Why Staffing Agencies?

Like most people out there I’ve had a series of odd jobs: ticket girl, baker, cashier, sales girl and a couple of other positions I choose to forget. In college I did as many internships as I possible could (4-5) and held on to my day job at a bookstore.

Why so many? Well I figured that by the time I graduated the only thing coming out of the interviewees mouth would be “We’re looking for someone with experience”. What better way to gain experience short of dropping out of school and getting a full time job? But I digress. If then I have a hand full of internships in my field, about 4 or 5 different degrees and certificates and a well-crafted resume – why did I sign up with several staffing agencies?

Where do I start? At the beginning of my Last semester I was unemployed and over qualified for a job at the local mall (I needed the cash). I even got turned down by
Pathmark (I really needed the cash). And so when I finally did graduate I went on, let say, 2 interviews a week for about 4 months with out any callbacks. And instead of not enough experience, I heard 3-5 years of experience. And this is where the staffing agency comes in.

I signed up with a staffing agency that specialized in my field (i.e. graphic design) and promptly started working. It turns out that a lot of big name companies would rather hire from an agency that has already screened it’s applicants than conduct interviews themselves.

Yes it is a broad range of positions, but they are all within my field. I building my resume with more skills that were not taught in school and I can say that I’ve had real world experience (i.e. 3-5 years). And most importantly my parents stopped bugging the crap out of me; once they saw that and I received a regular paycheck and that I leave the house on a daily basis.

By Rachel Drice

Perfecting the Passive Job Search

Caroline Levchuck, Yahoo! HotJobs

Is your boss taking you for granted? Is business slowing around the office? You may not be ready to jump ship just yet, but you should start to explore other professional options. You need not engage in an all-out active job search. Rather, you can put out feelers in another way.

Follow these five steps to start your passive job search.

1. Post your resume online.

The easiest way to begin exploring your professional possibilities is to post your resume on Yahoo! HotJobs. By doing so, you're letting thousands of recruiters, human resources professionals, and employment experts know what your unique qualifications are and that you're interested in new opportunities.

Remember that your current employer might see your resume online, which may prompt your boss to give you a raise or a promotion if she's worried that you're going to jump ship. But you can also restrict searches of your resume, if you prefer.

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15 Job Seeker Mistakes

By Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer

You talk too fast. You avoid eye contact. You ask too many questions. You wear too much perfume. You lie about your work history. You show up late to interviews. You don’t do your research.

And you wonder why you haven’t gotten a job yet?

There’s no such thing as an error-free job search, says Eli Davidson, business coach and author of “Funky to Fabulous.” Most mistakes can be avoided with a little attentiveness.

“The best way to get a great job is to have a laser beam focus,” Davidson says. “The more targeted and specific you are, the more powerful your job search will be.”

Many people assume only young job seekers are making these mistakes; but in reality, both new and seasoned candidates face different challenges that cause them to slip up, says Kip Hollister, founder and CEO of Hollister Inc., a New England staffing firm.

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