3-MINUTE INTERVIEWS WITH COMPANIES SEEKING TECH TALENT
Candidates talking with interviewers at TechHire SpeedHire in September, 2019
UPTOWN TAMPA – The Tampa Innovation Partnership (!p) will host several of the area’s top tech and software companies and interested job seekers at the second TechHire SpeedHire event on March 4th from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the Tampa !p office located at 2138 University Square Mall. Similar to speed dating, the speed hire process allows both the interviewee and interviewer to assess the potential match of candidate and company. It also exposes the applicant to a large number of hiring companies in a short time frame, thereby maximizing the chance of finding a job. Interviews last 3 minutes, so candidates must focus on concisely presenting their qualifications and be prepared with a 30-second “elevator speech” to introduce themselves.
TechHire SpeedHire is the brainchild of tech entrepreneur, Tracy Ingram
Tech evangelist, Tracy Ingram, works with Tampa !p on the TechHire grant and came up with the idea for the event as a way to help job candidates regardless of whether or not they landed a job on the spot.
“Some of the most brilliant minds in computer programming have a difficult time expressing themselves in person. Hopefully an exercise like this will help them develop some skills that will help them along their career path moving forward.”
This is the second time Tampa !p has hosted the TechHire SpeedHire event. When the first one was held in September, 15 companies and more than 40 applicants participated. Most of the interviewing companies found viable candidates that they scheduled follow-up interviews with and some were subsequently hired.
“I really enjoyed the 3-minute interview duration,” said Morgan Hill Associate Partner, Nick Tarsi. “It was long enough to know whether or not you wanted to follow-up with a candidate, but not so long that the event was overwhelming for an interviewer.”
Tarsi interviewed about 15 candidates at the first SpeedHire event and one of them has since worked with Morgan Hill on a data analytics project.
Interviews will be held in the Tampa !p offices, where candidates will sign up for time slots with companies they would like to speak with. Meanwhile, at the Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics (AMRoC) Fab Lab, also in University Mall, there will be informative presentations and resources available for participants between interviews. After the SpeedHire event, Tampa !p will host a networking session upstairs at Studio Movie Grill so that conversations can continue over cocktails and complimentary appetizers.
Tampa !p partners with CareerSource Tampa Bay on the TechHire program. TechHire is a federal grant that connects underrepresented and overlooked job-seekers lacking traditional qualifications and credentials to tech careers. Funds provide for the accelerated training, certifications, and paid work experience opportunities to young adults between the ages of 17 and 29, as well as front line workers in healthcare and IT occupations. Companies wishing to have access to TechHire graduates are asked to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Tampa !p pledging to consider those graduates for open positions. Those companies may participate in TechHire SpeedHire for free, while other employers will be asked to pay a $250 registration. The SpeedHire event is free for job seekers, but registration is required.
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