For anyone in the IT job market, trying to find a new position in this current economic landscape can be somewhat daunting. If you're looking for a full-time role or wondering if contracting might be the best move for your career, trying to complete a tech job search on your own can become overwhelming very quickly.
How can you avoid becoming paralyzed by the massive amount of frustrations and dead ends when trying to find IT jobs? Your best bet is to get in contact with an IT recruiter.
While it’s often true that a long-term career can follow a non-linear and serendipitous path, there is a way to have some direction to guide you. In an unstable market, having a recruiter in your corner helps add long-term stability to your career. Also, working with a recruiter is free to you, so there are really no downsides.
Here are some great reasons to lean on your recruiter when your job status changes.
1. A Robust Network of Company and Hiring Manager Contacts
Good recruiters are embedded in the markets they serve. Motion recruiters are walking, talking encyclopedias of companies who are hiring, what it’s like to work at those companies, and candidates they think will be a good fit.
They know about job openings that might not be public and they have the relationships to get you in the door. A good recruiter is in constant contact with hiring managers and has a better understanding of which jobs are a priority and which are on the back burner or likely going to an internal candidate.
Read More: Why More Tech Workers are Choosing Contracting
2. Experts in Their Market and the Companies Inside Them
Recruiters are spending their days expanding their knowledge of the job market, looking to stay up to date with the latest trends in the industries and finding the best opportunities and salary benchmarks in different geographic regions across the US and Canada.
Recruiters often have insider knowledge that can give you a competitive advantage and save you the hassle of researching and networking on your own. A recruiter's value includes understanding and then sharing with you the important facts that aren't written in the job description. From company culture and dress code to team size, a recruiter can give you details that are impossible to know when sending your resume to a company directly and hoping for the best.
3. Recruiters Get To Know You and What You Want
Working with a recruiter on multiple or consecutive job assignments establishes long-term relationships, which can lead to ongoing support, career advice, and access to new opportunities throughout your career.
A good recruiter gets to know what you’re looking for in a role, understands what would make you want to make a move, and finds opportunities that are tailor-made to your needs and skill set. Motion has serial contractors who have been on multiple assignments with us for a decade or more. Some of them have had the same recruiter that whole time – someone who knows them and what they want. They rarely have to worry about finding a job on their own because their recruiter is looking out for them, usually starting 60 days out from the end of their assignment.
4. Doing the Heavy Lifting for You
Trying to make the next step in your career can feel like a full-time job. Fine-tuning resumes, researching, hunting on job boards trying to avoid fraudulent jobs and dead ends, sending out applications, then follow-ups, then trying to schedule interviews around an already busy schedule - all of it becomes overwhelming. Motion Recruiters do the following:
- Job matching: Recruiters can match your skills, experience, and career goals with available job opportunities, which saves you the time and effort of searching and applying for jobs on your own.
- Pre-screening: Recruiters can pre-screen job openings and candidates to ensure that there is a good fit between the job requirements and the candidate's qualifications, which can save you time and frustration from applying to jobs that are not a good match.
- Interview scheduling: Recruiters can coordinate and schedule interviews with potential employers, which saves you time and energy from trying to arrange interviews yourself.
- Feedback and advice: Recruiters can provide feedback and advice on your resume, cover letter, and interviewing skills, which can help you improve your job search and increase your chances of landing a job. You get feedback and almost an insider look into what's happening in an interview process, and you'll know why it was a "yes" or "no" - and how to improve your prospects after an interview.
- Access to exclusive opportunities: Recruiters have access to exclusive job opportunities that are not advertised elsewhere. By working with the same recruiter multiple times, you may be more likely to learn about these opportunities and secure them.
Read More: Fake Tech Job Postings Are Everywhere. Here's How to Spot a Hiring Scam.
5. Can Help You Build and Grow Your Skill Set
Looking to get into Cyber Security? DevOps? Management? The tech industry is constantly evolving, and being well-rounded means being able to quickly adapt to new tools, software, and trends. The IT professionals that are most in demand are the ones that have a deep understanding of various technologies, which can help them identify and solve complex problems more effectively.
Working with new teams, different cultures, technologies and projects as you move around— this is what makes contracting more exciting and improves your knowledge base.
All of this can make you more valuable to your employer and give you a competitive advantage in the job market, as you take on new roles and responsibilities.
If you want experience in different industries, company sizes, projects, etc., it might be hard to sell yourself and the client on taking that chance. However, having a recruiter vouching for you to a hiring manager they personally know and can position you properly based on your background and interests.
6. Can Get You Paid What You're Worth
Negotiating your contract terms and pay rate can be a complex and time-consuming process. Today there can be vast differences between geographies and markets. Some companies pay hiring bonuses or add incentives for hybrid or in-office work. Sometimes these can be difficult to detect if you don’t ask. A recruiter makes more when you make more, so it is in their best interest to seek out and obtain a fair rate and favorable contract terms.
As with any professional relationship, communication with your recruiter is the key to success. Be clear about what you are looking for in a role and what skills and experience you bring to the table. Your recruiter will bring their wealth of knowledge and contacts to find the match that can take your tech career to new heights.
Are you looking for your next opportunity in tech? Contact your local Motion Recruitment today. Offices are located across North America, with recruiters that specialize in specific skill sets inside tech, including UI/UX positions. Find out how we can put your career in Motion today.
