Looking for a Job? Use a Staffing or Employment Agency

Being unemployed or unhappy with your current employer can be very stressful.  There are many tools and resources on the web that can help you look for and find your next employer.  It will take being tech savvy and a lot of time, but you can do it. 

But why go at it alone when you can have a recruitment agency help you?  If you align yourself with an employment agency that has experience filling positions, in the industry that you work in, then you will gain a competitive advantage over your peers that are not using an employment agency.  Below are 3 reasons why using a staffing agency is to your benefit. 

Expertise:  A staffing agency that has been established for a while will have quite a bit of knowledge of the industries their clients are in.  This can be very helpful when speaking with them about an open position.  Assuming they are an expert in your industry, that means there is a very good likelihood that they will “understand” the position and what the client is specifically looking for in a candidate.  And because they understand the position, the recruiter can then help you position your resume in the best light by working with you on what is important to show and what isn’t.  Also, when you apply to a company on your own and have some questions that are pertinent to your overall interest in the job opportunity, getting answers can be nearly impossible.  If you are working with a recruiter then they can use their relationship with the client to get those questions answered. 

Relationships:  The employment agency you work with will have strategically placed relationships within the organizations that are their clients.  This will be helpful as they will know of positions that aren’t open to the public.  Or they can get feedback to let you know what their client thinks of your resume or interview if one was requested.  You also get to forge a relationship with the recruiter.  If you aren’t pressed to have a new job, then you can essentially put your job search on auto-pilot by allowing the recruiter to contact you when a viable opportunity arises.  Or if you are currently employed and have been contacted by a recruitment agency but aren’t interested at the time, the relationship you build with the recruiter can be quite fruitful if the time comes that you need to make a move fast. 

Costs:  There is none.  Not from where you stand anyway.  Sometimes you may have to pay for a drug screen or background check upfront but that’s rare and if it happens then you are usually reimbursed for them too.  Staffing agencies are compensated by the client that hires you, therefore you don’t have to pay anything for their services.  You may argue that your time is valuable and I would agree.  But is your time so valuable that you would rather miss out on a dream opportunity, or if you are currently unemployed, any opportunity?  Likely not. 

In the end, if you are looking for a job because you are unemployed or because you aren’t happy where you currently work, then pick up the phone and call a national recruitment agency.  If you are happy at work, and receive a call from a recruiter, then listen anyway.  You never know when you might need a new job and why not use your relationships with experts in the market to help you?  Especially since it’s free.

About ARC Group©

ARC Group©, the parent company of Recruitment Intelligence™, has been an industry front runner in the last 30 years in the full-time, contract and contract-to-hire staffing and consulting industries.  Awarded to the South Florida, Jacksonville and Minnesota’s Business Journal’s collection of “Top 25 Executive Search & Consulting Firms” we have a national presence, and provide a service throughout the US, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Minnesota, Chicago and Washington.