Tag Archives: IT staffing

Top 5 IT Job Boards on the Market

In today’s age, there are a number of resumes databases that IT recruiters can choose from.  Some are specifically geared towards information technology, while others are more general sites for candidates of all backgrounds to post their resume.  We decided to take this time and rank the top 5 that have worked best for our IT staffing firm:

1:  Monster:  Although a general recruiting site, Monster continues to lead the job boards.  It is the premier place for candidates of all levels, and background, to post their resume.  It’s become such a leader in the industry that it has almost created its own brand marketing.  When you think of online recruiting sites you think of Monster.  Our IT recruiters go to Monster first when conducting searches for IT professionals or want to post an IT job.

2:  CareerBuilder:  While CareerBuilder boasts of owning a larger resume database, it’s a distant second in the eyes of our IT recruiters.  Although still a popular site with candidates, most resumes that our technical recruiters Boston find on CareerBuilder have also posted their resume on Monster.

3:  Dice:  This is the premier technical online recruiting site.  Being an IT recruiting agency, you’d think our technical recruiters would have ranked Dice among the top resume database and IT job posting sites.  The reason our IT recruiters MA listed it third is because of the sheer size of the database (far less overall technical resumes than Monster and CareerBuilder) and the abundance of H1-Visa candidates who blanket this site.

4:  Net-Temps:  Net-Temps is a solid online IT recruiting site if you’re looking for contract resources.  The reason it’s number four on our list is lack of resume volume and the fact that it’s a site for contract resources only.  Being a contract and permanent IT staffing company, our IT recruiter’s source for both consultants and full-time IT job seekers.

5:  HotJobs:  Monster purchased HotJobs recently so we cannot fairly rank this site separately.  Our IT recruiters listed HotJobs so the reader didn’t think we forgot about this once popular site.

In addition, these two sites are becoming increasingly popular.  Although they’re not your classic IT job boards with resume access, for different reasons, these sites are favorites for IT recruiters:

Linkedin:  Our technical recruiters use Linkedin more than any other candidate search site outside of Monster.  It’s not a resume portal, but it does contain the names and sometimes contact information of millions of professionals.  Although they may not be active on the IT job market, it’s a great site to network with information technology professionals.

Indeed:  Indeed didn’t make our IT recruiter’s Top5 list because it does not house resumes. However this site is becoming the premier spot for candidates to search for IT jobs.  Indeed is as efficient and easy as it gets for professionals to search for their next opportunity.  The candidate simply types in their job title or skills and the desired location, then let Indeed do the work.  The site will pull up the related positions from all sites all over the internet.  Yes, indeed, it doesn’t get much easier than that.

Facebook:  How can we speak about networking sites without at least mentioning Facebook.  Although not geared towards sourcing candidates (yet), Facebook still provides IT recruiters with the opportunity to network and even post their positions.

IT Recruiting Professionals Working on the Go

Depending on the career path you chose in the IT staffing industry, you may find yourself always moving.  Your office ends up being anywhere you can sit down with internet access.  So how can you get your work done in a timely fashion while keeping other IT recruiters in the loop?

Here are a few tips to help those mobile IT staffing workers:

Since you are always on the go, you want to make sure that you have everything you need.  In order to keep connected with your emails and send important documents, you need to be able to get Wi-Fi access.  Some IT recruiters Boston choose to pay for wireless internet on their mobile phone.  However, another option is finding free Wi-Fi access or even tethering your cellphone.  Whichever you prefer, this should provide you with the ability to access the internet in most areas.

Additional locations that make great hot spots are coffee shops.  You can relax a bit and have a coffee while you recruit or email with clients.  If you need a quieter location, you may want to try going to a library.  There is usually one in every town and most likely will be emptier during work hours.

Another tool that is essential for technical recruiters on the move is having a portal where you can access files and documents.  One such location is called Dropbox.  If you are always on the go, you do not want to be carrying around flashdrives or external hard drives to store your information safely.  This will allow you to easily save your files online while sending them to your coworkers without much effort.

If you plan on being a mobile technical recruiter, make sure you take a look at all of your options so you don’t miss out on any IT recruiting needs.  You do not want to be stuck in a location without the ability to access the internet or in a place that doesn’t allow you to access your files.

Counter-offers in the IT Recruiting Industry

It’s counterintuitive, but counter-offers are almost always counterproductive for your career.

Sure, it’s an ego boost, but a backhanded one, when you think about it, no?  If you were so valuable to the technical recruiting company all along, how come you had to quit to get your IT staffing company to realize it?

The simple answer is that most IT recruiting companies don’t have to be proactive in this labor market. They can coast because the demand for talent isn’t that hot and there are lots of unemployed IT professionals out there.  There’s no need to spend extra money unless the company is forced to do it.  That must be the case because they’ve made you a counter-offer.  It looks like you’re in the driver’s seat now.

But you’re not.  You just think you are.

If you take a counter-offer, and then kick back, it’s likely that you’ll be kicked out.

The reason that most IT recruiting firms make counter-offers is so that they – rather than you – are in control of the timetable for transition.  When someone resigns, the general rule is a two week notice period (a month or longer for those in IT staffing management roles.) That means the IT recruiting agency has to scramble to find a replacement for the role you’ve been filling.  Chances are that it’s going to take longer than that to find a candidate who’s going to be a good fit.

That’s why they’ll give you more to stay around.  While you’re basking in the satisfaction of receiving more money and/or a better title, your boss may well be reviewing resumes and taking his or her time to interview replacements. When they  find that particular candidate, you’ll be history.  It’s a nasty surprise for the unaware.

You might think that being eliminated would be the worst thing that can happen if you take a counter-offer, but you’d be wrong.  The worst thing is that you stay, and are – from now on – untrustworthy…disloyal…or an extortionist.  It depends on the way your boss views your actions.

The end result is, no matter how you behave in the future, you’ll always be regarded with suspicion.  You’ve already shown that you’re ready to leave, so management will be waiting for you to do it again.  You’ll be at the bottom of the list for promotions and good assignments.  Training?  Why would a company invest in someone whose longevity is questionable?

You’ll also be subject to some of the office blacklisting.  No matter how discreetly the counter-offer situation is handled, there’s always the possibility that news will leak out.  Don’t be surprised if you’re increasingly cut off from the other IT recruiters in the office.

Therefore, before you grab a counter-offer, it’s important to think about what’s being offered and what actually brought you to the point of leaving in the first place.  A counter-offer is almost always about money.  However, the reasons people leave are almost never about money alone.

The reasons people leave are money and something else. Where’s the something else in the counter-offer?

What if the new job doesn’t work out?  What if it’s no better than the job you’re leaving?  Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know.

It’s just as likely to be a good change as a bad change.  At first, it may be hard to tell which was the safe alternative and which was the sorry one.  Over time, you’ll get some perspective.  And, even if it’s not for the better, for the first months, at least it’s different.

You’ll have the opportunity to look back at your old situation and decide whether it was really as hard as you thought while you were there.  Your former employer gets the same opportunity, assuming that you handled your exit gracefully.

A respectful refusal to a counter-offer can leave the door open for an eventual return.  All parties can benefit from a hiatus.  I’ve heard from lots of folks who’ve left employers and then come back. These days, it’s very acceptable to leave and return later with a higher profile.

The skills and experiences you gain with another company can make you more valuable than if you had stayed.  Plus, you have a better negotiating position, knowing what the culture and environment of your former company were.  You may be able to bargain for better working conditions or a more favorable reporting structure in addition to the compensation and title you want.

But first you have to handle your exit properly. It’s a delicate process to extract yourself with your reputation and relationships intact when a counter-offer is on the table.  And regardless of whether you intend to return, you do want to preserve the company’s respect for you.

Don’t get caught up in a discussion of where you’re going and what makes this opportunity so much better than your current job.  Politely refuse to discuss it by saying that you want to focus on an orderly transition.  Keep saying it, if you have to, until you make your point.

How To Impress An IT Recruiter Through The Phone

Competition in the IT staffing industry keeps growing based on the need for skilled IT professionals.  Subsequently more and more IT recruiting firms are hiring additional technical recruiters.  With so many IT recruiters out there, it’s imperative that high-tech professionals utilize their services.  At no cost to the prospective candidate, IT recruiters Boston can do all of the leg-work that most IT job hunters can’t.

With the improving economic market conditions, more and more jobs are starting to open up.  Because most IT managers don’t have time to sort through resumes and screen every candidate, the need for IT recruiters MA has subsequently increased as well.

So what does this mean for the job seeker?  You must impress the technical recruiter over the phone.  This can be a little more difficult as you will not be able to notice any changes in their face or how they react to specific explanations about your experience.

You need to pay attention to the sounds coming from the IT recruiter.  Listen to their pauses as well as the variances in their voice.  This will help you understand a bit more about what the hiring manager may be thinking.

When speaking with technical recruiters over the phone, make sure to be courteous of them taking notes.  You do not want to speak too quickly and not allow them to jot down all your information.  In addition, many people tend to speak a little faster when talking over the phone.  This may give the IT headhunter the impression that you were nervous.  Therefore, talk a bit slower and clear – you want to portray yourself as calm and confident over the phone.

Interviews over the phone are much more difficult then in-person interviews.  There are many other factors that negatively impact your interview, such as background noise and/or bad reception. Therefore, remember to prepare ahead of time like you would for an in-person interview.

Technical Recruiter Compensation in the IT Staffing Industry

The IT staffing industry is extremely competitive and growing quickly.  There are many different compensation packages when looking at IT recruiting.  Some technical recruiters are paid a base salary and commission, others on a draw or some even pure commission.

Base Salary and Commission:  You won’t find IT recruiting companies offering high base salaries and aggressive commission plans.  You can’t have both.  Therefore, if you’re looking for stability and just want to punch in and punch out, then search for an IT staffing company who weighs the compensation heavily on the base salary.  If you’re confident in your work ethic and/or are looking for the “big picture” opportunity to make money, then you’ll want to find an IT recruiting firm who has an aggressive commission structure.  There is no right or wrong, more of a matter of personal choice aligning with the vision of that technical recruiting firm.

Draw:  A draw is one of the few scenarios that can be a win/win for both IT recruiters Boston and IT recruiting companies.  The IT staffing firm typically pays more on the front end, while the technical recruiter repays part, or all, of it back before collecting any additional commission payout.

Pure Commission:  This is typically the riskiest compensation plan, yet could be the most lucrative.  In a pure commission scenario, overhead costs for the IT recruiting agency are very low.  Because of this, the IT recruiters have the opportunity to take home a large slice of every placement.  This scenario works well for any IT recruiters who don’t need a salary to live off of (maybe their spouse or family is helping pay the bills) and/or one who is confident he or she can come right in and make IT job placements and subsequently bring in immediate commissions.

Whatever your situation, make sure you not only find the right compensation plan that is right for you, but the right IT recruiting agency.  There are many IT staffing firms out there – do your due diligence and find one that aligns with your goals, vision and work ethic.

Building Long-Term Relationships

If you work in the IT staffing industry, you will meet people in various fields.  Whether they are working in the IT recruiting field like you or a completely different one, it is always a good idea to speak with them and learn more about what they do for a living or for fun.  As an IT professional, it’s always important to network with everyone you meet.  You never know when they will come to you with a side project or even your next IT job opportunity.

The key to networking is getting to know the IT professional or technical recruiters on a personal level.  Find out what their interests and hobbies are or if they have a family.  Learn about the sports teams they follow so you have a topic to keep in mind when you meet again.  This is a great way to show them that you are not just trying to network with them, but to get to know them on a personal level.

Networking is not just about meeting new people, but building relationships.  You want them to trust and interact with you.  If they know of an opportunity, they will only recommend you if you are someone they think of in a positive light.

So take time to develop that relationship with fellow IT professionals or IT recruiters Boston.  Connect with them on LinkedIn.  To stay in touch, you can send them emails about current events that may interest them and every once in a while meet up for coffee to catch up.

Building Yourself a Brand

As a marketing student, I am currently taking a class on Brand Building.  Throughout the lectures, we have discussed how various brands immediately come to your mind when you think of a service or product.  When you think of tissues, you’ll probably say Klenex.  When you say soda, you think Coke.

These are not the actual products, but the name of the product from the company that created them.  This is brand building.  If these companies are able to do this for a retail product, why can’t IT recruiting companies do the same with their name?  I’ll take it one step further, why can’t IT professionals do the same with their name?

IT recruiters will agree that there are various IT professionals out there who come to mind when you think of certain technical positions that need to be filled.  When you think of a strong Oracle DBA, there may be a local technical resource who dominates the market.  When you think of a .NET developer, there could be someone local who stands apart from the completion.  So how can you make yourself that prospective candidate that technical recruiters think of when they want to fill that niche information technology job?

First of all, you should take a good look at what you have accomplished throughout your information technology career.  What roles did you play in your various IT jobs and what skills make you stand out from others in your field?  This will help you create a brief summary about what makes you unique as an IT professional.  This will also be one of the reasons IT recruiters Boston will be calling you first when that technical position opens up.

Another factor you need to consider is what are your values.  Everyone has values, and when it comes to the IT staffing industry, you need to be aware that your reputation is critical if you’re going to be in demand.  There are many ethical issues that arrive when you are working on a project that may test your values.  But if you consistently work through these and remain loyal to your core values, employers will come to respect you for who you are.  It ties into your skills creating an image of an IT professional who not only hones in on his or hers information technology skills, but takes into consideration values when working.

Most importantly, you want to make sure that your employers will be willing to spread the word.  They may tell a friend or a colleague about that IT professional they hired.  If you make a great impression and keep a positive reputation, you might end up creating a brand for yourself.

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.

How to store your information safely

Like most IT recruiters, you probably have information saved on a number of computers.  You may even have an external hard drive and/or multiple thumb drives lying around the office or at home.  With so many different options to save your data, the task to retrieve it or store it all in one place becomes daunting…that is until now.   With the recent advent of online storage space, people are able to securely keep all of their files and data in one location.

Some technical recruiters Boston that I spoke with are currently using Dropbox.  They’re allotted 2 GB of free space and can get up to 10 GB from referring users to the website.  Dropbox allows them to save their files onto their server and access them as long as you have internet.  The IT recruiters MA just have to log on to the website and access their account through their portal.

Dropbox also allows our IT staffing salespeople to save their folders onto various computers.  These folders are saved on the desktop and update whenever a new file is added automatically as long as the end user is connected to the internet.  All they have to do is drag a file into the Dropbox folder that is saved onto their desktop.  This eliminates the need for a thumb drive.

Now in order to reach 10 GB of memory for free on your Dropbox account, you will need to invite your friends to join Dropbox and then they will have to install the folder onto their computers.  For each person that joins from your referral, you will receive 250 MB.  So if you are looking for an alternative to external hard drives and thumb drives, why not give Dropbox a try.

Are Business Condos the Way to go for IT Staffing Companies?

If you have the savings, it’s the age-old question, is it time to rent or buy?  Although this is often a personal decision with regard to a residential property, the same should hold true on the commercial side.

There are many advantages and disadvantages to leasing vs. buying a business condo.  Renting obviously provides you with flexibility.  If you’re a small IT recruiting firm, unaware of what your future holds, you may be biting off too little, or possibly even too much, than you can chew.  Purchasing a business condo may lock you into a space that you’ll either out-grow or may never fully use.  Additionally it can be a financial handcuff that you never recover from.  Your business will have its ebbs and flows, but your mortgage will always be constant.  For some companies, the heavy financial burden can be crippling.

Here’s some advice from someone who has been there.  Just four years into the birth of my IT recruiting company, we purchased a 4,000 square foot office condo in downtown Boston, MA.  Home to the HQ of AVID Technical Resources; this space solidifies our flagship office.  While there were many unknowns when we bought the condo (our future revenue, future IT recruiting force, the commercial value in a market where business condos were scarce and in a city already pricing out many other IT staffing companies), we took the calculated risk based on a couple of certainties.  First, we saved every dollar earned and were able to put enough money down to make our mortgage manageable.  Second, based on the number of colleges in Boston, the city will always be a hotbed for start-ups and companies looking to tap into these educational resources.  These vary reasons have historically driven the commercial leasing market, making Boston one of the most expensive rentals in the country.  Subsequently, our mortgage would be no greater, and in fact possibly even less, than a typical 5-year rental.  Third, whether you purchase a house for your family or a business condo for your company, it gives you the chance to build equity instead of handing your money to a landlord.  Finally, and probably the biggest factor that drove our decision, we had confidence in our ability and in the future of our IT recruiting agency.

Even after a virtual real estate market collapse, I can sit here almost four years later and honestly say purchasing our office condo was one of the best decisions we made (for ourselves and for the future of our IT recruiting company).  In fact, as we continue to expand across the country and open up additional IT staffing locations, you can be sure we’ll be looking to purchase office space in future cities as well.