Tag Archives: resume

One Man’s Hacker is Another Man’s IT Professional

IT recruiting firms, like the rest of the world, might increasingly find themselves forced to reconsider their stances on hacking.  IT staffing companies have already been dealing with IT contractors and consultants who may openly or covertly already hack in order to sharpen their own skills and value as potential hires.  As a Bloomberg writer mused back in July, perhaps hacking behind closed doors is perfectly harmless in many instances.  Technical recruiters may often be working with IT consultants who have hacked their own iphones, etc and subsequently learned some valuable development, support, or other skills relating to the device.

Of course, hacking can have more victims than one’s own iphone.   IT recruiting agencies are also finding themselves filling IT jobs that defend against hacking for large amounts of personal information or even information that affects national security.  IT staffing agencies may also knowingly or unknowingly be filling IT jobs that focus on hacking in self defense.  As more and more large companies like Burger King become vulnerable, techniques like placing false information become acceptable to IT staffing firms and the companies they represent.  IT recruiting companies, with the rest of the world, are witnessing the rules change at the speed of the Internet.  What was punishable by law one day may become resume staples for IT contractors and IT recruiters.

Leadership in IT: Just do “it”?

Information technology as a field offers a wide variety of leadership roles: Project manager, Lead programmer, etc. The obvious perks of these roles are higher salaries, more prestige, more intriguing work, and more benefits or vacation days, etc.  However, does it ever make sense to turn one of these roles down, if offered?  Or to ask IT recruiters not to submit you for one? Recently, it has become more popular for business writers and leaders to openly discuss the benefits IT consultants and their IT staffing agencies might reap from turning down that leadership role.

Forbes blogger Mike Myatt states what would be obvious in almost any job market but the achievement-oriented, financially-driven American one.  If, as Myatt blogs, “You’re chasing a position and not a higher purpose,” then you’re probably setting yourself up for an unpleasant, if not unsuccessful, leadership experience.  Technical recruiters may offer to submit you for a high-powered project management position, but if you’re only taking it for the power or money you might reconsider.

It doesn’t serve you, your IT headhunters, or your potential new IT manager if you take a job that you don’t have the experience for or interest in. At best case, you will competently perform your job until you quickly burn out.  At worst, you will fail in meeting your job expectations and sully not only your reputation, but that of the IT staffing firms that placed you (and thus burn two bridges—your IT recruiting firm and your previous employer). IT contractors will get the most out of a job that really intrigues them and they can thrive in.  IT staffing companies will get the most of placing a successful fit in IT jobs and thus reflect their outstanding recruiting abilities.  So what should be your litmus test for those roles that move you up the ladder?  Let IT recruiting agencies and IT recruiters CA or technical recruiters Boston submit your resume for a role you would be excited to take on– even if the move was lateral in terms of salary and/or power.

Arming IT Staffing Salespeople with Technology

IT recruiting firms do their best to stay atop of trends and provide their IT recruiters and IT staffing salespeople with as much technology as possible to help make them more efficient and ultimately profitable.  Pagers are out, while PDA’s are pretty much mandatory for IT recruiting companies as technical recruiters need to be accessible around the clock.  Web-based CRM’s such Salesforce  that allow IT recruiters Boston the ability to log into their resume database from virtually anywhere is also a necessity.  However, there is one growing trend that continues to catch on with IT staffing companies:  arming their account managers with iPads.

With built-in wireless, iPads are giving IT staffing salespeople the ability to bring up information technology resumes right there in a client meeting in front of an IT manager.  Some salespeople might even turn over the controls to the manager to let him/her see what type of resumes they can find in a resume database such as Bullhorn.  Other technology advances include resume crawlers that work around the clock to populate the databases of IT recruiting firms.

Ultimately, IT staffing firms should evolve and align with their technology-driven industry.  IT recruiters San Diego can be more productive and and drive more revenue if armed with the same, or more tools, than other competitive IT recruiting agencies.

IT Recruiting Companies Working with White Noise

Do you work in an IT staffing environment that is cluttered with noise such as music, loud talking, or random distractions?  Perhaps you work in a dead silent area where you can hear a pin drop.  If you enjoy these conditions, by all means continue working!  If you find that you are having trouble focusing, the IT recruiters of AVID Technical Resources suggest white noise to help keep you on track.

Do You Hear That?

The funny thing about white noise is you typically do not realize it’s there until it’s turned off.  White noise helps to block out static noises that could otherwise disrupt your work.  Almost every college student has hit the library to study for finals or perfect their resume, only to be irritated by the dead silent air and frequent disruption of page turning, sneezes, or pencils dropping.  With background noise in smaller areas of IT recruiting firms, these distractions are instantly reduced.  This allows individuals to focus and gather their thoughts.

Less Distracting

There are plenty of ways for technical recruiters and hiring managers to distract themselves from different background noises, but often these distractions can cause noise clutter.  If one IT recruiter is listening to his music and another chooses to drone out the other’s music with a song of his own, soon there will be chaos.  Be mindful of others when choosing your selection and keep the volume low if you choose to do this.

Some can ignore the music and continue working, but when they hear a song they are sick of, they will keep changing the song until they find one they like.  Other IT headhunters may become hung up on lyrics and cannot think clearly.  The best thing about white noise is, there are no words and the music plays itself!

Where to Get It

Your white noise might be right in your IT recruiting office.  That fan, air conditioner, or vent can provide you with the right amount of white noise to cancel out the sounds of shuffling paper or opening and closing of doors.  If the volumes of distractions are too loud, consider buying your own white noise machine or playing music.

Everyone works differently, so be mindful of your habits!

IT Recruiting Tips: Your Elevator Pitch

When you step into technical recruiting firms for interviews, does your mind draw blanks or do you spill every intimate detail ranging from your professional experience to your personal life?  You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so when hiring managers or technical recruiters request that you tell them about yourself, you instantaneously become vulnerable.  Loosen up and use these provided tips to ease through your IT job interview starting with your elevator pitch.

Prepare

Prepare your elevator pitch by sitting down and writing out your key accomplishments and experiences that are unique to you.  After you have drafted up some points, make it concise by highlighting your education and employment history.  Keep repeating until you have the most important facts along with a theme.  This will be your elevator pitch.

Longer is NOT better: You have the whole interview to discuss your other relevant experience and resume, so leave some material out of your pitch.  Also, after about one minute, the attention span of hiring manager and IT recruiters begin to diminish.  To maintain the spotlight, keep it short by limiting yourself to sixty seconds.

Be Honest

Be honest about your skills and experience.  Do you want your first impression for hiring managers or IT headhunters to be that you are a liar?  Embellishing what you did during your elevator pitch is a slippery slope because you will have to explain yourself later in the IT staffing interview.  Stick to the facts, but do not be too modest by selling yourself short.

There is a difference between talking yourself up and lying.  Eventually, the truth will come out and you will burn bridges in the process if you are dishonest.  Stick to the facts and win over IT recruiting companies with your personality!

Practice

Always practice your elevator pitch so there is a smooth transition from first introductions.  You may be nervous, but the more your practice, the easier it will become.  Try not to make the routine too rehearsed and vary your tone and body movements so it appears natural.

Nearly anyone can memorize a speech, so bring some life and personality to your elevator pitch.  It may be what sets you apart from other candidates and snags you the position!  

IT Recruiting: Social Media Hindering Chances of Employment?

Most of us do not think twice when using Twitter to update statuses or post new profile pictures on Facebook.  We routinely monitor our activity to keep pages clean and work friendly.  But as a candidate, is your page being used against you?  Technical recruiters, do you ensure not to discriminate when filling positions?  IT recruiters and applicants need to be weary of these potential hardships social media imposes on candidacy.

Unintended Discrimination

Upon reviewing a resume, a technical recruiter notices the applicant is an alumnus of his college.  Immediately, the IT recruiter feels a connection and is favorable of this candidate.  He opens a new tab and looks at the candidate’s Facebook and LinkedIn to view his contacts and friends.  The IT headhunter begins to create judgments and puts the applicant’s resume aside.

Before reaching out to this candidate about his background and experience, this recruiter was biased by a mutual connection.  This relationship moved the candidate forward among his peers, but the recruiter did not like his circle of friends so it also backfired.  While this seems to be an immature approach at weeding out applicants, it happens more often than one would think.  To be safe, IT headhunters should avoid the temptation of judging and favoritism when researching potential new hires.

Too Personal

A hiring manager searches a candidate on Google and discovers the candidate’s Twitter.  He notices the candidate tweets at least twice per hour about controversial and personal matters that some may find offensive.  The hiring manager crosses him off his list.

When a candidate is running his mouth, exposing confidential information, or sharing too personal information, hiring managers may reconsider their choice or snub the applicant all together.  You may be a different person on the internet than in the office, but you could miss the opportunity to prove yourself by this slip up.  As difficult as it may be to make all information private, be mindful of your actions and share your objectionable opinions with only those who choose to subscribe to your tweets.

Overlook Most Qualified

An IT staffing rep decides to utilize social networking sites over LinkedIn and the typical Monster.  He posts his open IT jobs on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  He has an overwhelming response, but none seem to be the right fit.

By limiting himself to just social networking sites, the recruiter could be missing the most qualified candidates.  Rather than just using these sites, he could expand his candidate pool by including them within his resources.

New social media sites are popping up daily and seem to be a trend that will not be dying down any time soon.  Using them as a means to expand your network is a way to help speed along the hiring process, but do not forget that sometimes the traditional method can be just as effective, if not better!

IT Recruiting: Did You Blab through Your Interview?

During your last IT job interview did the timeframe go from the anticipated one hour to two or three hours?  You may leave thinking you won the hiring managers over, but think again.  If you were doing most of the talking and managers seem disinterested, this is generally not a good sign.  Some IT candidates might speak more when they are nervous or have so much experience on their resume they do not know where to begin.  Here are some suggestions for maintaining confidence and control while not spilling too much detail during any upcoming interviews for IT jobs.

Prepare Your Questions and Answers

Look up typical interview questions and prepare your answers along with relevant examples.  When you have finished, practice by having a mock interview with a family member, friend, or IT recruiter and, if necessary, time your responses.  You do not want to provide too much detail to the point where you bore the hiring manager or technical recruiter, but you also do not want to leave out any important experience.  Ask for honest feedback and weed out any unrelated material by sticking to the point.

Take a Breath

In order to qualify for a position, you must communicate why your experience and skills are ideal for the role.  Almost everyone becomes nervous when they are put on the spot and rushing through their speech is a common occurrence.  Rather than flying through your spiel, annunciate each word and pause to check for the attention of IT recruiters and hiring managers.  This pause will also indicate you have made a point and allow them to comment or ask for further detail.

Look for the Signs

If the hiring managers appear to be bored, wrap up your response and wait for the next question.  When a manager stops taking notes, move the interview on to the next stage for new material. Checking the clock could indicate they are short on time, so get to the point!

Other Advice

Speaking too much during an interview may indicate to IT staffing companies and hiring managers that you are easily distracted or may talk too much on the job.  Also, by not letting managers or technical recruiters get a word in you are being disrespectful and frustrating which most coworkers cannot handle in the IT staffing office.  Interviews only provide a glimpse of who you are as an employee and your experiences so make use of the time with valid, relevant points.

Sloppy IT Recruiters

Technical recruiters know that like apples, it takes one bad IT recruiter to spoil the bunch.  Recruiters are often viewed as money driven IT headhunters who care more about their commissions than the well being of their clients.  To maintain your ground as an honest recruiter, avoid these sloppy and often dishonest recruiting tactics.

The Bait and Switch

IT recruiting companies send an email saying you are an ideal fit for recruiters’ open positions.  You head to a IT recruiting agency expecting an interview when the recruiter sits you down and asks you all your employment history and skills, which are on your resume.  You soon realize there is no open position and the technical recruiting company is just looking to populate their database with clients.

There might be open positions, but the one initially offered is not mentioned.  The suggested roles are more entry level IT jobs that slightly relate to your skills.  The sloppy technical recruiter tries to talk up the jobs and make reaches in terms of relating your experience to the tasks and responsibilities to their open positions.  When you decline, the recruiter pushes you to make a commitment where you do not feel comfortable.

Unresponsive

Once technical recruiting companies establish a commitment with candidates, they should follow up throughout the duration of their contract.  Recruiters who seem to drop off the face of the earth post interviewing pose signs of a potentially weak relationship and could worry clients or hiring managers about the stability of their positions.

Impersonal

Recruiters have the advantage that they can spend more time discussing the skills of IT contractors and experience than a hiring manager can learn in one just one interview.  When you talk to a contractor, try to establish a rapport so you can both feel comfortable with one another.  When you send emails, make it personal rather than sending a mass mail.  If you must send a mass mail, always check to make sure email addresses are hidden from other recipients.

Not all IT recruiting agencies behave the same so obviously their performances differ.  Those that treat their clients as people and not inventory will see better results and reviews.  You will also be happier with your day to day tasks as well!

IT Recruiting Tips: When You are Caught in a Lie

Technical recruiters search the web for candidates from sites such as Monster, CareerBuilder, and LinkedIn.  When the resume of a prospective candidate catches their eye, they add it to their database and try to contact him for IT jobs.  If an IT recruiter found out a contractor’s resume was falsified and skills were exaggerated, would he give the IT professional a second chance?  The answer is typically no, but some IT recruiters may be more understanding.  If you are lucky enough to find these rare recruiters, here is how to make penance…

Admit Your Fault

Covering a lie with another lie is a slippery slope that should be avoided at all costs.  Come clean to your technical recruiter by admitting your faults and taking responsibilities for your actions and its outcome.  Explain why you lied and the truth.  It might be difficult to admit you were wrong, but IT recruiting companies will respect you for owning up to your mistake.

Take the Next Step

Apologize to the IT staffing agency and all parties involved.  If your recruiter is still willing to work with you, send over a corrected resume with the accurate dates of employment and your skills.  When you apply for other positions in the future, explain your gaps of employment or your level of skill so technical recruiting companies and hiring managers are not mislead.

Don’ts of Lying

Never justify deceit with dishonesty because you will lose track of your deception and truths.  Also, never blame others for your lies.  Only you can control your actions and by blaming another party you are showing IT staffing companies that you have no responsibility.

Remember that you can always prevent the effects of a lie by starting with the truth!

Five Interview Rules in the IT Recruiting Industry

1.       Prepare

When candidates work with technical recruiting companies, they help guide you through the interview process and increase your chances of landing IT jobs.  If you are unfamiliar with recruiting, draft a series of questions for IT recruiters to have a better understanding.

Research the company and hiring managers conducting the interview on your own time.  Take note of the company’s industry and news such as recent mergers or acquisitions.  Think of questions to ask during the interview, even if you do not have any.  Bring copies of your resume and references to the interview just in case.

2.       Look and Be the Part

After you have completed your research, choose two outfits.  Be sure that each outfit is neatly pressed and interview appropriate.  Do not worry if you are over dressed because it is better to look professional than sloppy or too casual.  During the interview, avoid talking too much about irrelevant information, but do speak enough to cover all questions and your related experience.  Think through your responses and answer with confidence.  Stay positive despite sensitive topics and never speak ill of a former employer or poor experiences with other IT recruiting companies.

3.       Non-verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication is just as important as the conversation.  During an interview remain focused and maintain eye contact.  Avoid distractions such as a cell phone by turning it off or leaving it in your car.  Try to ignore nervous habits and fidgeting.

4.       Be Honest

When an interviewer asks you a question and you are unsure of how to respond or do not have an answer, be honest.  Think through your response or explain you do not have experience in a certain area.  It is better to be upfront than caught in a lie later which will embarrass not only yourself, but also your IT recruiter.

5.       Follow Up

One of the most important aspects of interviewing is thanking the interviewer for his time.  Follow up with a personalized thank you to each interviewer and reiterate your interest in the position.  Try to send your thank you within twenty-four hours of the interview.  Do not forget to acknowledge the IT staffing firms and technical recruiters you work with!