Perception – Interview Preps with recruiters are usually a waste of my time. Why does my Recruiter read off a list of tips that I can read on my own time? Why is my recruiter talking to me as if I were 7 years old? All of these perceptions can be true when working with a recruiter that treats the interview prep as if it were just one more thing to get done that day.

Reality – Interviewing is cognitive in nature and is mostly a learned skill. So, it doesn’t matter if you have 2 years of experience or 20. You will always benefit from an interview prep, provided it is conducted in the right fashion. Hiring Managers have told us repeatedly over the last several months that selecting one candidate from the others is often like splitting hairs. Translation: You really need to stand out from the pack in addition to being qualified for the job.

Getting started – If your recruiter is great, they will start out by getting a feel for your interview skills by asking you questions like, how many interviews have you had in the last month? How many interviews resulted in a job offer? What are your strengths as an interviewee? What are your challenges / fears / opportunities to improve? When the interview prep starts out this way, it’s an indicator that your recruiter is taking the time to understand your greatest opportunities to improve. From there, they can tailor an effective approach to meet your unique needs. If you sense your recruiter is just reading from a list, they probably are. You can do that on your own and focus on more impactful items with your recruiter. Don’t get me wrong, while reminder checklists serve their purpose, you should be focused on learning something new that will help you throughout your career. Then you will know your recruiter is making a difference above and beyond the rest.

Understanding client hot buttons – Part of your prep should be spent discussing what works and what doesn’t work with that particular client. We are experts in understanding our clients’ preferences and culture. Your recruiter should have already assessed how you match up in these areas, so it’s time for you to understand why these things are important to the client. Your recruiter should be discussing things based on previous successes with that client. Do we have any other consultants in that group? Have they been successful? What were the biggest drivers of success? What did not work for them? What were some of the challenges they faced in the first 3 months of the project? What was the feel from the interview with that particular hiring manager? What can be learned from those previous experiences? How do I apply this in my interview? Knowing what the manager is looking for in a candidate is like knowing your destination and having a map to get there. Driving blindly can waste a lot of time. Frankly speaking, most hiring managers don’t have time to waste and they lose interest fast.

Knowing how to respond to “tell me a little about yourself” - When a client asks you this, you should have an idea of what they want to hear. You should be able to determine this from talking with your recruiter. If your recruiter doesn’t have a real good idea about how to answer this from the hiring manager’s point of view, you just took a big step backwards. If fact, if you don’t win them over in the first 2-5 minutes, you are probably not winning that position. On the contrary, if you can effectively articulate your strengths and genuinely match them to the hiring manger’s hot buttons, it shows how you can truly help them with the things that are most important to them. For example, we may know this client will not typically hire someone unless they know how to thrive in fast-paced environment. When answering “tell me about yourself”, you need to answer the question truthfully while demonstrating your proven ability to perform in a fast-paced environment. Share brief stories that support this. Sounds easy, but you would be surprised with how some candidates fall short with this question.

Wrap up – Your recruiter is only trying to help you improve your chances of landing your next opportunity. You never want to have a warm-up interview as that may be your best opportunity. Taking the interview prep seriously can make the difference in you realizing your goal. The best recruiters know how to help you bring out your natural strengths and articulate them to the client in a way that is acceptable to them. The best recruiters CAN help you land your next position, regardless of your level or experience. So, consider these points next time your recruiter suggests running through an interview prep with you…and win that job!

All too often, candidates and recruiters jump into the details of a position without understanding the people behind the “transaction”.  In today’s fast paced business climate, it’s tempting to skip the rapport building phase. The problem with this approach is that very little trust is established with your recruiter.  You don’t trust them and they don’t trust you.  It is an important step in the job search process to get to know your recruiter.  Your recruiter can support your best interests only when they truly understand what motivates you.  When your recruiter knows you professionally and personally (hobbies, interests, motivators, etc), they will work hard to get you placed in the right job.  

You want your recruiter to have a vested interested in your success.  If ever you feel that a recruiter wants to rush into the details without learning what’s important to you, run away and find a better recruiter.  That’s a sure sign they are in it for selfish reasons.

Establish mutual expectations

It’s important to establish working expectations with your recruiter.  For example, you should make an agreement on how quickly feedback will be provided after each step of the interview process.  Tell your recruiter what you would like and they should adapt to meet your expectations.  Sometimes it feels nice to get a call or email from your recruiter even if there isn’t any real update at that point.  Your recruiter also expects certain things from you.  Don’t get defensive if they ask you to call them right away after each step of the process.  As mentioned, things are moving at light speed right now.  There is an old saying in the staffing business, “time kills all deals”.  This is especially true in IT staffing.  You want to make sure that you provide back-up contact numbers and that you are texting with your recruiter.  Sometimes the difference between winning and losing the position is how well and how quickly you are communicating with your recruiter.

Meeting in-person / Skyping

The best recruiters always want to meet or Skype with you.  Why?  They can represent you exponentially better once they’ve gotten to know you personally and professionally.  Your recruiter becomes emotionally engaged and committed to you once they’ve seen your smile, shake your hand, and build a mutually beneficial relationship.   It may seem like meeting in-person is “old school”, but it really does play an instrumental role in developing a long-lasting relationship.  Recruiters are professional persuaders.  It is much easier for a recruiter to persuade a client to hire you, once we are fully bought in to you, well beyond skills and qualifications.  The best recruiters want help you in the short-term but always keep their eyes open for you throughout your career.

Don’t let a recruiter control or threaten you

If you feel like a recruiter is trying to manipulate or control the situation to achieve a certain outcome, they probably are.  There is no such thing as control in the IT staffing business.  You can’t control your recruiter and they can’t control you.  That’s why it is better to be an open book and have your recruiter do the same.  If you are ever feeling stiff-armed by your recruiter, tell them how you are feeling.  If they don’t adjust their style, it is another sign that you are probably working with the wrong recruiter.   When a recruiter puts aside your best interests, the result is typically poor fit and/or turnover.  Conversely, when you are working together and openly, you will typically get into a position that suits your needs for the short-term and the long-term.

Conclusion

It pays to establish a mutually beneficial and long-lasting relationship with your recruiter.  Recruiters that are true pros will help you throughout your career.  Having several great relationships with select recruiters can be much more productive than having hallow relationships with recruiters and the “transactional state”.  As with any line of business, there are plenty of bad recruiters and plenty of great recruiters.  Be sure to find recruiters that align with your values and always keep your best interests in mind.  Layoffs can occur unexpectedly and at any time.  A trusted recruiter will give you support, market data, help you establish a plan, and perhaps place you in a better opportunity.  If your recruiter is not working in your best interests, then it’s time to find someone that will!

“In a December survey of 1,200 IT hiring managers, Dice.com found that 65% will add IT professionals in the first half of 2012 and a significant number — 27% — plan to expand their IT workforce by more than 20%.”

TransTech, along with many of our industry partners, believes this increase in demand will lead to a significant increase in IT staff turnover and challenges retaining your top IT talent. That sounds daunting, but the good news is that there are ways you can improve your IT retention even in a hot market. Contact us for a copy of our 2011 guide to recruiting and retaining the best in the new year.

It’s one thing to read about the economy improving. It’s another thing to see it for yourself! TransTech IT Staffing is busier than ever! Our clients are growing and we are eager to help aid their success. To keep up the pace, we are hiring new recruiters. Interested?

If you are an experienced recruiter, or are interested in a career in recruiting, we’d love to talk! Also, if you know someone who might be interested, we would love to give you a nice referral fee for your help. We are looking for motivated, diligent, friendly people to join our fantastic team!

TransTech is a full service IT recruiting firm. Our recruiting team is hard working, fun, and committed to providing excellent customer service. Our employees describe our company culture as family-like and growth oriented. We are a Tier One vendor at many local and international organizations. All in all, this is a great place to work!

If you are interested, please give us a call at (630) 250-8880 or fill out the contact page here. We look forward to talking with you!

The article, found on msnbc.com, stated that despite an improvement in economic conditions, employers still felt the pressure to keep costs controlled. Additionally, some past research indicates perks like subsidized training or an onsite fitness center might be important in attracting Generation Y employees.

What do you think? Is this true for consultants in Chicago, or are you most interested in your hourly rate?

If you’d like to learn more about our company and our exciting client base, please contact Mary here! We’ll be sure to send you an invite with all the details. Hope to see you there!

Our Itasca office remains our headquarters, but there is a full team of recruiters and account managers in the Chicago office just ready to meet you! Stop by for a visit!

Why are we so excited about this? Hitting triple digits has long been a goal of ours. Not only does it sound impressive, but it also sets TransTech up as a leader in IT recruiting in Chicago. Very few local firms achieve this kind of impact. We are excited about our growth and what larger scale will allow us to do for our clients and consultants (including a big change we’ll announce in the next few months – be on the lookout!).

For everyone that has contributed to our success over the years, we want to thank you. We consider it a privilege to work with you.