Recruiter Tips: How to Accelerate Your Career Journey While Being the Best Version of Yourself

“Take a break! It's important to fill your cup in order to be the best version of yourself and show up for others.”

That’s the most memorable piece of advice that Alexis Fagin, a Recruiter at Philo, has ever received. And that’s only the start of the great advice this self-described career matchmaker has to share! Fagin spends her days “helping professionals through the candidate experience and to the job of their dreams,” she tells us. In doing so, she’s learned quite a bit about how to accelerate your career!

From Fagin’s top advice for women in tech to making a career pivot and acing your interview, read on for the tips you need to take charge of your career.

1. Advice for growing a career in tech.

What advice do you have for women who are looking to elevate their career in the tech industry?

When it comes to working in tech, it can be intimidating — especially for women — to break into this field. One bit of advice I have is to make yourself visible to hiring teams, whether that be through taking the leap and applying to open opportunities, ensuring your social channels highlight your expertise, or interacting with recruiters. At Philo, our recruiters have an active presence on LinkedIn and are always open to a conversation.

You should also join a company that supports you. Luckily, at Philo, we are making diversity a focus in terms of our recruitment strategy, especially in departments where representation is needed. While this is a male-dominated industry, we value having a diverse set of voices in every room possible.

What are the top three qualities you look for when you’re interviewing a candidate for a role in your industry?

1. A positive personality and culture fit.

2. An ability to cross collaborate.

3. A genuine interest in the job, company, and industry.

2. How to ace a career change and interview like a pro.

To begin, what tips do you have for women who are considering a career change and want to break into a totally new role or industry? How can they best make their application and skills standout?

Keep your LinkedIn profile up to date, showcase any projects you've contributed to, and don't be afraid to highlight your own quirks!

Next, let’s discuss interviewing. What are your go-to interview questions for all candidates?

1. Out of any of the opportunities you would consider, what are the most important things to you?

2. What has made you open to new opportunities.

3. What technologies are you strongest with? (For technical roles.)

4. How active are you with your search, and what's your timeline?

On the other hand, what are your biggest tips for what NOT to do when applying or interviewing at a company?

Don't skip any of the application questions.

3. Top tips for interviewing at Philo.

How do you suggest candidates prepare for an interview at Philo? What information do they need to know?

We highly suggest trying a seven-day free trial of Philo to better understand our platform! Besides that, remember to be yourself.

Do you recommend candidates do outreach to current recruiters or employees for informational interviews before applying? And do you have any tips for optimizing resumes for automated application systems?

We love when candidates reach out to us via LinkedIn. Also, having the keywords from our job posting will help a ton; we do filtered searches for things such as this to narrow the candidate pipeline.

Finally, as a recruiter, what are three things about Philo that you always make sure to highlight when talking to a candidate?

1. Philo's background: how we got our start and our current state.

2. Our culture and ERGs, which are a big part of who we are.

3. Our values of transparency, humility, and no ego.

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