet another step that IT staffing firms see skipped over or forgotten too often.  If you want your references to continue to be enthusiastic in helping you in your job searches, you need to make sure they feel appreciated!

 

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Don’t forget to call or email your references before your IT job search begins. Photo credit: E1N7E via Pixabay.

 

 

Take Notes During Your IT Job Interviews

Even if you’re completely engaged during your interviews for IT jobs, there are still little details you could miss or forget later.  IT recruiters would absolutely suggest taking notes as you interview.  Here are two guidelines IT staffing agencies would suggest you follow to take notes for your own reference later.

  1. Write down info for your thank you note. IT recruiting companies have seen time and time again how powerful a good thank you note can be.  To write a good one, you’ll probably need to have some things written down to refer to after the interview.  Start with the names of all your interviewers.  (Your IT recruiting firms may not know who your interviewers were if you can’t remember their names—and this will make it impossible to deliver a thank you note!)  Then make sure to note any major concerns that are brought up about your candidacy, any questions you feel you may be able to answer better or expand upon, or just any particularly good moments/connections you may have had with your interviewer(s).  These are all the kinds of things that you want to address in a thank you note.  They will show that you were deeply engaged in the interview.
  2. Write down any questions you have for your technical recruiters. These are the things you don’t feel comfortable asking your interviewer.  Or  perhaps these are things you think may not help you give your best impression to the interviewer.  This is exactly what IT staffing companies are for.  If you have concerns about the job, it’s best to talk with your IT recruiting agencies about them so you can be more candid.  If you have questions about compensation, perks, vacation time, benefits, etc then save them for a conversation with your IT staffing firms.

 

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Great thank you notes start with great notes taken during IT job interviews. Photo credit: Condesign via Pixabay.

Why You Need To Do Research On Your IT Salary Expectations

Many IT recruiters find that the candidates they work with don’t always have realistic (or sometimes any!) salary expectations when they’re looking for new IT jobs.  This can actually make it harder for candidates.   Perhaps you might be consistently  (and erroneously) disappointed in the salaries/rates you’re quoted by IT recruiting agencies and turn down jobs that would be a good fit for you otherwise.  Or perhaps you’ll undersell yourself to IT staffing agencies and wind up being paid significantly less than you had the potential to earn.   If you’re ready to start working with IT staffing companies to find a new role, take 15 minutes or so to do a little research before you post your newly polished resume or before you reach out to IT recruiters you already have a relationship with.  Here’s how to direct your research:

1. Take into account not only the job titles you’ll be working with technical recruiters to find, but also the location.  A Java Developer in Boston will hear far different salaries/rates from their IT staffing agencies than a Java Developer in the Midwest.  You’ll be likely to hear about jobs that pay higher salaries if your IT recruiting agencies submit you for jobs in busy, metropolitan areas with higher costs of living.

2. Take your experience, certifications, and education into account.  IT recruiters can check over your resume to guess at what you’re worth.  However, nobody knows things like what projects you’ve lead and what programming languages you’ve studied like you do.  Especially in a field like IT, the work you’ve done or the training and education you’ve received can be very complicated.  You are the expert on what you have to offer a potential employer—make sure you factor that into your salary research.

3. Take the information you find with a grain of salt.  Some sites have inaccurate or outdated information.  Don’t just use one source or do a lazy Google search.  If you come to technical recruiters with unrealistic salary expectations you’ve found via research, it will be just as harmful to you as if you hadn’t done any research at all!

4. Reach out to people in your network and be open to hearing your IT recruiter’s opinion, too.  Once you have an idea of numbers that might be realistic, it can be very helpful to reach out to people who have firsthand knowledge of what people in your field and chosen location make.  Ask them if they concur or their experience/knowledge differs from what you’ve found.  It’s also fine to ask your technical recruiters what they think of the numbers you’ve researched.  The more money you make, the more money your recruiters make.  So they will have your best interest in mind as they speak with you about compensation.

 

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Don’t just rely on your IT recruiters to give you a salary range! Photo credit: Geralt via Pixabay.

 

 

Why The IT Job Market is Better Than Ever!

Even though IT recruiters never saw the same kind of downturn that other industries experienced during the recession, the market is certainly growing now.  If you’ve been considering working with your IT recruiters to find a new IT job, now is a great time.  Here’s why you should polish up your resume and call your IT staffing companies today.

  1. More workers are retiring. IT recruiting companies are finding more and more roles open now due to a higher rate of retirees this year.  This means your technical recruiters will have even more IT roles to submit you to.
  2. Employers are having IT staffing agencies seek out more recent grads to fill their open jobs. NACE reports that employers expect to hire 5.2% more new graduates this year than last year.  If you’ve just graduated with a degree in computer science, IT recruiting firms are very likely to have jobs for you to consider.
  3. Even if you’re not a recent grad, the tech sector is still steadily growing.  Mobile communications and social media will continue to drive IT in the next year at least.  That’s good news for all candidates thinking about working with IT staffing firms to find new roles, recent grads or not.

 

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Smartphones are driving growth in the tech sector, which means there are plenty of IT jobs out there.