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!

HR is not Big Brother!

If you are unsatisfied with your current position or your career and therefore are looking to make a switch but maybe not very far, working with your company's HR department may be an effective strategy to uncover available opportunities in your current company itself. Recently I myself was looking for a change out of my technical position into an administrative position for example. Contacting with the jobs database manager at my organization's HR department allowed me to bypass the usual steps needed to apply for a job at my organization, and simply put in a transfer application along with my resume instead, which in turn greatly sped up my own job hunt. In this manner the HR department of your employer is there is to help retain existing employees first and foremost. For job seekers, working with HR is often the first step in the job hunt of course. It is advisable for the seeker to maintain good relations with whoever they contact with in HR. For the initial point of contact is often responsible for determining whether to recommend or pass on the application. And even if you are unable to get far with your first application, you may be able to get referrals to other positions in the firm from HR.

The headhunter and the chase

When it comes to executive recruitment, many companies these days employ the use of executive search consultants, also known as headhunters or simply recruiters. These consultants are working with the company to identify and recruit (hire) capable executives who fit a very particular profile. For an executive looking to make a change, working with a recruiter can be advantageous. However it is important to bear in mind that it is best to let the recruiter call you rather than you calling them because of the specificity of the positions that the recruiters are looking to fill. In addition, the executive recruitment process is very time consuming for the recruiters themselves, with the recruiters not only interfacing with potential candidates and company heads, but also constantly working on keeping their own databases of openings and candidates afresh, and working with companies and newly hired candidates on compensation offers and job transitions. In the midst of all this juggling, the best advice for an executive is to first get listed in a recruiter's (or recruiters') databases typically by contacting an executive search firm's research department. And then, when contacted by a recruiter, articulating clearly your experience and your management visions and your values. In the end, working with a recruiter can help you become more aware of how you want to refine your executive career, while also opening up many more choices of positions available on both national and international scales.

Foreseeing career transitions

Your relationship with your job is ultimately no different than any of your personal relationships. Either it's smooth sailing from start to finish, or choppy seas are encountered which can end in deluge or recovery into placid waters. Chances are however, given the high rate of divorces, so too might you find yourself divorcing your job and not just switching to a new one, but switching to an entirely new career. And statistics show that men and women in the workforce in today's world do just that, switching careers 2-4 times through the entirety of their working lives. The causes of separation from one's job and career path are usually no different from what drives personal relationships apart: perhaps your job becomes too dull and boring - or too demanding and excessively stressful. But apart from the extremes, timely career management means keeping ahead of the curve when it comes to your career or industry as a whole, which in turn means being proactive when it comes to the job market. Be on the lookout for new positions either with your current employer or elsewhere within your career that may complement what you already do while offering duties and qualities that may be more attractive. Pay attention to changes in your career or industry, such as automation or outsourcing, that are reshaping the way things are already being done, and be ready to meet those changes with your own innovations or move on to a new career. Above all, be flexible. There is no bigger cause of demise within relationships than rigidity, which may spell not only missed opportunities, but lead to you being squeezed out ultimately.

Being at the right place at the right time: Timely career planning

Given how dynamic and global today's job market and work environments are, it is more important than ever to be one step ahead of the curve when it comes to one's career. Timely career planning means not only evaluating your strengths and skills on a regular basis, but also noticing trends in your career and the world in general that are molding the workplace of tomorrow. Education and training are of course key towards maintaining one's knowledge base in their chosen industry or line of work. If you see a need to learn something new that would benefit your career path, short of going back to school to complete another degree, consider taking short courses or self-learning, or even working with a tutor. And then see if you can take an exam to gain certification in the new area or specialty within your line of work. Networking is also highly recommended as a way to keep tabs on new opportunities either within your own career, or in entirely new careers you may not have thought of. Often times, who you know is just as important as what you know, if not more so even. And finally, when it comes to being timely, never forget to periodically update your resume. It is surprising how often professional accomplishments or milestones are actually forgotten. And in addition, working on one's resume is a sure-fire morale booster!