Tech Consulting Job Search: How to Work with Recruiters to Weed Out the Noise and Get the Jobs that Matter

Tech consulting is a great field.  However, there are often a few hundred listings to sort through and only a few real jobs that meet your goals. As a tech consultant, it can be tough to find the right contract or employment opportunity just by sorting through the job boards. Half the listings are decoys recruiting for other positions and the other half might be a good fit – if they had enough information for you to tell.

The problem is that many companies don’t know how to hire the tech recruiter they need and those that do sometimes don’t take down their job listing when the role is filled. This leaves you with a lot of noise and not a lot of substance. One of the best ways to weed out the chaff and find the jobs that meet your goals is to work with tech recruiters who truly understand the industry – and have clients on both sides of the line.

Here’s how to work with recruiters to find the tech consulting jobs that matter – and weed out the ones that don’t.

Find Knowledgeable Tech Recruiters

First, find a team of experienced and knowledgeable tech recruiters. It takes a tech expert to hire a great tech consultant. This means that your recruiters know your value when they see it – and fully understand the tech needs of the companies they will connect you with. Experienced tech recruiters know how to match your consultant skills with companies who need what you have to offer – allowing you to sort out every job offer that doesn’t fit your profile.

You’ll know the right recruiters because you will understand each other. They won’t just be spinning buzzwords. They’ll tell you in plain language what their clients are looking for and when you explain your expertise they’ll ask all the right questions to really determine your specialties and workflow preferences.

Detail Your Skills, Expertise, and Interests

Once you find the right recruiters, help them understand what you have to offer by detailing your skills, specialties, and interests. Talk about the experience you bring to the table, the technologies you are most familiar with, and the consulting value you have to offer.

Of course, this isn’t just about selling yourself, it’s also about finding a good match for future clients. You’ll also want to describe what you’re most interested in working with, the sectors you prefer, and where you see your skills expanding in the future. This will help your recruiters get an idea of which of their clients will make good contract clients for you, with a good fit on both sides.

Outline Your Ideal Workflow

Workflow is a big deal in today’s recruiting industry. Are you planning on working remotely or do you perform on-site tech consultations for hardware and business systems? Do you prefer Zoom calls, phone calls, or text-based communication? Do you like a 9-5 schedule with the commuting crowd or would you rather have a company culture of night owls?

Give your recruiters an outline of your ideal workflow and the types of teams you like to work with. Then define some margins including what you can comfortably work with outside your dream-job ideal. This will help your recruiters find a good company culture match in an ever-diversifying landscape of workflows in the business world.

Work with Recruiters to Find the Right Clients

Once your recruiters have a strong idea of where you will best fit, they’ll start connecting you with clients. You can skip 100% of the chaff on job boards because recruiters work directly with their clients – they know who is hiring for a real position, which listings are “duds”, and who is just trolling for tech talent.

A team of recruiters on your side can protect you from freelance recruiting tactics like dummy listings and hidden details. They also have insight into each of their clients’ real company cultures and details about the job that might not be included in typical online listings.

Take Interviews with Companies that Meet Your Criteria

Finally, start taking interviews when your recruiter team finds a good match. By working through recruiters, you can avoid wasting your time by only connecting with employers who really want a tech consultant who does what you do – the way you do it. These interviews will be arranged and curated by your recruiters, which also helps to avoid no-shows and ghosting because recruiters know their clients directly. It’s not just a job board connection.

When you find the right match with a client during the interview process, you can build your new consulting contract and your recruiters get a commission from the company for helping them sort through the job board noise from the other direction.

Tech consultants are often required to carry specific insurance.  Your contract may list several types of coverages you’re required to have.  There are also several insurance products that, while not required by contract, can help protect you and your business.  If you are a tech consultant, contact us today for help with your insurance needs.