Candidate Resources

For more information on career transition, please visit our Career Transition Resources section.

We make a point to stay on top of practices and policies that can impact your career. Please browse our archive of pertinent articles, papers and helpful links to in-depth information on important issues. Check back often as we are continually updating our resources.

Boost Your Personal Brand

Boost Your Personal Brand While professionals can showcase their technical skills on sites like GitHub or Stack Overflow, going a step further to maintain a comprehensive personal brand can strengthen their reputation and increase their network. Personal branding…

How to Ace Your Video Interview

How to Ace Your Video Interview Videoconference software is becoming more popular for business meetings and interviews. Even though you, the candidate, are in a comfortable environment at home, you should treat it the same as if you were having…

Questions to Ask Recruiters

Questions to Ask Recruiters What questions you should ask when approached by a recruiter? These questions should move beyond the basic job responsibilities and location, and dig deeper into learning about the company, the potential for career growth, and…

Guidelines for a successful re-occupancy

States are opening up and most leaders we are speaking with are targeting a return date by the end of July, while a few have already allowed key employees back in the office. Here’s what we are hearing…

Position Yourself For Success After COVID-19

Position Yourself For Success After COVID-19 There are two main types of leaders: “Peacetime leaders and Wartime leaders”, Danny Cahill, staffing industry veteran and training guru, said recently in a professional development session. This concept got us thinking and…

Happy Employees are Productive Employees

HOW TO CREATE A HAPPY AND PRODUCTIVE PROJECT TEAM Following January’s newsletter about revising your candidate experience to attract top talent, let’s take a look at improving workplace happiness to keep your top employees happy and engaged. According to…

Setting Career Goals for 2020

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE TEAMS AT WHITAKER IT AND WHITAKER TECHNICAL! The teams at Whitaker Companies wish you a holiday season filled with joy and laughter. We wish you prosperity in the coming year and look forward to working…

Today We Give Thanks for a Strong Labor Market

Economists say we are in the strongest labor market in decades (J. Bartash) which is great timing for Americans as we get ready for the hustle and bustle of a busy holiday season. The pace of layoffs and the…

Questions to Ask Recruiters

Q4 is already upon us and it’s officially Fall…although in Texas our temperatures haven’t fully gotten on board yet! As we dive into the season for football, fall carnivals, and all things pumpkin spice, let’s also take a deeper…

Gain The Most Value From Networking

Being involved in associations and conferences is a great way to enhance your knowledge and skills while increasing your professional network. For some technical professionals the idea of networking can sound overwhelming, causing them to shy away from the potential…

Heat Safety Tips

Temps are heating up just in time to celebrate our nation’s independence this week. It’s important to keep in mind these safety tips if you are tasked with working in the summer heat: ASSE offers the following tips for…

Influential IT leader and veteran “Amazing” Grace Hopper

As we celebrate our nation’s independence, let’s take a look at one of the most influential IT leaders that served our country in the US Navy, Rear Admiral "Amazing" Grace Hopper. “In the world of technology, most women do…

IT Summer Conferences

Memorial weekend is a time to remember and honor those that have made sacrifices for our country, it’s also the unofficial start of summer marking the end of the school year for all our favorite students. With summer fast approaching,…

STEM Graduates & Salaries Increase

In honor of upcoming college graduations, it’s important to dive into the statistics of the incoming STEM workforce and why more students are now choosing STEM careers. The share of bachelor’s degree holders in the U.S. who majored in…

The Rise of DevOps

DevOps is coming up on its 10-year anniversary, and more industries across sectors are working to weave in the methodology. As the DevOps movement is increasing in popularity and demand across the country, these practitioners are becoming increasingly harder…

Disconnect Between Baby Boomers and Millennials

We often hear about the gaps between Baby Boomers and Millennials, the bad reputation Millennials have in the workforce, and frankly, the overabundance of information can be burdensome and tiring. However, a recent article caught our attention that demonstrates…

March SIM Women Meeting “The ERP Journey: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly”

You are invited to attend: SIM Women's Event March 26th, 5:30 PM-7:30 PM The ERP Journey: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Enterprise Resource Planning: Are you maintaining the status quo? Are you planning to move to the Cloud?…

Benefits of Using Vacation Days

Spring Break is here for most of the country, and summer vacation is just around the corner! Did you know both employers and employees benefit when workers actually use their vacation days? [gallery link="none" size="medium" ids="4992,4990,4991"] According to a…

Heart-Healthy Workplace

How heart healthy is your work environment? According to the American Heart Association, heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and 2 killers worldwide. Did you know that “company culture can play a huge factor in heart health…”…

Engineering Networking Events & Tips

Networking is an important aspect of growing your career, no matter if you are looking for a new position, trying to expand your knowledge or contact base, or wanting to mentor less experienced professionals in your field. For some, networking…

Make 2018 your best year ever (professionally)!

A recent article featured on Thebalance.com "Top 10 Ways to Be Happy at Work" provides ideas that may help you find happiness at work and make this year your best year ever. Below are a few highlighted ideas from the…

IT Certifications – 2017

Looking to take the next step in your career? With technology changing constantly certifications give you the edge to that next step in your career, expertise to a new or current technology, or help you get started. Our top picks…

May 2017: Time to Consider Contract Roles Instead of Perm?

Another great market for contract opportunities? How to know if now really is a good time to consider contract roles instead of perm? Given the uncertainty surrounding H-1B legislation, IT professionals and departments across the US and here in Houston…

Time to consider a contract job?

Ask yourself: Do I want to learn a new technology? Do I want to try a different role or work in a different Industry? Do I want to maximize my earning potential? Am I a fixer? (these folks like to…

March 2017: Prepare For A Year With More Interviews

2017 rebound underway? In our limited view of the overall refining and chemical marketplace, we've experienced a very sluggish 2016 that ended with a flurry of mid and high-level management hires. Although it's not unusual for us to see last…

February 2017: Spring Clean Your Career

After a full weekend of near record temperature highs in Houston, “Spring Cleaning” is on my mind. I know I’m probably a bit ahead of the curve on this, but having just put together: 2017 Goals, final tallies for 2016…

December 2016: How to Have an Effective Performance Review

Pay and recognition are two of the most important factors that impact employee morale, performance and growth. From a company standpoint, if your business isn't keeping up with market trends, you can run the risk of losing talented employees and…

May 2016: How to Bulletproof Your IT Career

Is it possible to bulletproof your IT career? Nothing in this life is ever 100% certain, however staying on top of new technologies and software programs, not to mention earning multiple certifications, is a way for an IT professional to…

May 2016: Body Language During Interview

On a recent rainy Sunday I had the opportunity to go see the movie “The Revenant” and it struck me that for all of the great screenplay and dialogue, the really gripping part of the movie was what wasn’t said…

January 2016: Boost Your Career in 2016

Welcome to 2016! The calendar is empty, our goals have yet to be accomplished and new opportunities wait to be discovered. There’s this feeling that we’ve been given another chance to get it right. With empty calendar in mind, we…

Cover Letter- Get It Done!

As the school year is coming to an end I have gotten several emails from new graduates asking for advice on how to present themselves to prospective employers. Presenting yourself correctly as a recent grad with minimal experience to prospective…

How To Successfully Use Videoconferencing For Interviews

In a tight job market, we experience an increase in project demands and competition for quality professionals. Good talent does not stay on the market for long, so it’s a “no-brainer” that our clients are using Skype and other software…

How To Master The Typical Job Interview Sequence

The objective of an interview is to get a job offer. Once you have the offer, you then have the opportunity to accept or reject it. As you prepare for interviews and actually meet employers, remembering this objective is the…

How To Ask For And Get The Job

From preparing for the interview to closing the interview, below you will find the eights steps that could help you land the position meant for you. Prepare for the interview Learn what your prospect employer needs. Research the company, formally…

Questions To Ask The Interviewer

If offered an opportunity during an interview to ask questions, be sure to prioritize what questions you ask to learn as much as you can about the position’s responsibilities, expectations, deliverables and requirements. Most interviewers initially set aside only a…

Interview Mistakes To Avoid

You’ve landed an interview at your dream company, now what? You’re nervous, excited, anxious – all these emotions spinning around in your stomach. Don’t let your nerves get the best of you and cause you to make common and avoidable…

Reasons For Job Changes

Certain industries are seeing a rebound and good career options are becoming more available for top talent. Is a job change really right for you? There are four basic reasons a person changes jobs: 1. Situation Situation, has nothing to…

Visit our job portal for a current listing of our available positions.