One job search technique for both traditional job search AND embracing The OTHER Job Market, is using the services of a third party recruiter. The term “third party recruiter” goes by many names including contingency agencies, executive search firms, retained search firms, employment agencies, headhunters, recruiters, and temp agencies. These all fall under the umbrella of the “staffing industry.”
Contingency Agencies are paid by the company after the agency’s candidate is hired…their sourcing process is a paperwork mill.
Retained Search Firms custom locates candidates for a company and are paid upfront or on a progress basis (retained basis). Their sourcing process is often more focused and conducted on a more personal level.
Employment Agencies are contracted by companies to find candidates for temporary or permanent positions. Often their sourcing and screening activity is conducted in parallel to Corporate recruiting efforts.
Temporary (Temp) Agencies find candidates to fill temporary jobs and “temp to perm” positions. This includes the Lease2Perm TECHNICAL firms.
The number of temporary employees is growing and this trend is expected to continue.
This Week’s Session: Thursday, September 26th…A Recruiter’s Eye View of Your Resume, with guest presenter Locke Alderson providing a different look at the issues of resume development.
Temping can help you learn new skills and experience, build your network, open up options you had not previously considered and bridge employment gaps. The goal is to get inside a company. Here is my TOP TEN list of things you should take into consideration when working with staffing agencies.
- Working with a staffing agency does not guarantee placement in a job. It’s one of many techniques to use in your job search.
- Staffing agencies do the initial screening, saving the employer time and money… they are an extension of the employer’s recruiting and screening process.
- Don’t abdicate the tasks of the job search to a recruiter who is busy working with lots of job seekers.
- Reducing or stopping your networking efforts once you start using a staffing agency is a huge mistake. Recruiters have contacts in the business community which only extends your networking outreach.
- Companies are using staffing agencies to “test drive” the performance of a temp before offering a permanent position. Having a temp gives the business a chance to evaluate how the person will fit in with the corporate culture and other employees. Ask what areas/fields the staffing agency specializes in.
- Network with your LinkedIn connections to learn more about the right staffing firms to use; use more than one agency. “Reach out” to at least two firms each week within your Personal Marketing Plan.
- Check the phone book or Internet for a list of staffing agencies; also use the Internet to find additional information…CAUTION: There is no directory of the ‘good ones.’ THAT is a matter of your personal relationship with them.
- Build a relationship with a staffing representative; they will more likely want to fill a position when they know who you are. If possible, pick up your paycheck at the staffing agency. It’s an opportunity to build a stronger relationship with the staff.
- Understand that a staffing agency’s primary goal is to fill a position. Don’t confuse their role with the role of a career counselor. A staffing agency is serving their clients, but offering you an assignment. Be sure you represent them professionally.
- Temping can give you experience in careers you might not have otherwise thought of trying – without a long-term commitment.
Having the flexibility from temping can work well for your job search and personal priorities. Temping is not a step down. It’s money, connections, a resume gap stopper and an opportunity to get your foot in the door.
THAT’s a huge question to address as a job seeker’s search wears on.
So, how can you ensure another ‘second opinion’ doesn’t cloud your judgement?
In order to market yourself, you must first know yourself. The job search process is essentially a highly personalized marketing process. The process starts with your candid self-assessment, which allows you to gain a thorough and workable understanding of who you are in product marketing terms.
Especially if you are starting a resume “from scratch”, or if you are truly unsettled on next steps along your career path, this becomes a necessary first step in the process.
In every marketplace, there are buyers and sellers. In the traditional job market, the one that our Department of Labor measures for us, job seekers are the sellers and their potential employers are the buyers. The commodity is productive work and the competition is fierce.
Be prepared!
Because it is easier to talk about you, your company and your products than it is to prepare to have a conversation 
Every step in the job search process is aimed at obtaining interviews. It is at that point, a potential hiring manager decides if you are right for the job, and, just as important, it is your time to evaluate whether the job is right for you. Most interviews follow a predictable format, with steps that both the interviewer and applicant follow to decide if both will benefit from working together.
The best interviews are ones in which both participants are equal and can have a mutually beneficial, interactive conversation regarding the opportunity at hand.
This topic represents what most people call ‘active job search, but, as you can learn, the HOW –TO is what creates your success in networking. It professes strategies and tactics that will generate more effective networking. In your ‘first wave’ of networking you had the opportunity to:
A lot of individuals with a rebellious streak resist structure, snub the idea of a schedule, and then find that their lives and creative output aren’t nearly as harmonious as they hoped. As job seekers, they may find it quite difficult to get in to a productive and efficient routine, the implementation of their 
Start thinking about increasing productivity as a process of finding and cultivating your unique creative rhythm — your cadence, your implementation beat… your job search “PULSE.” Create a personal discipline for yourself, a way of being, where there’s a realistic goal (your next right employment opportunity) and recognize the need to maintain a consistency of fruitful activity to propel our 12-step process of career transition forward… all while allowing room for improvisation and job search/ LIFE balance!
‘READY… Aim… fire’ is only as good as knowing what you have to offer (your positioning) and knowing which organizations could use a person like you (target organizations). BOTH items are enhanced with a little PRO-Active PLANNING. One of the most important skills a job-seeker can learn during a job-search is research skills. The quality of your research skills will dramatically impact both short term job search and longer range career continuity. Information is a critical commodity in job-hunting; the more you know and the easier it is for you to find information, the better your chances of success.
So, make the commitment to improve your research skills. In fact, hold yourself accountable to research time each and every week. Employers value job-seekers who know key information about the company because that knowledge demonstrates your interest and enthusiasm for the company and for the job.
Social media is a great place to learn about and create a digital conversation with your market. However, potential employers do not want to be talked-to, or worse yet sold-to on these platforms. Your followers want to know they have a place to come learn, to ask questions about things THEY care about, and to know they are being heard.
In “PUSH Marketing,” you need to take a low-key approach and offer 90% of insights and education to your market, with only 10% of things that would be seen as a sales pitch. Of course, ALL your social media content is “selling” in one way or another, but your market will be turned off if it comes across as a hard sell.
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