The Right Way to Work With a Staffing Firm to Find Your Next Job

While you might prefer to look for jobs by applying to companies directly, a staffing firm should be part of your job hunt strategy.

Staffing companies typically have access to jobs you can’t find on your own. Because staffing firms have large networks, they are in a position to know about employment developments in your field and who’s hiring. Also, if they’ve been around for a long time, they have established relationships with companies who don’t prefer to hire candidates unless their recruiter has screened them first.

If you land an interview through a staffing firm, you’ve already “been approved” by one organization and therefore, you have a leg up on any competition that has applied directly. Furthermore, your recruiter will give you inside information on what the company is looking for.

How to Work with a Staffing Firm

In order to have the highest chance of success through a staffing firm, send your resume to a company that specializes in your field. The staff at the company will enter your information into their database and contact you if they suspect you’d be a good fit for an available position.

Sometimes, a staffing company may contact you to help you refine your resume. You may not be giving potential employers the impression you should be and customizing your resume to fit the job you are looking for can often fix this. Often, job seekers leave plenty of useful experience and skills off their resume because they failed to remember them, or didn’t think they were useful.

A good staffing company will review your resume together with you line by line, and go over where you have worked, what skills you picked up, your personal passions and relevant non-work experience.

Frequently, companies send candidates back to work on their resume, despite where they might be in their career. The suggestion that you edit your resume is designed to help you out and not a sign that you have somehow failed. Remember that staffing company personnel often have insight into a job and know that if you modified your resume, you will be seen more positively by prospective employers.

Staying in Touch

Even if they don’t call you back about your resume, a staffing company can be a fantastic networking contact during your career.

If you miss a call from a staffing firm, call back as rapidly as possible, because both the company and its clients can move fast on hiring decisions. In each phone call with a staffing firm, remember that you are basically having a phone interview and do your best to provide a good impression.

Stay in touch with the staffing company. From time to time, let them know about any changes to you job skills and work history. Sending a check-in email every two weeks or so will keep you in the loop in case any opportunity arises. But be careful not to contact your recruiter too much and end up annoying them.

At Career Concepts, we work tirelessly to help our job seekers find their next great employment opportunity. If you are currently looking for a job, or you need help getting started, contact us today!