The Importance of Technical Recruiters
When you are looking for a new launching point in your IT career, it is important to find a technical recruiter who understands your values and priorities. Whether you already have a job and are looking for a change or are actively seeking a new gig, you need to be on the same page.
When you invest in a technology recruiter, you are making an investment not only in yourself but investing a trust that they will help you find that next big step in your career. That isn’t something that should be taken lightly so vetting your technical recruiter is an important step in the job-seeking process.
The Power of a Good IT Tech Recruiter
Good recruiters at the best information technology staffing agencies will expand your horizons. You should be presented with opportunities that you didn’t know were even there, or ones that you didn’t think you were eligible for.
It is important that you do sufficient research yourself so that you know what opportunities interest you most. But a technical recruiter who is well versed in the industry should be able to provide you with more personalized job opportunities, that your own searches haven’t produced.
The applications of your skills and strategy should be tailored to each unique IT job opportunity that you are qualified for within the industry
A key reason for using a technical recruiting firm is to find possibilities that you otherwise wouldn’t know about. There are a variety of reasons why this could be useful for you. If you are currently working, it can be difficult to juggle your job, a job search, and your everyday life. With all of this going on, there is no way you can scour every tech job opportunity to find the one that is best for you. Let a tech recruiter take one of those off your plate.
When employers need to fill a position, there is no rule book that discusses how they are to communicate that job opening to the world. Most of our technical recruiters have been in this industry for years. So we have developed relationships with a variety of different companies, which gives us the advantage of the knowledge of job opportunities before they are posted on a job board.
Characteristics of a Good Tech Recruiters
Employment Status
Before you commit to a technical recruiter, you should ask questions about his own experiences, much like an interview. Check to see how long he or she has been with the technical recruiting company and the information technology industry. If there is little experience under either one of these categories, he or she probably isn’t the best choice as your recruiter.
For example, GTN recruiters have a deep knowledge of the technology industry, therefore they understand how your strengths can play into making you the perfect candidate for a company. Also, it’s ideal to have at least 3 years of experience and upwards of 10 is excellent.
This time in the technical recruiting industry means more contacts and more valuable expertise that can be applied to your job search. Time with the company is important too. A high turnover rate within an organization may be a red flag of poor processes.
Numbers Don’t Lie
If you work in technology, you understand the power and certainty that reports can supply. If you want to understand the efficiency of a process, you run the numbers to assess the production.
Now, apply the same logic to assessing a prospective technical recruiting agency, by asking how many successful placements have been made in the last month and in the last year. A productive number would be 3 placements a month per recruiter. This number allows for each recruiter to have a vested relationship with you, the client while finding opportunities in a timely fashion.
Action Items
When you leave your first meeting with your new tech recruiter you should have a clear understanding of what you should be expecting. Meaning, you should have a timeline with detailed expectations of what will take place by that date.
Action plans that are vague lead to unreliable recruiting efforts. In this initial meeting, there should be an in-depth interview to understand your skill sets, aspirations, weaknesses and previous work experience so that your job opportunities can be successfully catered to you. This way, the recruiter can also make sure that the resume you are giving prospective employers is the best representation of you.
You shouldn’t feel like you need to hide anything or over embellish to your recruiter, being completely honest is the best way to ensure that he or she fully comprehends your abilities.
Time is of the Essence
Since this is your career we are talking about, you should feel as though there is a sense of urgency in your plan. If you feel as though you have a strictly 8-5 recruiter, you may have the wrong guy (or girl).
A tech recruiter who is willing to work late nights, early mornings, or even on the weekends is one who is truly committed to you. You should be in constant communication about any possible leads, including incongruities an opportunity has with things that are important to you. For example, if a job is in a different location or has a different payment structure than what you were expecting, a good recruiter should bring these issues to light.
Your Tech Recruiter is Long Term Relationship
This point of communication does not end once you have been placed either. A good recruiter will stay in touch, even after finding you a job, to ensure you are still satisfied with it. This allows him or her to stay up to date with your experiences and even recommend new opportunities to you that he thinks you would enjoy. That way if you ever become dissatisfied with your employment again, you have a relationship with someone who fully understands your experiences and can find you the next great job opportunity.
It Matters
Don’t ever feel like a burden for asking questions because if a tech recruiter is truly doing their job, they won’t mind answering them for you. If you don’t feel like your technical recruiter is producing sound leads or spending enough time on you, asking these types of questions may be the only way to truly know the talent of your recruiter.
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