Looking to Shine in the Eyes of Your Recruiter? Try These 3 Tips

Recruiters interview hundreds of IT candidates every year and it takes a lot to impress them. If you want to stand out from the crowd and make a positive impression, try these three tips to ensure they think of you as more than just another candidate.

Be Prepared

This seems like a no-brainer but many IT pros arrive for interviews with recruiters and struggle to answer the most basic questions about their own experience. Preparing to meet with a recruiter is just as important as preparing to meet with an employer. Think about your previous work experience, your most successful projects, the things you liked and didn’t like about past jobs, your biggest strengths, and some of the challenges you have successfully worked to overcome over the years.

One of the best ways to stand out and make yourself memorable when talking about your experience is to quantify your contributions to previous employers. When talking about successes, be prepared to discuss measurable outcomes – cost savings, improved efficiencies, etc. This paints a clear picture of your value as an employee.

Be Personable

While you always want to project professionalism, it is equally important to be yourself and to be personable. Try not to be stiff and robotic – do your best to relax and have a back-and-forth conversation with the recruiter. Remember, you’re both trying to determine fit and the best way to do that is to show the recruiter who you really are. Make an effort to build a connection – try to find something you have in common, make eye contact, smile, and use the recruiter’s name.

Ask Great Questions

As with any interview, you want to come prepared with a list of thoughtful questions that help you stand out from the crowd. If you are meeting with a recruiter to discuss a specific job, ask questions that focus on the employer, the corporate culture of the company, the challenges facing the person hired for the role, and the expectations for the role.

If you are not meeting about a specific role, ask the recruiter questions about the current local tech job market, advice the recruiter might have regarding your resume and interview skills, the way they work to connect candidates to roles, whether it’s appropriate to reach out to check on progress, etc.

Are You Ready to Partner With a Tech Recruiter?

If you are a tech pro looking for new IT career opportunities and you are ready to partner with a recruiter, we invite you to contact PEAK Technical Consulting today. We look forward to helping you achieve your goals.