5 Recruiting Trends We Expect to see in 2023

As more industries return to their pre-pandemic state, we can expect 2023 to be a year full of opportunity and innovation in the labor market. In this blog, we’ll discuss several of the recruiting trends that we expect to see in the new year. Below are 5 recruiting trends we expect to see in 2023.

1. Continued Remote Work/ Hybrid Work

Work-from-home and hybrid working arrangements will continue to form a productive part of businesses. Candidates will be seeking opportunities for more flexible work hours and arrangements. Work-life balance and mental health have become worker priorities, so offering flexibility in time and location for work continues to have strong appeal.

2. Retention is a Primary Focus for Recruiting

As companies fight to continue growing as recession looms, many are shifting focus to retaining their employees. Why? Because they know that when the market disruptions resolve and the economy begins to improve, they need to be prepared. Increasing growth efforts will be much more difficult if they lay off employees now and have to replace them later.

Managers will focus on retaining their current staff, such as internal career mobility paths. These paths provided employees with ways to pursue a promotion. The potential for promotion is a valuable enticement for employees to remain with the company and build a career there.

3. DEI Enhancement

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) have become vital to a company’s brand and culture. DEI initiatives vary from business to business, but these practices prove a real enticement during the entire recruitment process. Inclusive language in job descriptions, unconscious bias training for hiring managers, and diverse interview panels are all ways you can enhance your recruitment process.

4. Great Resignation Workers Return

Many of the workers who left during the Great Resignation regret quitting and will be actively looking for jobs in the new year. While this won’t alleviate the talent shortage issues facing HR managers and recruiting firms, it will infuse more qualified job seekers into the labor market.

5. Recruitment Process Revision

The competition within the job market for top talent is stiff. The hiring process is often where candidates are lost. Applicants tend to accept job offers that suit their needs on the spot. The slow rate of review and response in some hiring systems can mean missing out on the ideal person for the role.

Many businesses are focusing their efforts on revising and streamlining the recruitment process. The goal? To attract more top talent, get them through the process quickly and smoothly, and retain them once they are hired.

Conclusion

These 5 recruiting trends we expect to see in 2023 are hopeful. While some old trends will continue into the new year, fresh takes will also be in demand. Whether old trends or new, the goal is the same: recruit and retain the best talent out there.

If you need help building the team you need in 2023, turn to ABBTECH today!

How to Stand Out as an Entry-level Developer

Finding entry-level employment in any industry can be difficult, especially in the tech industry. With hot software development positions rising, standing out among more experienced competition can be tough. Tips on how to stand out as an entry-level developer are below.

So, how can you stand out as an entry-level developer with so much competition? Read on for valuable tips to get noticed and land your dream job.

Tips to Help Your Stand Out and Get Hired as an Entry-Level Developer

Let’s look at some top tips to help you stand out as you pursue an entry-level development position.

Build Up Your Skill Set

Being successful as a developer requires constant learning and practice. Many recruiters require you to demonstrate your abilities with tests or assessments, so building your skill set is vital. Learn independently and expand your awareness of new tools, tech languages, and frameworks.

Build Your Portfolio

When your experience is limited, your portfolio can get you in the door. Your portfolio is the place to demonstrate your skills and interests. Your portfolio is an easy way to show employers what you can do and how well you can do it.

Remember to keep your portfolio up to date and ensure that any sample links are easy to access. Also, include projects you worked on individually and as part of a team.

Update Your Resume

The best way to prepare your resume for successful submission is to focus on what you’re including. Try looking at job descriptions for the development roles you’re interested in. You’ll soon notice a pattern among posts and can focus on the most relevant information. For non-tech work history, list first what experience could be potentially useful in a tech role. Also, consider a separate section for significant personal projects to demonstrate your real-world experience.

Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

Make it simple for employers to learn about you from your LinkedIn page. It should be as robust as your resume, if not more so. You can make your profile work for you in the job search. Use your “About” section to present yourself as a prospective candidate. This is a great chance to state who you are, what you can do, and why you care about development work.

Don’t forget to detail your skills, add your certifications and achievements, and help employers get a feel for you and your tech interests under the “Interests” section.

Grow Your Professional Network

Your network connection may be the key to your next entry-level development role. Ensure you foster those connections with current and former coworkers, managers, and other professionals. The more people within the industry you connect with and stay connected with, the more likely you are to discover new jobs and get hired.

Our team is ready to lend a hand if you’re currently searching for your first developer role!

Nail Down your Hiring Needs

Employees are leaving the workforce at an alarming rate, and the hiring struggle will likely continue. Now is the time to nail down your hiring needs. The sooner you create a solid hiring plan and implement it, the sooner you’ll fill those job openings.

Anticipate Your Hiring Needs

Calculate how many positions you need to fill during the first quarter. Remember to consider your budget when you determine your hiring needs. Even if the job roles do not need to be filled immediately, start recruiting as soon as possible. Keep your candidate pools filled with potential applicants in mind.

Talk with Your Recruitment Partners

Meet with your internal and external recruitment partners and discuss your hiring needs. Talk about the candidate qualification you need and any niche roles that require filling. Also, discuss networks, skills, and strategies your recruitment team has at hand to maximize the talent search.

Focus on Your Brand Identity

Take a step back and look at your company’s brand identity, including your recruitment process. Consider what makes you unique and why job seekers want to join the company. Also, join your recruitment team and go through your employer reviews. See what issues others have had with your company and how you can address those issues.

Promote Your Available Positions

Work with your recruitment team to promote your available roles to job seekers. Focus on what candidates look for in an employer and develop compelling messaging to attract job seekers. Use your company website, social media, and other channels and platforms to reach candidates.

Move Quickly

The best talent is most likely receiving multiple job offers. You’ll need to make fast decisions during the hiring process and keep candidates engaged through ongoing communication and feedback. Keeping them informed throughout the process and answering their questions promptly will help keep them interested.

Evaluate Your Hiring Process

Your hiring process should be constantly evaluated. Review the rate of applicants, what area receives the most and which the least, and when candidates are most likely to “ghost” during the hiring process. Then, you can take this information and modify your hiring process as needed.

If you need help creating your all-star team, request a consultation with ABBTECH!

Career Check-In: Did you Achieve your Professional Goals?

Now is the perfect time to evaluate your career progress over the past year. Did you achieve your professional goals? What new goals will you work towards throughout the coming year?

This blog will explain everything you need to set tangible, attainable professional goals. We’ll also look at some great examples of professional goals that you can work towards.

What ARE Professional Development Goals?

“Where do you see yourself and your career in five or ten years?” Professional goals are essentially the answer to that question. Professional goals, or career development goals, are active steps you can take to stimulate growth and advancement in your chosen career. Good professional goals offer a clear vision for your career path and the skills you need to succeed.

Good professional goals may be short or long-term, showing progress and setting measurable milestones along the way.

5 Professional Work Goals

Here are five ideas for professional development that will help you achieve your professional goals:

1. Take a Course to Sharpen Your Skills. Learning goals are a big boost for personal and career development. Choose something that interests you, that boosts your skills and knowledge for your career, and follow through.

2. Learn New Tools. Set a goal to learn new software or skills to expand your ability and flexibility within your job.

3. Improve Your Communication Skills. From meetings to presentations, communication is important in the modern workforce. Research different presentation styles and take public speaking to improve your ability to speak clearly and communicate your ideas.

4. Build Your Network. Building your network means being intentional about connecting with peers in your career industry. Networking may be challenging, especially if you are an introvert. Set small goals and keep track of your progress. You could attend a conference, a local meetup, or join a professional organization with regular activities and events.

5. Become a Business Owner. Starting a small business is very different from taking on a new job. Building a business is a long-term goal and a long-term commitment. It requires a lot of hard work daily and determination to take on a leadership role.

Today, it is easier than ever to set up an e-commerce business. Don’t forget to set some goals for your new business!

Conclusion

Professional goals help you focus on where you want to be in your career. They clarify the steps to take to reach your short- and long-term goals and give you the roadmap for success.

Is a new job in the new year a goal of yours? Search our open positions today!

Employee Appreciation Ideas for your Remote Team

Showing appreciation to your employees is easy when everyone is in-office. What if your team is remote? How can you show your employees how valued and appreciated they are when they are miles (or even countries) apart? Employee appreciation ideas for your remote team to follow.

If you’re eager to show your remote team your appreciation and gratitude, we have a few ideas! Let’s look at some great (and affordable) employee appreciation ideas perfect for your remote team.

Affordable Remote Employee Appreciation Ideas

Employee Recognition

Sometimes the simplest gesture is the most rewarding. You can show appreciation to your remote employees by appreciating them publicly. Send a personal “Thank You” note to each of them and thank them for all they’ve contributed over the past year. Be specific, too.

Organize a virtual event to recognize employee contributions throughout the year. Individual and team achievements can be rewarded with certificates and awards.

Buy Them Lunch

Who doesn’t love good food? If a company gathering for lunch or dinner isn’t possible, consider gift cards for a restaurant or for a popular food delivery service such as Grubhub. You can gift lunch, dinner, or an allowance for coffee in the new year.

Wellness Package

The 2020 pandemic taught us that health should always be a top priority. Employee wellness has become a major focus for most companies as we become more wellness conscious. A wellness package is a wonderful way to show your remote employees your appreciation and let them know their health matters to you. You could offer virtual employees a variety of wellness bonuses and perks, such as healthy meal subscriptions, fitness app subscriptions, spa or massage gift certificates, or gift cards for healthy snack baskets.

Paid Time Off

How about a vacation? Times are stressful, and many remote employees would benefit from some extra time off. Adequate rest minimizes burnout and allows employees to work at their best. Consider gifting remote employees a week off or a time allowance for vacation.

Career Development

Just because employees are working from home doesn’t mean professional development should be on hold. Encourage your employees to grow professionally by offering online learning opportunities. There are many online schools and websites that provide a variety of courses to expand skillsets and stimulate career growth.

Conclusion

Working from home can be lonely, and the distance from coworkers and managers makes it difficult to see and feel validation and appreciation in your job. Making the effort to recognize and reward your remote employees will encourage and support them. It will also foster company loyalty and pride in their role and their work. With some simple gestures of gratitude and affordable gifts, you can help your employees feel appreciated and focused on their personal growth and company growth.

If you’re searching for more people to add to your remote team, let our team at ABBTECH lend you a hand!

Learn some of the many ways you can build a veteran friendly workplace and maintain it year-round.

How to Create a Veteran Friendly Workplace

On November 11th, every year, we celebrate the service and heroism of our military veterans. In the United States, military veterans comprise around 8 percent of the adult population. As more veterans begin transitioning from military life to civilian, the need for employers to create a veteran friendly workplace increases.

Veterans make incredibly valuable additions to your company’s culture. They bring extensive training and education to the civilian job world. Also, along with essential “soft skills” and real-world experience veterans have valuable skills that you can’t learn in a classroom.

There are big differences between the military and civilian worlds, and making the transition successful in the short and long term may seem daunting. Read on to learn some of the many ways you can create a veteran friendly workplace.

Foster Empathy Through Education

The best way to empathize with veterans, or anyone of different backgrounds and experiences, is through education. Educating yourself and others about the struggles of veterans helps you to understand better, accept, and connect with them. The Veterans’ Administration (VA) has tools, training sessions, and information that can help you build a welcoming culture attractive to veterans.

Create Opportunities for Building Community

Many veterans have difficulty adjusting to the lack of community in the average workplace. In the military, there is a structure of personnel and families who help new members adjust. In the civilian world, that structure is rarely in place.

Facilitating mentorship at work and encouraging positive professional friendships through social activities and family-friendly events can be helpful for veterans struggling with building professional relationships at work.

Implement Veteran-Friendly Onboarding and Orientation Procedures

Coming from a world where the chain of command plays a central role, it can be difficult for veterans to adjust to the less structured civilian working world. Consider adding detailed walk-throughs to the onboarding and orientation programming and ensure all resources are readily accessible for new veteran hires to refer to later.

Also, ensure that the expectations for the job are clearly outlined. It is also important to specify any urgent or priority information for projects and roles are been well-defined. This is a good guideline for all applicants, veteran and non-veteran alike.

Encourage and Promote Career Development & Advancement

For veterans, the path to promotion in the civilian world can be confusing. Setting up a clear career map and review process, as well as offering professional coaching and development opportunities, enables veterans to see the path to advancement within your company and encourages them to grow and progress forward.

Ready to expand your workforce, create a veteran friendly workplace and attract skilled veterans to your company? Contact ABBTECH today!

5 Must Ask Questions to Consider Before Accepting a Job Offer

You’ve been searching for the right job for a while and finally received an offer. Congratulations! Before you accept that offer, though, there are some things to consider. Here are five questions you should consider asking before accepting a job offer.

1. What is the exact start date of the Job?

Two weeks’ notice is the standard when notifying your current employer that you’re leaving your position. So, if a potential employer wants you to begin immediately without sufficient time to provide notice, it might be a red flag regarding the company’s culture and flexibility. On the other hand, reluctance to give a start date may also signal internal problems in the company. Be sure to get verbal and written confirmation of the agreed start date.

2. What should I expect with the onboarding process?

Onboarding varies from company to company, so ask your prospective employer about their process and what you can expect. Training, tools, materials, and personal guidance or mentoring should all be explained thoroughly.

3. Who will be reaching out to me on the first day?

The first day can be anxious, but knowing who will reach out to you first gives you an idea of what to expect. It also allows you to look up the HR or management person on a professional platform such as LinkedIn and better understand their role within the company.

4. Can we explore a slightly higher starting salary?

Most companies are open to negotiating the starting salary for a position, so this is an essential question to ask. Come prepared with research regarding the pay range for the job, including factors such as geographic area and experience.

5. Will I receive benefits immediately?

Ask when required and optional benefits go into effect. While required benefits, such as Social Security and workers’ compensation, go into effect on the first day, other benefits, such as health insurance, may not. Find out when they go into effect and information about premiums and deductibles so that your coverage doesn’t lapse.

Benefits comprise nearly half of a position’s compensation package, so it is essential to understand your benefits and when you can access them.

Conclusion

Accepting a job offer is a serious and important decision. With these questions to consider before accepting a job offer, things should go more smoothly. Asking the right questions, starting with the ones listed above, ensures that the position is the right job for you.

If this job doesn’t work out, don’t worry! Explore our open positions down below.

Why am I Attracting Unqualified Job Applicants?

Are you attracting Unqualified Job Applicants? Attracting qualified talent can be difficult, especially if you’re searching for professionals in a field such as IT. If you are not technically inclined, you may be unsure where to find quality talent, how to attract and recruit them, and what questions to ask them during interviews.

In this blog, we’ll look at how you may be attracting the wrong candidates and what you can do to attract the best candidates in the future.

Not Going Where The Qualified Talent Is

If you want to buy freshly grown produce, you do not go to find it in a butcher’s shop. Simply put, if you’re looking for well-qualified IT candidates, you must go where they are. Top-notch IT talent may not be actively hunting for a job, but they often lurk in niche online groups and professional networking sites. Become a member of the groups and forums they frequent and develop an attractive presence online by producing content that IT candidates want to consume.

Poor Company Reputation

Developing your company brand online is essential, especially when you want to attract qualified job applicants. If your company’s values and goals are not clear, you can be sure to attract unqualified, unusable applicants.

Ensure that your website and social media sites are clear and full of the correct information to convey your brand and company culture. Take a good look at your hiring process and refine and streamline it to effectively filter out unqualified candidates.

Unclear Job Descriptions and Requirements

That first step in the hiring process, the job posting, is a vital first step in filtering out unqualified candidates. Clearly explaining the required qualifications for the job, including education, experience, and specific skills, guarantees you will get applicants who do not meet your needs. On the other hand, not casting a wide net may mean missing out on good candidates that, while not ticking every box, are still well-qualified for the job and may prove a valuable asset.

Demonstrate your flexibility and inclusivity in your job postings while stipulating the required education and skills.

Asking the Wrong Questions

Standard interview questions won’t yield the answers you need when it comes to the interview process. Suppose you want to find the right IT candidate for your open position. In that case, you need to focus on questions that allow them to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a practical sense—for example, asking a candidate to describe a piece of technology or application in layman’s terms. Another important question would be how the candidate keeps their skills up and keeps up with current trends in the industry.

Conclusion

Posting a simple job available will never attract the right talent to your company. However, making yourself an attractive employment candidate and taking the time to reach out to the talent you want onboard will.

If you need help finding qualified talent, get in touch with our team!

Data Science vs. Data Analytics: What’s the difference?

Data Science vs. Data Analytics: What is the Difference? Data science and data analytics are reliable choices for long-term career potential. Technology and AI will continue to be a significant part of our personal and professional lives with each year.

It is worth noting that data science and data analytics do have a great deal of overlap. But, they are quite different roles. Let’s look at the differences between these two disciplines and their careers.

Differences Between Data Science vs. Data Analytics

In simplest terms, comparing data science and data analytics is about reaching the general to the specific. As a data scientist your focus will be to drive innovation by investigating questions that need to be answered. Also, you will likely consider the questions that need to be answered. And then building connections to facilitate answering them.

Data Science:

  • Focuses on machine learning and predictive modeling
  • Is multi-disciplinary
  • Requires experience in programming languages, data visualization tools, and databases, such as Python, Scala, Tableau, and MongoDB.

Conversly, analytics is more specific and concentrated. Data analytics focuses on viewing and interpreting historical data in context. As well as checking hypotheses, and answering data science questions for better decision-making in business.

Data Analytics:

  • Require strong skills in statistics, modeling, databases, and problem-solving
  • Ability to slice and dice data in programs such as Excel and SQL database
  • Knowledge of Python, SAS, and other statistical tools

Job Roles

Data science job roles process, cleanse, and verify data, glean business insights, and identify new data trends to make future predictions. BI engineers, business analysts, IT application engineers, architects, and data analysts are all job roles involving data science.

Additionally, data analysts focus mainly on the analysis of data, cleansing data, using statistical tools to discover new patterns in the data. And developing KPIs and visualizations based on those patterns. Data analytics jobs include:

  • Database administrators
  • Data warehousing professionals
  • QA engineers
  • Various roles in sales, marketing, finance, and operations where data needs to be processed and used to create dashboards, reports, and visualizations

Conclusion

Data science and data analysis are the most in-demand jobs today. Pursue a career in either if you enjoy technology, love challenges, and are creative.

Start your career today by searching with the ABBTECH team.

Managing Millennials: 5 Ways to Do it Right

Experts predict that by 2025, millennials will overtake baby boomers and dominate the workplace. With characteristics and habits that differ significantly from previous generations, managers must learn how to deal with them. Managing millennials, here are five ways to do it right.

While Millennials grew up without much of the technology available today, they have adapted to it quickly, making them both innovative and tech-savvy. Though often stereotyped as entitled, they are also very independent, quick-thinking, and skilled at solving problems independently.

So, how can you manage your millennial workers the right way? Here are five tips for doing it right.

1. Build a Strong Company Culture

Millennial workers are dedicated hard workers for a job and company they believe in. Building a solid company culture full of purpose and meaning that resonates with your millennial workers ensures they will invest their time and energy fully into helping the company grow and prosper.

2. Flexibility/ Work-Life Balance

Even before the Great Resignation, the pandemic, and the dawn of the Talent War, millennials craved flexibility in the workplace. For many millennials, the ability to have a complete family life and personal life is as important as their career. Providing flexibility when it comes to working hours and offering hybrid and remote work opportunities attracts the attention of this generation of workers right away. Managing millennials 5 ways to do it right.

3. Provide Leadership and Guidance

Even though millennials have adapted to be very independent and self-motivated, they thrive under the right kind of guidance and leadership. Instead of micromanaging your millennials, show them what to do and let them get the results their way. Not only will this boost their performance, but it will also show them you trust them.

4. Praise and Feedback

Millennials aren’t looking for trophies, but they do need validation. Recognizing their effort and accomplishment at work can go a long way toward supporting and encouraging them. In many ways, functioning more as a mentor than a boss will help your millennial workers to thrive. Give praise when deserved and provide constructive feedback regularly in group and private settings.

5. Encourage Career Growth and Leadership

Millennials want to succeed in their jobs and careers, so show them a future with the company that they can be excited about. Be transparent about their future opportunities, trust in their abilities, and provide them with the means to improve their skills and take on bigger, better projects and roles. Allow your millennial workers to lead the way, and they will perform at higher levels.

Conclusion

Millennials in the workplace are often misunderstood, but taking the time to appreciate these hard-working, passionate over-achievers will help you to lead them right and help you both grow professionally and personally. These tips on managing millennials 5 ways to do it right will help your business grow with the next generation.

If you’re ready to build your team, give the ABBTECH team a chance!

3 Signs You Are Underemployed

We all understand what it means to be “employed” or “unemployed” because you either have a job or you don’t. “Underemployment,” however, is more complex and far more common than you might think.

The Center for Law and Social Policy estimates that 4 out of 10 part-time workers are currently underemployed, meaning you have a job, but in some way, you are working below your capacity.

Think you are underemployed but not sure? Read on for a closer look at 3 signs you are underemployed and what you should do.

Your Wages are Too Low

It’s true; some jobs do not pay a high wage. However, you may be underemployed if you think your role would typically pay more. Do your research and check out websites that track average salaries to understand better what you should be paid for the job you do. Remember to consider location when calculating your salary range. Job salaries differ from state to state and from place to place within a state.

If you find that your wages are below the market rate for your role, talk to management. If adjusting your salary isn’t possible, consider applying for positions that offer a higher wage.

You’re Overqualified

In some cases, this is obvious. If you hold a graduate degree, but the position requires only a high school diploma, you’re likely underemployed. Now, it’s not a problem for you if you’re happy in a role considered underemployment on paper. However, if you have learned and acquired skills and experience and have no opportunity to showcase them in your position, you no doubt feel underemployed.

Before you decide what to do in this situation, ask yourself: Am I happy in this role? If you are, there’s nothing to fix. If you aren’t, it’s time to look for jobs that better match your skills and qualifications. Take the time to refresh your resume and update your professional profiles. Identify the best keywords to generate job leads in your job searches.

Not Enough Hours

When it comes to hourly work, it’s simple: the more hours you work, the more money you make. Employers may restrict the number of available hours for various reasons, including not wanting to provide benefits or simply not having enough work. You may be underemployed if you have to work multiple jobs to pay your bills.

Have you discovered signs you are underemployed? Before you hunt for a job with more available hours, check with your employer to see if you can move to full-time or work less desirable (and often higher-paying) shifts like nights or weekends. If these options aren’t open, start hunting for a role that provides the hours you need.

If you’re ready to explore your next opportunity, get in touch with our team at ABBTECH!

Employee Positive Culture

The world radically changed over the last few years. As a result, employee priorities have shifted. And many employees now look to their employers to create an employee positive culture that is safe, inclusive, productive, and satisfying.

The Whole Personnel Experience

So, what do employees look for now? What attracts them to a job and company, and more importantly, what makes them want to stay? Let’s look at some key areas you can address within your company culture to create a more satisfying whole employee experience for all.

Purposeful Work

Employees who find purpose and meaning in their work are two times more likely to stay in a job and express satisfaction in it. When employees genuinely understand why the tasks they do every day are important, why a particular project or duty matters in the scope of their career, and how their role in the company impacts the company and beyond, it creates a strong sense of fulfillment.

Flexibility & Work-Life Balance

Even before the pandemic put work-life balance in focus, flexibility was a critical criterion for employees. Though we have made the journey back to our offices entirely or in a hybrid fashion, flexibility is still important to workers.

Social & Supportive Cultures

We spend a considerable amount of time in the workplace, which can significantly impact our mental health. Creating a supportive environment where employees and management interact positively and feel safe and included begins with management but ultimately is everyone’s responsibility.

Career Development/ Training

Opportunities for career growth are also priorities for employees and an integral part of strong, positive company culture. Continuing education classes, tuition reimbursement, and mentoring programs are all steps you can take to provide employees with the tools, training, and opportunities to advance in their profession and within the company.

Health & Wellness Programs

Employee Health and Wellness programs are another essential element of a strong company culture that prioritizes employee needs. Your employees are not simply workers; they are assets that play a vital role in the company. Investing in your employees’ mental and physical health and well-being sets them up to do well at work. It directly affects their productivity and the subsequent profits of the company. Employee priorities have shifted as well, and many employees now look to their employers to create a workplace culture that is safe, inclusive, productive, and satisfying for them. Create a company culture with your employee’s priorities in mind.

If you want to build your dream team this year, get in touch with ABBTECH today!

5 Qualities that Make Good Developers GREAT

While many software development opportunities are available, the competition is fierce unless you stand out from the crowd. The best way to stand out from the crowd when going after a software development position is to be a great software developer. Here are 5 qualities that make good developers GREAT.

If you want to be known as a great software developer and increase your chances of landing your dream job, some vital qualities make.

1. A Positive Attitude

Great developers don’t let their egos get in the way. They bring a positive attitude to every project and task, bringing their best every day. A great developer takes pride in their work but never lets it get in the way of receiving constructive criticism. Even when faced with an urgent deadline, a great developer will step up and get the product ready as soon as possible because they genuinely care about its success.

2. Excellent Communication Skills

To be a great developer, you have to be a great communicator. It is crucial to understand problems, break them down quickly, and transparently propose proactive solutions. Great developers process information quickly and know the right questions to ask when they need clarification or more information.

3. Self-Management

A great developer can self-start and often have taught themselves new languages and technologies out of personal interest. When confronted with a situation to which they don’t have an answer, a great developer will pursue the resources and people necessary to discover the solution. Great developers are also reliable, managing their time and completing tasks on schedule and as desired.

4. Deep and Broad Technical Experience

A great developer has worked competently with several technologies and is an expert on several. Diverse industry experience, cognitive abilities, and familiarity with standards and best practices are all hallmarks of a great developer.

5. Big-Picture Focus

Great developers do not simply focus on the task in front of them. They want to know that the feature they are programming is high-value and how it will impact the system and the user’s experience. Their abilities and experience help them see this big-picture view, and they are more than willing to speak up about changes that could compromise the software. Put these 5 qualities that make good developers great to use. Ready to search for a new developer role? Explore our career opportunities today!

Our Recruiters Answer The Most Frequently Asked Questions

At ABBTECH, we connect companies and IT job seekers. Along the way, we get lots of questions about IT talent recruitment. We want to make it as easy as possible to understand what we offer and how we can fulfill your request. As such, we’ve had our recruiters answer the most frequently asked questions we get from businesses and job candidates.

Is there an opportunity for direct hire with a job?

Our goal is to connect businesses and IT job candidates in any way possible. If you want a staffing firm that has the best interests of companies and job seekers top of mind, we’re here for you. At the same time, we encourage job candidates to explore career opportunities on their own. We also urge businesses to look for talent anywhere they can. That way, both job seekers and businesses can engage with one another. Job candidates can find roles that suit them perfectly. Meanwhile, companies can identify talent that meets their requirements.

Do you offer remote work opportunities?

We absolutely support remote IT workers and businesses in search of them. If you want to pursue remote opportunities with us, check out our job board. We update our job board frequently and continue to add remote work opportunities to it. Or, if you want candidates who can fill remote work roles, let us know. At this point, we can help you pursue top talent from around the world.

Is there room for growth if I work with you?

Our team helps IT job candidates realize their full potential. We put candidates in touch with employers interested in talent of all skill and experience levels. Once a candidate accepts a role, he or she controls their career path. If a candidate thrives, there is ample room for growth with a business. On the other hand, companies can hire job candidates to fill temporary and permanent roles. These candidates can also deliver immediate and long-lasting contributions across a company’s operations.

What benefits do you offer?

Depending on the job assignment, we offer:

  • Medical, dental, and vision health benefits
  • Weekly direct deposit
  • Paid holidays
  • Personal time off
  • 401(k) with match
  • Insurance coverages
  • Pre-paid legal and employee assistance
  • Northwest Federal Credit Union membership
  • Access to the BB&T @ Work program

We can explain all benefits we offer relating to an IT job assignment. And if you have any concerns or questions about job benefits, we’re ready to respond to them.

What Can ABBTECH Do for You? Find Out Today

ABBTECH puts the needs of businesses and IT job candidates front and center. Our recruiters take time to learn about businesses and IT job candidates. Tell us what you want to accomplish, and we’ll do our part to assist you. If you want to pursue IT job candidates, we are available to discuss your talent recruitment needs. For those who want to explore IT jobs, we can provide plenty of help, too. To learn more about ABBTECH and our IT staffing services, please contact us today.

Create a Successful Workplace Mentorship Program

You want workers to join your business and stay with your company long into the future. To achieve your goal, you need to create a workplace mentorship program.

A workplace mentorship program opens the door to new career opportunities. It allows workers to learn from colleagues and experience. In the program, an employee can gain insights into how to advance their career with your business. Plus, a worker can bolster their skill set. The worker may be more prone than ever before to remain with your business and help it thrive.

Now, let’s look at four things you can do to create a successful workplace mentorship program.

1. Establish Goals

Consider what you want to accomplish with your workplace mentorship program. Next, you can create program goals.

Define steps for each program goal. Steps should be easy to understand. They should help an employee use the program to take the next step forward in their career.

2. Help Mentors and Mentees Connect with One Another

Match mentors and mentees. Oftentimes, it helps to create criteria for both mentors and mentees. Then, you can use these criteria to ensure a mentee is placed with a mentor who can deliver the optimal results.

In addition, you can use mentor-matching programs and algorithms. This allows you to leverage technology that can match mentors and mentees based on myriad criteria. The technology can speed up the process of getting your workplace mentorship program up and running.

3. Promote Your Program

Think about why an employee should become a mentor or mentee. At this point, you can develop promotional materials that highlight the benefits of your program. You can share these materials with your workers and urge them to join your program.

Promote your program consistently. Also, be accessible to respond to any concerns or questions regarding your program. Give employees the information they need to understand your program’s importance. Ultimately, you may find many workers want to join your program right away.

4. Check in with Mentors and Mentees

Do not expect your program to be an instant success. Check in with mentors and mentees frequently following your program’s launch. This allows you to collect program feedback. If you find any issues with your program, address them immediately.

Keep the lines of communication open with mentors and mentees. Continue to learn from participants and search for ways to improve your program. Over time, you can ensure your program can deliver outstanding results.

Get Started on Creating a Successful Workplace Mentorship Program

Develop a workplace mentorship program and make it the best it can be. Your program can help you keep your current workforce happy. Moreover, your program can make your business stand out to top talent. Along with launching a workplace mentorship program, partnering with a staffing agency can help your company land top talent. At ABBTECH, we’re a staffing firm that helps companies engage with IT professionals. Our team takes the guesswork out of IT talent recruitment and can put you in touch with skilled IT pros at any time. For more information, please contact us today.

Ensuring Equity for Your Hybrid Workforce

Your business lets its employees work both at home and remotely. To date, your hybrid work model has been successful, and your in-house and remote workers are thriving. But going forward, changes may be on the horizon for some of your hybrid employees. Here’s a look at how ensuring equity for your hybrid workforce will help your company.

Ultimately, employees may enjoy working from home. However, work-from-home (WFH) may have been a temporary option due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. You want employees to increasingly return to the office. However, you are uncertain about how you can let some staff work remotely and others resume in-office work.

Ensuring equity for your hybrid workforce can be challenging. There are several things you can do to ensure WFH and in-office employees receive the same level of care and support. These include:

1. Learn from Your Workers

Find out what workers enjoy about your company. This gives you insights into how your company can support employees, regardless of whether they work in the office or remotely.

Conduct employee surveys and questionnaires. These assessments can help you check the pulse of your hybrid workforce. From here, you can generate insights to help you deliver the care and support all of your workers need to succeed.

2. Invest in Technology

Give workers the technology they need to complete everyday tasks. Furthermore, provide employees with technology so they can keep the lines of communication open with their peers and superiors.

Slack and other communication tools enable workers to stay connected from anywhere in the world. Choose communication tools that are easy to implement across your hybrid workforce. These tools can make it simple for workers to chat with one another. They can help these employees remain productive if they work from home or remotely.

3. Offer Training

Provide training to help workers become more productive and efficient than ever before. This training can be offered to employees of all skill and experience levels. And it can help bridge the gap between in-office and remote workers.

Develop training initiatives for career advancement, too. These initiatives allow workers to grow their careers. They can help employees take the necessary steps to accomplish their career goals.

4. Update Your Hybrid Work Policies

Create hybrid work policies in alignment with your business needs. If you establish new policies or update existing ones, notify workers. You should give employees ample time to adapt to hybrid work policies. If employees have concerns or questions about these policies, you should be ready to answer them.

Communicate and collaborate with employees on hybrid work policies. Then, workers can share feedback and insights to help you get the most value out of these policies.

The Bottom Line on Ensuring Equity for Your Hybrid Workforce

You want your hybrid workforce to thrive. By creating opportunities for in-house and remote workers to achieve the best-possible results, you can ensure equity across your workforce. Lastly, if you want to hire in-house or remote IT workers, ABBTECH can help. We offer IT job staffing assistance at your convenience. To learn more, please contact us today.

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of ABBTECH!

We’re celebrating the 30th Anniversary of ABBTECH! 2022 marks ABBTECH’s 30th anniversary. A lot has changed over the past three decades. Through it all, our approach has remained consistent. The results: We’ve helped many businesses and job candidates foster long-lasting partnerships.

We have plenty to celebrate on our anniversary. Here are some of the reasons we’ve been successful since our inception.

1. Commitment to Excellence

We are a professional IT staffing agency that goes the extra mile. To do so, we learn about the needs of businesses. From here, we provide businesses with personalized support.

When you work with our professional recruiters, we’ll ensure you achieve excellent results. First, we learn about your IT staffing requirements. We find out why you want to work with an IT staffing firm and plan accordingly. Our team develops a custom plan to help you land top IT talent. Finally, we put our plan into action and work with you to accomplish the optimal results.

2. Top-Notch Services

We offer talent recruitment services for government and commercial organizations. Our services give these organizations quick and easy access to IT talent. We always ensure our services meet our clients’ expectations, too.

If you need help with IT staffing, let us know. Our team can recommend services based on your business’ needs. If you have any concerns or questions about our services, we’re ready to respond to them. That way, you can make an informed decision on what services are right for your business.

3. Community Engagement

We do our part to stay connected to our community. Our team goes above and beyond the call of duty to fulfill business’ talent recruitment requests. We help businesses across the United States connect with IT talent any time they choose.

Let’s not forget about our Veterans 2 Jobs Network (V2JN), either. V2JN helps veterans find new jobs. To date, V2JN has helped over 200 veterans land roles. It also makes it easy for your business to recruit veterans who can support your operations long into the future.

The Future Looks Bright for ABBTECH

We remain dedicated to connecting businesses and job seekers. Going forward, we will continue to seek out ways to help companies and job candidates engage with one another. Furthermore, we’re exploring opportunities to raise the bar for IT talent recruitment nationwide.

If there is anything we can do to help your company with IT talent recruitment, we’re happy to listen. We want to do whatever it takes to support businesses as they seek out quality IT job candidates. If you partner with us, we can handle all of your IT talent recruitment needs.

Don’t Wait to Get Started with ABBTECH

Our professional recruiters are available to learn about your business and help you achieve your IT talent recruitment goals. Once you start working with us, you can add superb IT professionals to your team, and these professionals can help your company grow and thrive. For more information about our IT talent recruitment services or to get started with us, please contact us today.

3 Tips to Help Attract and Retain Women in IT

You want your IT team to perform at peak levels. To achieve your goal, it is beneficial to know how to attract and retain women in IT. This ensures your company can identify quality IT job candidates. 3 tips to help attract and retain women in IT. From here, you can recruit and hire these candidates and make sure they’re happy at your business long into the future.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to attract and retain women in IT. However, there are several things you can do to enhance your talent recruitment and retention strategies. These include:

1. Offer Family-Friendly Work Policies

Help your employees put their families first. To do so, you can develop and launch family-friendly work policies. You can use these policies to encourage workers to spend ample time with their families. Plus, the policies can help your company stand out from others in a competitive job market.

A family-friendly work policy is simple to implement. For instance, you can provide women in IT with the flexibility to work remotely. This gives IT professionals additional time to spend with their families. In addition, it can help these professionals establish and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

2. Offer a Great Compensation Package 

A gender wage gap plagues many businesses across the United States. Fortunately, you can offer a great compensation package to all workers, regardless of role. This can help you attract and retain exceptional women in IT now and in the future.

You should evaluate the compensation package your business currently provides to its IT professionals. Ultimately, the package must include the benefits your workers want. It should also help your business keep pace with its rivals.

Review and update your compensation package regularly. That way, you’re well-equipped to ensure your company’s compensation package consistently hits the mark with your employees.

3. Offer Career Advancement Opportunities

You can give women in IT many opportunities for career advancement. This requires you to develop career advancement programs. With these programs in place, women in IT can develop the skills they need to thrive with your business. Or, they can work toward enhancing their existing skills and further growing their careers.

There are myriad career advancement programs you can offer. For instance, you can provide in-house training to women who are entering IT. Comparatively, you can provide women in IT with money they can use to enroll in college and university degree programs. With every career advancement opportunity you provide to women in IT, you can move one step closer to bolstering your workforce.

Take Your IT Talent Recruitment and Retention to New Heights

If you want to attract and retain women in IT, you need to plan accordingly. These 3 tips to help attract and retain women in IT. Thankfully, ABBTECH can help you do just that. We offer IT talent staffing services to businesses of all sizes and across all industries. Our professional recruiters can help you achieve your IT talent recruitment and retention goals. To learn more about our IT staffing services, please get in touch with us today.

Adhering to these best practices for both phone and virtual interviews will keep your interview professional and stress-free.

Phone and Virtual Interview: Best Practices For Job Seekers

Phone and virtual interviews have become the go-to way for hiring managers to vet candidates. Considering that 74% of recruiters find video interviews make the hiring process easier, they’re likely here to stay.

By adhering to best practices for remote interviewing, you can impress recruiters and improve your employment opportunities. Use these five tips to keep your interview professional and stress-free.

Prep Your Interview Space

Whether you’re interviewing via phone or Zoom, your environment should have good reception and no distractions. If possible, take the call in a private room where the chance of background noise is minimal.

If your interview is over video, tidy the surrounding area and remove distracting objects from the camera’s view.

Hold a Rehearsal Interview

Prepare yourself by coming up with responses to standard interview questions ahead of time. Common topics to prepare for include employment goals, personal strengths and weaknesses, your ability to work as part of a team, how you overcome challenges in the workplace, and addressing gaps in your resume. You should always plan your interview responses according to the business and type of job for which you are interviewing.

Test your microphone and camera before a video interview so you won’t have to troubleshoot during the call. Position the camera so it is level with your face. If you wear glasses, adjust your lighting to prevent glare.

Practice speaking into the camera, watching your posture and natural mannerisms. You should appear professional and engaged onscreen.

Stay Focused

During the interview, give the hiring manager your full attention. Stay engaged and interested. Try to limit voluntary fidgeting, checking your watch, multi-tasking, and unnecessary background noise. If you’re on a video call, maintain eye contact by looking into the camera.

It’s often difficult to read cues during a virtual interview. You can avoid interrupting by waiting a moment after the interviewer asks a question to make sure they’ve finished speaking.

Be Confident

Speaking with confidence is critical to nailing an interview. Whether you’re a seasoned contractor or you’re reentering the workforce after some time away, showing conviction in your abilities leads interviewers to take you seriously as a candidate.

Send a Thank-You Email

Finally, while you should always thank the hiring manager at the end of your interview, it’s a good idea to follow up with an additional thank-you message. This is a great opportunity to reiterate your interest in the position and highlight a few of your key strengths as a match with the position requirements.

Recruitment professionals speak to dozens of candidates each week. Sending a short, courteous email to thank the interviewer for their consideration helps you stand out from the recruitment pool.

Call ABBTECH Today!

ABBTECH places IT professionals in positions with small businesses, startups, and Fortune 500 companies nationwide and has nearly 30 years of experience in staff augmentation services.

Start your job search with ABBTECH today and connect with an experienced recruiter. Once we find a great match for your skill set, our personnel can assist you with every stage of the placement lifecycle.