Tech Screen
Your initial conversation with an IT candidate is your “pitch”, an introduction of you, Optomi and the value presented to the candidate. A pitch sets the tone of the conversation and partnership to come. If it is confident, credible and creative, the odds of an engaged and valuable conversation increase dramatically.
Our goal is to engage candidates in a technically focused conversation, a “tech screen” if you will. This is a discussion heavily focused on the technical knowledge, experience and expertise of a candidate, to gain an understanding of the depth of technical capabilities.
Our approach is to first cover this Technical Screening to set up a successful partnership with a Technical Recruiter specializing in the appropriate skillset to further explore the career objectives and ambitions of that candidate. This starts with an understanding of their technical experience and capabilities. To be a successful partner in a candidate’s career, we first need to know their strengths – this is your objective.
When giving a pitch, many times there are objections to overcome and those will be covered separately. However, with the knowledge you will gain through training and practice, you’ll have the credibility and confidence to demonstrate your value to the candidate and win their trust.
How to approach and run a tech screen?
- Set the expectation that the discussion is about their technical experience
- Make it clear, our goal is to understand their expertise so we can align our recruiters who specialize in that area
- Ask questions – if it’s something you don’t know take the opportunity to ask and learn
What is discussed in a tech screen?
- Technical aspects of their current role
- What applications, programming languages, tools do they work with?
- Size of the environment
- Methodology
- How did they get to this role, what has been their technical path?
- Specific technical questions based on candidate’s specialty
Why do we conduct a tech screen?
- Understand strengths and weaknesses of the candidate
- Align candidates to recruiters specializing in that skillset
- Provide recruiter with base of information on candidate’s abilities, sets up the partnership
- Establish credibility as a technical organization, not just calling for resumes
Tech Screen Format
Tech Screened For:
Current Situation:
Candidate Responsibility:
Primary Technical Strengths:
Current Compensation / Hiring Preference:
Current Location & Commute:
Desired Technical Focus / Types of Opportunities:
Next Steps:
Tech Screen Sample
Tech Screened For:
13121 – Fiserv, Windows Engineer
Current Situation:
Currently still with Office of Tax Commissioner where he has been since Mar 2019, but he feels as if he has maxed out in his current role and is ready to take on the next challenge in his career. Looking for a full-time Systems Administrator role, open to C2H or DH roles. Looking for $90k/ year. Located 10 minutes from downtown Atlanta and open to commuting. Ultimate JOAT!
Office of Tax Commissioner, System Administrator (Mar 2019 – Current)
- User account management with Active Directory (set up new accounts, adding access points)
- Azure for cloud-based servers
- Use Citrix servers – most apps are Citrix based
- Desktop support, workstation support, phone support
- Remote in through VPN and access phone systems and network
- Accountable for electronic space with user management
- Cash Counters – connected to network through routing
- HVAC, electrical, low voltage wires, network lines
- Accountable for security staff – physical security management that report to him
- Looking elsewhere because he feels there is no movement.
- Sole accountability was to the single judge of the county
- His job was to transition the court into a new environment that was better for the overall court process
- Migrated from Agile to Odyssey with a small team (only IT in the court office.)
- Changing buildout to the court
- Security entrance, security badges, phones, network, high voltage (changing of where lights were placed)
- Assessing and changing policies
- Troubleshooting Windows OS
- Work well with others and also loves to be a leader/teacher
- Active Directory (8/10)
- VM (4/10)
- Azure
- VMware
- PowerShell Scripting (Writing scripts from scratch)
- Compensation – $65k/year, took a job with intent that he would move up to IT Manager
- Future Compensation – $70K/year is what he would be targeting to make a move in his next role
- Type – Open to Contract to Hire or Direct Hire
Current Location & Commute:
- Lives in East Point
- Comfortable with a 10-mile commute or less
- Really wants to work for a company downtown
- Also good with a 100% remote role
Desired Technical Focus / Types of Opportunities:
- Really targeting a Windows Systems Administrator role
- Wants to continue building up his knowledge/experience within VMware and PowerShell scripting
Next Steps:
- Adding to Tear Sheet for Windows Systems Administrators
Mirroring
Practicing your mirroring techniques can be a great way to gather more information in your conversation on a Tech Screen. If you are trying to learn more about a specific role/ technology / language they worked on and you are getting very “canned” or shorter responses, try to insert mirroring in the conversation.
EX:
Recruiter: Walk me through your experience as a Network Engineer
Candidate: I primarily work on Windows and most of my day is spent in Routing / Switching.
Recruiter: (Insert Mirroring) I see, so most of your time is in Routing / Switching?
Candidate: Yes, I work on a lot of Cisco devices and I utilize routing protocols such as BGP & OSPF. I also help with some of the F5 load balancers but would love to work more with Firewalls in Security.
In this example above, the Recruiter is simply trying to learn more about the Candidates routing / switching experience, so they repeated that phrase and were able to get a more in-depth answer.