NEW YORK, NY, April 17, 2012 — For the fifth consecutive year, ETECH RESOURCES has been selected for the 2012 Best of Sacramento Award in the EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).

The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

This is the first year that a business has qualified as a Five-Time Award Winner. Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2012 USCA Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

Because there is so much going on, there are 3 common mistakes we make on interviews without even knowing it.

1.  Not directly answering interview questions

You might get asked a question, and in a moment of feeling uncomfortable about not having the experience they are asking about, you might dance around the question.  For example:

Question: “Do you have experience with Virtual Servers in a Production Environment?”

Bad Answer:  ”I worked with VMWare in my previous company, and run a virtual server setup at my house.  I’ve worked with Hyper-V, VMWare and Xen Server.”

Better Answer:  ”No, I have not managed any Virtual Servers in a Production Enviroment.  I wish I had the chance, but my previous company wasn’t ready to invest in Virtual Servers for our production systems since they already were running good.  I do, however, have a very good understanding of VMWare and Hyper-V, including using V-Motion and Hyper-V snapshots for recovery.”

The first answer fails to answer the interviewer’s question.  They asked the question to know whether you have the specific experience, and if you are able to answer the question first, then tell about your experience, they are more open to hearing you.

However, if you don’t answer the question, it feels like you are trying to avoid the fact that you don’t have that particular experience, and you come across as slightly dishonest or crafty with your words.

Not having the experience they are asking about doesn’t automatically put you out of the running, but avoiding the question does.

2.  Not making eye contact

On an interview, make eye contact as much as possible.  This shows you are present, engaged and interested.

There are many reasons we might not make eye contact – shyness, nervousness, or habit.

To help with this, try and pretend that you are already working at the company.  Try and feel comfortable where you are.  This slight perspective change can help tremendously.

We’ve often heard employers tell us that they didn’t feel comfortable with a candidate they interviewed, and not making eye contact is often one of the reasons they give.

This takes practice, so don’t worry about it.  If you can relax and try to feel more comfortable where you are, you’ll be ok.

3.  Not asking enough questions

Have a short list of questions you will ask on the interview.  This shows you are interested in the company, and also puts you in a slight position of power.

Even if you are desperate for the job, you want to come across like you are also interviewing the company.

You being a good fit for the company is important to them, and it should be important to you that the company fits you well too.

Ask questions like:

“How long have you been in business?”

“How long have you been in this location?”

“Has your company grown a lot in the last 5 years?”

This shows that you are also interested in a good fit for the client, and that you are looking for a company who is stable.

Jo-Ann Heissner brings more than 25 years of corporate recruiting experience in the IT industry hailing from her position as a senior level recruiter at top corporations such as Intel, Blue Shield of California, and Hewlett Packard.

Heissner oversees technical recruiting and aids in placing clients in high-level positions all across the country.

While you might really need to work, your best situation is where you work at a place where you’re a fantastic fit.

You must consider the following questions:

• Do you absolutely need a job today?
• How long are you willing to wait for the perfect job?  1 week?  1 month?  3 months?
• Is money the top proriority, or could you see other potential benefits that are more important (like stability, atmostphere)?

The bottom line is finding the right job takes time and awareness.  You must go on enough interviews to figure out which opportunities are best, based on your own personal criteria, whatever that may be.

You might think you need to get back to to work desparately, so you can’t wait for your dream job.  In that case, go work!  If it’s that important, then do what you have to do.

But if you have just a little time, or are currently employed, you can look around a bit and see what the different opportunities would bring. You’d be surprised.

When you are a good fit for a company, it leads to pay raises and bonuses, long term employment opportunities, reduced stress, and more.  So it definitely pays to look for the right job.

You must come up with your own criteria for your dream job, but remember to be realistic.  What is really most important?

Do you work well under pressure, or how do you feel about difficult personalities?  Some people do fine, others become stressed in those environments.

Does your potential employer listen well, or give orders?  How do you feel about that?  The answer to this question will play a big role in your long term goals with the potential company.

We know you want to land the job – but remember that you want to land the job that’s the best fit for you.

When we are relaxed, our natural personality comes out.  This will be the person the employer wants to see, and you’ll feel comfortable.

If you are stressed, trying too hard, etc, you might have difficulty in an interview and possibly make an awkward first impression

I’ve been on countless job interviews, and each company is different. Some are formal, some less formal. The personalities you meet are always different. It might or might not be a good fit for you.

You need to be relaxed on your first interview so that you can accurately assess the work environment, and portray yourself as accurately as possible to the employer.  We know you want to land the job – but remember that you want to land the job that’s the best fit for you.

Some tips to relax before an interview:

• Arrive to the interview 10 minutes early, this will account for traffic and other unknowns too
• Take a short (1 -2 minute) walk outside before entering the building. Oxygen is your friend!
• Deep breaths, at least 3 of them.  Each breath relaxes you more.  Take as many deep breaths as you’d like.
• Smile, inside and out.  If you are on an interview, your foot is in the door, you’ll do fine if you’re relaxed.
• No expectations.  You’ll follow up later if necessary. Just present yourself well and try to observe as much as possible.

There’s no real magic formula for making a good first impression.  You just need to relax using the techniques above.  If you’re a good fit, it will be obvious to the employer, and they will likely pursue you, instead of you chasing them.  And that’s a great position to be in.

Good luck!

While your technical skills are necessary, it’s your attitude that will make or break you.

Having a good attitude not only helps morale, but it does many other things psychological to improve your quality of work.

A good attitude opens your mind up for learning, allowing you to assimilate and integrate quickly.  Employers always love when an employee learns and trains quickly (and correctly).  Talk about a good first impression!

If you can do the following things in a workplace, you’ll have no trouble working anywhere.

• Practice good listening skills
• Take responsibility for your work
• Give honest feedback of others and yourself
• Don’t blame, just work to help fix the problem

The tips above are easy, but hard to practice when an environment gets stressful.  By just occassionally remembering these simple tips and practicing them, you’ll stand out.

Jen started her recruiting career in-house with Ziff-Davis Inc., a high-tech publishing company. She worked on staffing executive-level positions at some of the company’s hottest media properties.

After spending seven years in publishing, Jen began staffing early-stage technology companies across multiple business sectors for Mobius Venture Capital (formerly Softbank Venture Capital).  During her tenure at Mobius Venture Capital, Jen also provided human resource and employee relations support to the firm’s portfolio companies.

Jen began recruiting on the agency side more than five years ago and continues support her client’s recruitment efforts at all levels of the organization.

Recent Recommendations:

“Truly enjoyed working with Ryan. She actively helped me find a challenging job assignment with a leader in the computer industry. She addressed my questions and concerns on a timely basis, and never failed to send me friendly notes to ensure that both client and I stayed on track and moving forward.” April 18, 2011

Graciela Z., Validation Engineer of Anti-Theft Technology (Contract), Intel Corporation

She specializes in high-tech and engineering placements for permanent and contract positions.  Jamie supports her client’s recruitment efforts at all levels of the organization including individual contributors to management-level opportunities.

Prior to joining eTECH RESOURCES, Jamie spent 9 years at a previous global staffing firm where she continually progressed in her career starting as an individual contributor working her way towards Sr. Staffing Manager.

Jamie graduated from the University of California, Sacramento with a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice.

Cora is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting.

Combining her extensive knowledge with keen intuition, Brummel created eTECH to deliver what larger professional placement companies offered, but with an emphasis on customer service and finding the right IT candidates.

Brummel has developed and nurtured an impressive network of powerful business relationships that continue to serve her clients today. She strongly believes in giving back to her community by supporting numerous charities and fundraisers.