When job seekers hear the words "staffing firm," they tend to think three things: costly, part time and low wages. In most cases, staffing agencies are just the opposite. In fact, anyone can make his or her next career move by partnering with a staffing agency at no cost and for any position. "Staffing agencies work with candidates for all types of positions at every level of organizations, from the face that greets you at the reception desk to the manager who is your main point of contact, right up to the CEO," says Loren King Shields, director of e-business strategy at Select Staffing, a California-based recruitment firm. Unfortunately, recruitment, a $92 billion industry, is virtually untouched by job seekers. Forty percent of job candidates are unable to name a single staffing firm from memory and only 20 percent have used a staffing firm in their most recent job search, according to a recent study by CareerBuilder.com and the Inavero Institute for Service Research. Instead, job seekers are utilizing other resources in their search for employment. The average candidate uses up to four different sources in his or her search and only 4 percent of people turn to recruiters as their first method, according to the survey. It behooves job candidates, however, to use staffing agencies in their job searches because of their unique relationships with companies. Rick Gray, senior vice president of marketing and communications for Hudson, a global staffing firm, says his firm makes a genuine effort to build lasting relationships with candidates to "help find the right role in helping them fulfill their career aspirations and to better match their skills and knowledge, development objectives and cultural or work orientation with specific client needs."
Benefits of using a recruitment firm
One benefit is that most agencies possess unique relationships with Fortune 500 firms, says Jay Rogers, vice president of recruiting for Think Resources, an engineering placement firm.
"Large companies have more money and less time to spend finding talented candidates for open positions," Rogers says. "Fortune 500s frequently hire staffing companies because [they] afford them a greater deal of efficiency for a minimal cost. Second to your father being the VP of human resources, a staffing firm may be the best way to get your foot in the door."
Additionally, DeLynn Senna, executive director of permanent placement services in North America for Robert Half International, says staffing firms offer candidates the advantage of having a partner in their job search.
"By working with a staffing firm, job seekers can learn about opportunities they might not be able to find on their own. Through their connections in the business community, recruiters often know about openings before they are advertised," Senna says. Additionally, recruiters can help enhance your résumé and interviewing skills.
Along with learning about unknown opportunities, Josie Huber, director of sourcing and recruiting for Kelly Services, a world leader in human resources solutions, says job seekers might find work in industries they might not have looked at before.
"Often, job seekers are focused on finding a job only within their specific area or skill set and may fail to recognize the transferable skills they possess for another type of job or within a different industry," Huber says. "Staffing firms can assist job seekers in identifying their strengths, along with how to successfully communicate those attributes to a prospective employer."
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