Are You the Best Candidate for Your Dream IT Role?
by Rita Marcinkiewicz on August 1, 2018 in IT Consultant
With an unemployment rate of an unprecedented 1.9%, the tech market is booming with opportunities for career growth in an abundance of disciplines. While the numbers may be in your favor, they’re not a guarantee that you’ll land the role. In fact, factors like culture fit, soft skills, and career goals are more relevant than ever, as organizations push to hire well-rounded individuals. Standing out in the interview process can be a challenge, but it’s a crucial time to showcase your best attributes. In order to land your dream IT role, follow these tips.
Take the Initiative
From the jump, the best way to stand out during the hiring process is by being engaged and invested. That starts with proving your strengths and previous experience. Regardless of what they require, provide a portfolio of your work to show interviewers. Whether it’s a link to your GitHub, samples of past projects, or a physical notebook, share examples that predominantly showcase your skills and experience. Also, include written proposals or pieces you’ve contributed to larger projects that highlight your writing skills and collaborative abilities.
In order to make your working relationship mutually beneficial, let them in on your expectations and aspirations from day one. Articulate the attributes that you can bring to the company, as well as what you hope to gain from your work. Existing skillsets are obviously top of mind when considering a candidate, but with the rapid growth of the tech industry, professionals that are capable of learning new technologies and developing their skills are paramount. By emphasizing the goals for your career trajectory as well as a growth mindset, you’re sure to catch the attention of the hiring team.
Draw the Connection
Another way to effectively demonstrate your interest in an organization is by showing how you can help their current team. Do your research. Explore their social media platforms for insight on their culture and look for recent news articles about internal issues or industry trends. Leverage connections within your network for face-to-face meetings with current employees, regardless of their position. In the same vein, thoroughly understand the job description. It may seem like a no-brainer, but come interview time, you should be able to speak to any skills or requirements referenced on the job listing.
With an abundance of prior knowledge, navigating the hiring process is significantly easier. At every opportunity, capitalize on the information you learned through your investigative work. Draw connections from your skillset and prior experience to organizational needs. Paint a clear picture of where you fit within the company and what you can provide for them both now and as your skills develop throughout your career.
Balance Your Skillset
Thriving in the tech world goes beyond purely being a technician. Every candidate brought in to interview is qualified; it’s their other competencies that set them apart for the role. Staying up to date with technologies as they evolve is essential to success, but there are a bevy of other, often overlooked, skillsets that contribute to the longevity of an IT professional.
Candidates who possess analytical, active listening, and communication skills have an edge up on the competition. Sharpening your interpersonal skills can be the deciding factor that sets you apart from your counterparts who lack critical thinking or collaborative abilities.
Are You the Best Candidate for Your Dream IT Role?
At the end of the day, no one can represent your skills, knowledge, and personality better than yourself. By following these guidelines and developing a strategy around them, the hiring process can transform from intimidating to empowering. Finding a job you love can prove to be difficult – don’t let your dream IT role slip through your fingers.
If you’re still searching for your dream IT role or an opportunity to get your career started down the right path, contact us today.Contact us today for information about potential opportunities.
Rita is overflowing with positivity. As a Senior Associate, she energetically connects talented tech professionals with top companies in Chicagoland. Her hard work helps keep careers on track and candidates satisfied with their work.
In between placing candidates and drinking free La Croix in our office, Rita gets out and explores the world. She has driven cross country both ways on a solo road trip. She loves to visit Hawaii (the mixture of floral aromas and the salty Pacific air is one of her favorite smells). Plus, even though she grew up petrified of dogs, she somehow loves them now.
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