Our Services, Your Advantages:
Sirsai Recruiters represents candidates who are driven by excellence, are open to new ideas, and view change as an opportunity.

Confidentiality is critical when learning about potential new opportunities; we at Sirsai hold this in the highest regard. We encourage you to learn more about how Sirsai Recruiters can assist you in finding that perfect job whether that's a permanent position or a contract/consulting assignment.

Sirsai Advantages:

Referral Program
Sirsai offers attractive referral fee, depending on the magnitude of the placement, to any external source referring a candidate to Sirsai who is then successfully placed by Sirsai at a client company. Click here to submit your referrals, or call us at 42114000 to learn more about this program.

Anonymity
We at Sirsai understand your desire to remain anonymous while researching new opportunities. Sirsai will not send your resume to or share your personal information with anyone without your approval.

Our Client Companies
Our clients range from small start-up companies to large multinational firms. We strive to learn their businesses, their work cultures, their requirements, and their benefits, enabling us to suggest a match only when it makes sense for both parties. Our client contacts are typically decision-making hiring managers, thereby streamlining the process and saving you precious time. We are currently working to fill hundreds of open positions with companies in Massachusetts and throughout the United States . To learn more about the areas within which we focus visit our Areas of Expertise section of this site.

Individual Needs
We make it a priority to understand your individual needs and desires. We meet our candidates in person; we believe this is the best way to get to know you, your requirements, and your strengths so we can best represent you to our client companies. At the same time, you will have the opportunity to learn more about our current opportunities and our views on where your industry's job market is headed.

Staying in Touch
Sirsai makes it our business to stay in touch with you, even after you start your new position. If after exploring currently available opportunities you don't choose to make a move now, we will be here when the right time comes.

Career Management Services
Career planning is a lifelong process, requiring continuous effort to meet changing employment conditions. To achieve and manage a satisfying career, it is crucial to identify a preferred career direction and to implement effective career enhancing strategies.

To assist clients in clarifying career direction at any life stage, Career Planning Services offers a career planning consultation, consisting of two interviews. This process may be completed through face to face meetings for local clients or by a combination of telephone, e-mail, and written correspondence for distance clients and those for whom these modes would be more convenient.

The first interview, which is approximately two hours, includes a discussion of personal interests, abilities, personality characteristics, and career aspirations. After completing an interest inventory and a values survey, clients participate in a second interview of approximately three hours. During this meeting, the interest inventory and values survey are discussed, potential career alternatives are considered, and a tentative career plan is developed.

Career planning is confidential and by appointment only. To schedule an office or telephone appointment or obtain further information concerning fees and services, contact Career Planning Services at careermanagement@sirsai.com.

Career Development Advice:
Ten Steps to a Successful Career Change

1. Evaluate your current job satisfaction. Keep a journal of your daily reactions to your job situation and look for recurring themes. Which aspects of your current job do you like/dislike? Are your dissatisfactions related to the content of your work your company culture or the people with whom you work?

2. Assess your interests, values and skills through self help resources like the exercises in What Color is Your Parachute. Review past successful roles, volunteer work, projects and jobs to identify preferred activities and skills. Determine whether your core values and skills are addressed through your current career.

3. Brainstorm ideas for career alternatives by discussing your core values/skills with friends, family, networking contacts and counselors. Visit career libraries and use online resources like those found in the Career Advice section of the Job Search website.

4. Conduct a preliminary comparative evaluation of several fields to identify a few targets for in depth research.

5. Read as much as you can about those fields and reach out to personal contacts in those arenas for informational interviews.

6. Shadow professionals in fields of primary interest to observe work first hand. Spend anywhere from a few hours to a few days job shadowing people who have jobs that interest you. Your college Career Office is a good place to find alumni volunteers who are willing to host job shadowers.

7. Identify volunteer and freelance activities related to your target field to test your interest e.g. if you are thinking of publishing as a career, try editing the PTA newsletter. If you're interested in working with animals, volunteer at your local shelter.

8. Investigate educational opportunities that would bridge your background to your new field. Consider taking an evening course at a local college. Spend some time at one day or weekend seminars. Contact professional groups in your target field for suggestions.

9. Look or ways to develop new skills in your current job which would pave the way for a change e.g. offer to write a grant proposal if grant writing is valued in your new field. If your company offers in-house training, sign up for as many classes as you can.

10. Consider alternative roles within your current industry which would utilize the industry knowledge you already have e.g. If you are a store manger for a large retail chain and have grown tired of the evening and weekend hours consider a move to corporate recruiting within the retail industry. Or if you are a programmer who doesn't want to program, consider technical sales or project management.

Are You Really Committed To Your Career Goals?

Are you working on your career goals or just going through the motions? Are you "in" one day and "out" the next? Are you waiting for your goals to inspire and motivate you, and then you will jump in completely?

Many of us want a guarantee before we fully commit to our goals. If only we knew it would work out, then we would not question our choice or the direction of our future. Guess what? Your career will not give you the guarantee you are seeking. What you will get is a strong feeling inside guiding you in the right direction. Then, you listen to your gut, follow what you hear, and work on your goals everyday. That's when momentum takes over. That's when you get inspired. That's when you reach your goals.

The miracles in your career happen when you throw yourself fully into what you want to achieve. Will there be bad days and good ones? Yes. Will you question your future sometimes? Yes. There is a difference between being "in" versus planning for a time when you are ready to go "in." What happens if you are never ready? How are you ever going to reach your goals then?

So, How Do You Fully Commit To Your Career Goals? Follow These Four Steps Below:

1. Decide To Commit to Your Goals

Decisions are the turning point for real change and transformation.
If you are unhappy in your job, decide that you will do something about it.
If you want a career change, decide that you will have one.
If you want to move up in your present position, decide that this will happen.

Decide that today is that start of something brand new. For many of my clients, deciding is the hard part. Once the decision has been made, the rest is implementation.

2. Act on Your Goals
Get ready to reach your goals by arming yourself with the tools you need to be successful.
Is your resume and cover letter ready to go?
Do you have a list of schools to investigate so you can gain new skills if that's what is necessary to get ahead? Do you have your list of contacts in front of you for networking purposes?
Have you researched what your skills are worth in the marketplace so you could use this information to make more money?

Make a list of action steps to move your career forward. Then, work on one action step every day.
3. Let go of what's holding you back
Let go of your fears, disappointments, and the mistakes you have made. They are a part of your past, and not your future. Let these things go because they are keeping you from having an extraordinary career. A scary thought? You bet. Some people do not know who they would be without their past to define them. But with big leaps, come big rewards. What you are really releasing is the negative aspects of your past that are holding you back. These aspects are keeping you from being fully committed to your goals. Once you tell yourself that you will not fail, your chances of success increase substantially.

4. Celebrate
Committing to your goals is a big deal. Once you have committed, it is time to celebrate. You are free to go after what you want. You can create the future you have been thinking about and wishing for. You have more power than you think to change the direction of your career. Use that power to take your career to great heights. Then, congratulate yourself for doing so.

So what do you say, you only have one life to live so it might as well be a life you love!

Job Search Tips:
Ten Tips for Effective Job Searching
It's always important to make sure you have covered all the bases when you are in the midst of a job search. Sometimes we get so focused on one aspect of seeking employment, like sending out resumes, for example, that we forget to make sure that everything we do is professional, focused and appropriate. Review these ten tips to make sure your job search is on the right track.

First Impressions
Looking, speaking and acting professionally help to make a terrific first impression.

Follow-Up
Don't be afraid to follow-up. I hired a Customer Manager over a year after he first sent me his resume. I didn't even need to advertise when the position became available. In addition to sending me his resume, John had called me every month or so to touch base, and even stopped in my office (through the back door not through the receptionist!) just to say hello. Needless to say I remembered him when a position opened up. And he was extremely qualified for the position, which is why I remembered him.

Interviewing
Be on time for the interview. On time means five to ten minutes early. If need be, take some time to drive to the office ahead of time so you know exactly where you are going and how long it will take to get there.

Job Fairs
Periodically attend these events even when you are not necessarily looking for a job to see what opportunities are out there, and to gain a perspective on where you fit in the job marketplace.

Keep Track
I have found that one of the most useful things I started doing was to keep track of everything I am doing. I use a simple spreadsheet, like Excel. And I do mean everything. I have one file where I enter all the information from any job sites that I join. Information such as the username and password I created, what type of job site is it -­ freelance or regular or specialty.

Meaningful Work
Explore your passion, identify a new direction, and take action to create a career that leaves you energized and excited.

Say Thank You
Try to send your thank-you note within 24-48 hours of your interview or meeting. The note may be handwritten on a small, professional, thank-you note card (if you have extremely neat handwriting and only a brief message to convey), word-processed, or emailed.

Stay On Top of the News
Be aware of the latest business news in your community or the city where you want to work. Read local business journals to find out who's on top in your industry. Review the Business section of your local newspaper, as well. These resources will give you a sense of which employers are "hot" as well as often contact information to send your resume.

Your Resume
Write it until it's right. Think, write, think some more, rewrite, proofread, get feedback and rewrite.

Don't Give Up
Last, but not least, don't give up. Job searching is never easy and it's even harder when the job market is difficult. Keep plugging away at your job search and eventually, though it may take more time that you expected, the right position will come along.

Resume & Cover letters Tips
10 Steps to a Killer Resume
You know the feeling. You spend hours, or even days, creating a résumé. You pore over every word of your cover letter and agonize over what to say in your email. Then you hit 'send' and wait. And wait. And wait. No one calls. No one writes. You don't know if anyone even saw your résumé. When this happens, it's easy to get dejected and worry that employers are not interested in you. Don't! Remember, they haven't met you. They have only seen your résumé and that may be the problem.

An overwhelming majority of job seekers make basic mistakes with their résumés -­ mistakes that ensure that they will not get the interviews they deserve. If you feel as though you're sending your résumé into a black hole, try this 'Ten Step Program' to diagnose problems and get your résumé working for you.

1. Is your résumé the right length?
You may have heard that your résumé should fit on one page. This is nonsense. Recruiter or hiring managers don't care if your résumé is one or two pages long. But they do care whether it is easy to read and gives key information upfront. Your résumé can be one, two, or (occasionally) even three pages. The only rule is that the length should be appropriate for you. If in doubt follow the (very general) rule of thumb that less than 5 years experience probably only requires one page and more than that may need two.

2. Does your résumé clearly position you as someone who can meet the needs of the employer?
Think of a résumé as an advertisement for a product, only this time the product is you. Just like any other advertisement, positioning is everything. The person who receives your résumé will scan it quickly ­ perhaps for no more than 20 seconds ­ to determine whether you can help her company. Your job is to say quickly, clearly and loudly that you can!

Don't just launch into a chronology of your career history. Instead, determine your own positioning by spelling out your message at the start of the résumé and giving the reader your version of events upfront. For this reason, you should use the first 1/3 of your résumé to create a compelling personal profile which highlights your key strengths in an attractive, easy-to-read format.

3. Does your résumé begin with an objective?
Don't start with an objective. Recruiters and hiring managers don't like them because they focus on the needs of the job seeker rather than the needs of the potential employer. Consider this objective statement: "Seeking a software engineer position with a progressive employer where I can contribute to the development of new technologies and work with bright, committed people."

This may be very honest but it is irrelevant to the reader, who does not care what you want and only cares what you have to offer. Instead of an objective, try using a positioning statement that clearly and concisely explains what you have to offer.

"Senior Software Engineer with 10 years experience developing leading-edge technologies.
Now the reader can immediately see your value to the company. (For even greater impact, tailor this statement for each position so that the reader immediately sees a match between his/her needs and your skills.)

4. Does your résumé contain specifics?
You must place your achievements in context by providing specifics. For example, don't say something vague like "contributed to product design." This tells the employer nothing about your actual contribution. Instead be specific about what you did: "Conducted market analysis for (name of product) to determine design and mechanics. Led changes to original design spec. despite initial developer objections. Received critical acclaim and sold over 4 million units." See how being specific makes a difference? This level of detail shows the reader the contributions you have made in the past (and therefore the contributions you can be expected to make in the future.)

5. Have you outlined achievements as well as responsibilities?
Don't provide a laundry list of responsibilities without showing what results you achieved. Most employers already know what the main responsibilities of your job were. They want to know what makes you different from all the other applicants. An effective résumé summarizes job responsibilities in a few sentences and then provides details of quantifiable achievements.

Focus most of your résumé on the results you accomplished, not the regular duties of your job.

6. Are there any typos?
Your résumé has to be perfect. Proofread it over and over again. When you are sure it's perfect, have other people proof it! If even one word is misspelled the reader will assume that you didn't know how to spell the word (this is bad) or that you didn't care (this is even worse!) Nothing puts the reader off more quickly than misspellings or typos.

7. Is the résumé easy to read?
At least 50% of the impact of your résumé derives from design. A strong résumé design will pull the eye through the document, making it easy to keep reading and will highlight your key strengths clearly. But if your résumé is badly laid out, disorganized or hard to read, it will be discarded before the reader knows how qualified you are.

To see examples of how to lay out your résumé, go to the library or bookstore and look in the career section. You will find collections of sample résumés. Take time to understand how the page has been laid out and then apply what you've learned to your résumé.

8. Have you listed irrelevant information?
Don't list your hobbies unless they directly support your qualifications for the position. Don't detail your marital status or the number of children you have. Don't mention non-professional affiliations such as political or religious volunteer work unless it directly relates to the position you are applying for. Any personal information runs the risk of turning the reader off. However proud you are of personal achievements, you should not run the risk of alienating someone before you even have your foot in the door.

9. Are you too modest?
Don't be uncomfortable about blowing your own trumpet. Too many people play down their achievements. While you should never exaggerate on a résumé, you should definitely take credit for the things you've accomplished. Some people feel uncomfortable boasting on paper preferring to explain in an interview. But if your résumé doesn't spark interest, you may never get that opportunity, so don't be modest!

10. Have you created an internet-ready version of résumé?
If you have to post your résumé online, or apply to a job via an online system, you will need to convert your résumé to a text-only format. If you don't do this, your résumé will be almost impossible to read because most online systems cannot support the type of formatting used in a résumé (bold, italics, bullet points, lines etc.)

SUMMARY
When you send your résumé out, it must speak articulately for you. You can't explain inconsistencies, clear up confusion or fill in things that are missing. Your résumé has to make your sales pitch in a clear and compelling manner within 20 seconds. Invest the time to make it exceptional and you will see an immediate increase in the response rate.

Interview Tips:
Job interviewing never seems to get any easier - even when you have gone on more interviews than you can count. You are meeting new people, selling yourself and your skills, and often getting the third degree about what you know or don't know. Here are job interview tips to help prepare you to interview effectively. Proper preparation which helps alleviate some of the stress involved in job interviews.

Practice
Practice answering interview questions and practice your responses to the typical job interview questions and answers most employers ask. Think of actual examples you can use to describe your skills. Providing evidence of your successes is a great way to promote your candidacy.

Prepare
Prepare a response so you are ready for the question "What do you know about our company. Know the interviewer's name and use it during the job interview. If you're not sure of the name, call and ask prior to the interview. Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions.

Watch
Take a look at my Job Interview Tips Videos, so you'll be sure to dazzle a potential employer and leave the right impression.

Get Ready
Make sure your interview attire is neat, tidy and appropriate for the type of firm you are interviewing with. Bring a nice portfolio with copies of your resume. Include a pen and paper for note taking.

Be On Time
Be on time for the interview. On time means five to ten minutes early. If need be, take some time to drive to the office ahead of time so you know exactly where you are going and how long it will take to get there.

Stay Calm
During the job interview try to relax and stay as calm possible. Take a moment to regroup. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Listen to the entire question before you answer and pay attention - you will be embarrassed if you forget the question!

Show What You Know
Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions.  When discussing your career accomplishments match them to what the company is looking for. 

Follow Up
Always follow-up with a thank you note reiterating your interest in the position. If you interview with multiple people send each one a thank you note.