Last month, iJOBS hosted employees from Aerotek and Staff Icons for the Job Search Using Staffing Agencies Panel. Cori Murray, Amanda Timpano, and Nicole Tenebruso represented Aerotek, the largest privately held staffing agency, while Michael Buckley represented Staff Icons, a small firm in Northern New Jersey. Each contributed a unique perspective on the benefits of working with a staffing agency.
As described by Michael, staffing agencies are a “lifeline for the industry.” Companies pay staffing agencies to fill open jobs; as a job seeker you do not pay staffing agencies for their service. Nicole described her job as a “match-making game” because she finds qualified individuals for an open position at a company. While the timeline of finding a job varies, the general framework for working with a staffing agency to find a job is straightforward: you contact a staffing agency, you meet with someone and they get to know you. Once you’re ready to apply for jobs, agents work with you on your resume to ensure it matches the job description. Once you’re ready to interview, agents can also help with interview preparation; they prepare company clients as well.
This approach is more interactive than applying online because agents get to know you and have one-on-one relationships with hiring managers at multiple companies. On top of that, they can speak to your “soft skills” that are often difficult to highlight in a resume. Even after placement, agents follow up to check in with you, which speaks to an interactive approach in job hunting. While it is true that many of the available jobs are contract positions, panel members urged attendees not to dismiss contract work outright- it contributes to your industry experience for your resume, and you can make great industry contacts at a contract job.
If you do decide to work with a staffing agency keep this in mind: keep track of who is receiving your resume. If you’ve already applied to positions online before you work with an agency, you cannot reapply to the same job. Furthermore, if you work with multiple agencies, it becomes very important that you know who is submitting your resume to companies- you wouldn’t want multiple agencies sending your resume in for the same position! Overall, staffing agencies provide a free service to effectively place job seekers in an ideal position; Aerotek and Staff Icons are examples of agencies that work very closely with their clients to ensure that both you and the company are satisfied. Check them out if you are looking for a job in the near future at www.aerotek.com and www.stafficons.com.