Welcome back to #WeAreGreenKey, where we shine a spotlight on our powerhouse recruiting team.
We chatted yesterday with Julian Davis, Director on the Green Key Information Technology team. Julian has been with Green Key since 2021 and reflects on his team’s ability to address trends in the industry, such as automation and electric vehicles, while also focusing on quality relationship-building and trust.
Are you seeing any changes in hiring recently due to tech layoffs?
I focus a lot on ground-level type, boots on the ground positions such as help desk/desktop support and field technicians. We’re not seeing a lot of effect in those type of roles. In fact, we’ve seen the opposite. Work still needs to get done, especially as companies gear more toward automation and processes become more tech-focused. They need people to support the new wave of business.
What are some new trends you’re noticing in tech?
Electric vehicles/smart homes and offices, return to office, and a lot of M&A, where during covid, companies who were fortunate enough to keep their doors open full time ended up capturing market share from companies who weren’t able to operate at full capacity. For the companies who grew during covid, it’s about maintaining their services, SLA and KPIs to satisfy all of their acquired clients. For the companies who are now trying to build back, it’s about recapturing business and putting themselves in position to be able to take on and go after additional clients. Both scenarios require the proper infrastructure and the personnel to be able to take that on, which is where our team can make a difference. Finding reliable folks who want to show up to work every day for our clients and placing candidates in industries and companies where they can grow and develop.
What specific roles or experience are your clients really looking for right now?
In almost every I.T. skillset, they’re looking for candidates who have experience in that 3-5 year window. Coming out of Covid, many senior level employees either retired or were too expensive to keep. So those underneath them were promoted up. Meanwhile, entry-levels from college are now only just starting their career. Because everything was on hold for a couple years, there is now a big gap in that 3-5 year range. As far as role specifics, I’m seeing a large need for experience in cloud computing such as Azure or AWS, endpoint configuration tools such as SCCM for deployments along with general systems/network infrastructure experience.
How can a candidate set themselves apart in the tech industry?
Right now, it’s experience, as well as education and certifications. Certifications are a way to keep your resume current. Covid might have put some careers on hold, but those who didn’t work on advancement during that time are often passed over. Certifications such as Google, CompTIA, or SISCO are all beneficial to have. I have also seen a lot of project-based positions opening up and I recommend candidates to consider them. Most people want a full-time role, but in the interim, you get exposure to a lot of different industries.
What sets your team apart from other tech recruiting teams?
We are honest. This isn’t a typical sales job. Most of the time, it takes time to place to candidates and that means forming relationship over the course of several months. We learn what they’re looking for and where they want to be by recognizing trends in the industry and sharing that information with them. It’s less on volume, more on quality.
Are there any personal goals you’re looking to achieve in the near or far future?
We are now a team of seven now, three Business Developers and four Recruiters. So, the goal is really to continue growing the team and getting our name out there. I want clients to immediately think of us when they need hiring services in tech.
