The outlook for IT and software jobs is expected to grow much faster than average over the next 5+ years. While the demand for jobs in the technology field has been steadily growing, the growth we are currently experiencing in the market has truly never been seen before. As the U.S. continues to gain control over the pandemic, the tech job market in general has completely shifted from what it was just a year ago. Hiring is up—and it is now the candidates who are in control.  Even with summertime in full swing, the opportunities for jobs in the technology field are ample. As someone looking for your next role in tech, these are the trends you can expect to see during your job search:

Consolidated interview processes

You may be accustomed to multiple rounds of interviews with different people involved in the hiring decision, however, the current tech job market has changed things. In an effort to be more efficient and avoid losing talent, employers are adopting panel-style interviews. This means you may now experience less interview rounds and meet more people at once. In order to be prepared for this, be sure to:

• Ask who you’ll be meeting with ahead of time, and do your research
• Bring enough resumes for everyone (if interviewing in-person)
• Prepare questions ahead of time
• Remember to try to keep the meeting conversational

Quick decisions

In times where there are more candidates than there are roles, the job search process can be lengthy—giving you time to figure out what it is you really want out of your next opportunity. However, in the current tech job market, candidates are in high demand and hiring decisions are being made quickly.

Before jumping into your search, be prepared by knowing what you want out of your next technology role, so that you can not only ask the right questions during the interview process, but negotiate your terms if needed. Are learning opportunities important to you? Is using outdated technology a drawback? Some questions to think about asking include:

• How is your company approaching flexible work?
• How do you keep your technology current?
• What learning and development opportunities does your company offer?
• How will technology advancements impact the nature of this job in the future?

Multiple offers

In a candidate-driven market such as the one we are seeing, if you have the right skills for the technology roles you’re interviewing for, you may be getting multiple offers at once. This means there are tough decisions to be made when it comes to making the choice to accept only one of them. Before making the decision to either move on from your current position and/or accept one role over another, be sure to:

• Get the offers in writing
• Compare the benefits against your requirements
• Think about your experience during the interview process
• Review your future goals
• Visualize yourself in the role at the company