Zoe Henderson has years of recruitment experience. In her role at Ellis Recruitment Group, she has been through every situation with candidates and clients on their recruitment journey. Below is the second part of her “Job Hunting Tips” series.
For the next step in your IT career, contact Ellis IT, the IT recruitment specialists.
Contactez-nousMost big clients will have a team of generic in-house recruitment consultants who will deal with any direct applications. These guys have SO MANY applications daily that they may be particularly ruthless with screening, or they may not know the skills they are looking for, for the really niche roles.
You are better off finding a recruitment consultancy that not only specialises in your area but who has a good reputation and an extensive network of quality clients. They will have a list of actual LIVE vacancies that they can consider you for and, more often than not, will be dealing directly with the hiring manager rather than going through the recruiting team.
For example, the Ellis IT team knows all our clients and how their businesses work. They come to us with regular IT vacancies that they need our help to fill. Some of these clients use us exclusively as they know we have done an excellent job for them in the past. We also have multiple vacancies with the same skills at the core, so we can submit your application to multiple roles, thereby increasing your chances of that next IT job.
When we send your application, we will check and format your CV, so it looks sensational and send an accompanying synopsis that gives the client your availability and salary expectations, highlighting all your key IT skills and experience in relation to the job you are applying for. We will also tell the client about you as a person, explaining your motivations for looking for a new role and what drives you as an employee. We can do this as we’ve already taken the time to get to know you.
It is vital to get your application in front of a client as soon as you can. Some clients will look at all the CVs that get sent, but others will have a limit of the number of applications they want to see. With the number of applicants for roles at high levels, you need to make sure that yours arrives quickly and that it stands out.
By regularly keeping in touch with your recruiter, you will always find out about the IT jobs when they come in (often before advertised). You will be fresh in their minds for any other suitable positions.
At Ellis IT, all of our current IT jobs listed on the website so if you see a IT job that you like, then get in touch. We will happily discuss any of the IT vacancies with you.
If you are applying for IT jobs on IT recruiter job boards, LinkedIn, direct with clients or through IT recruitment agencies, you must keep track of your job applications and, if successful. This reduces the possibility of duplicating an application and keeps you connected with the recruiters for feedback.
If you are like me and love a good spreadsheet, this is a great way to keep on top of your applications. Make a note of when you applied, the feedback, if they asked you to interview, and the outcome. I would also keep a file of the job descriptions to refer back to if there is a lengthy interview process or a delay in actually getting an interview.
The recruiters at Ellis IT pride themselves on the level of contact with our IT clients and IT candidates. The team always responds to your application and give feedback as soon as we get it from the client. We don’t leave you hanging on wondering if you have been successful and will always chase your application to try to get updates and feedback as quickly as we can, so you are not left “in limbo.”
Any decent IT recruiter will give you detailed feedback on your application or interview if they have put you forward. If they tell you that they don’t have feedback – it’s probably because they haven’t asked (or chased) the client for you. How are you supposed to improve your CV or interview technique if they don’t tell you why you weren’t successful? When your agent gives you feedback, make sure you take it on board and make the changes. If the client says that your answers weren’t detailed enough, then be more thorough the next time. If they say you weren’t enthusiastic, then next time, make sure you have reasons as to why you want to work for them, be positive and show that you are keen on the role.
Looking for a new job when you are out of work can be soul-destroying. You will send out hundreds of applications, and most of them will go nowhere. You will get knocked back, and sometimes for a role that you thought was a perfect fit for you.
STAY POSITIVE and keep the faith. It could be the next call, the next application or the next conversation with your recruiter that lands you the perfect next step in your career.
If you are looking for a new IT job, please contact our Ellis IT recruitment team. Ellis IT are specialist IT recruiters, only working IT roles within the IT space.
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