Recruiting agencies: Whose side are they really on?

Selecting a recruitment agency can be simplified by taking into account a few different yet basic factors. First and foremost, you will have to decide where on your career path you are actually on. Are you seeking to move up into a higher ranking position in your current company or at a different firm? Or are you seeking to move into an entirely different career? 

If the former, you will need to tailor your search towards those recruiters and agencies who can target the types of positions you are seeking. If it is the latter, then you can examine a wide range of agencies. In actually selecting an agency, you can start by exploring their website thoroughly and actually calling them to speak with a representative, or if they are nearby, visiting their office. 

This way you can assess the professional conduct of the agency and gauge whether they will treat you as an important client, or relegate you to a number on a resume. Finally, also online, check and see if there are reviews about the agency from others who have used them. 

Generally speaking, because recruiting agencies are seeking business unlike employment agencies and employment websites, you can expect a high degree of personalized service as well as success rates in placing candidates in jobs of their choice. But doing your homework in terms of inspecting the agency and the services they offer can provide you with the best guarantee of selecting the agency that fits your style and your needs.

Have you considered working with a recruiter?

If you are a job hunter currently and have been hitting some dead-ends in your job search, working with a recruiter can be a potentially be the detour you need to get your career back on the highway. However it is important to keep in mind the nature of recruiters and recruitment agencies in general. 

It must be noted first and foremost that unlike employment agencies that cater to the job seekers, recruiters are working on behalf of the companies that hire them and not the individual who contacts them. 

This is because the recruiting agencies are given specific spots by the companies themselves to get filled. As such, the recruiters are looking for individuals with very specific qualifications and will not waste time on those resumes that do not offer  extremely high matches with the positions they need to fill. 

With this in mind however, the job seeker can work with a recruiter in effective ways. Draft cover letters that not only hone in very specifically on the assets you have to offer, but also lists keywords in the career or industry you are searching for a job within.  

Then target your resume to those recruiters and agencies that are involved in your specific career or industry. 

Finally, even after you are in a job keep in touch with the recruiter periodically. This is an important aspect of career management for you never know if you can land yourself in an even better position with more money and more perks!

The great new online frontier for jobs

Online recruiting has exploded in the last decade and with good reason. Not only have job posters and job seekers turned to the web and as an efficient portal to connect with each other, but also, doing this online presents a more dynamic and current time framework. Job posters can post and modify job descriptions in real-time. And job seekers can apply or retract their resumes at will. 

Furthermore, there are numerous job-related websites that allow one to upload their resume and have that be distributed to hiring managers across the industry they are in, thereby allowing one to search as actively or passively as they want for job openings while having one's resume reach the desks of exponentially more employers than paper-based searches. In searching for a job through online channels however, a job seeker may want to take several precautions if they desire to be discreet, especially if they are seeking to jump ship from their current company. 

It is advisable to not conduct online job searches from one's own office computer, especially if you know your company monitors its employee's online activities. And further, it is advisable for the seeker to use a discreet online e-mail account rather than a company e-mail account to keep the job search private. Simple steps like these can prevent any prickly situations with one's supervisor from arising!