What’s the Process for Working with a Staffing Recruiter?
Tired of leading the job search on your own? You’re not alone. Instead of going solo, work with a staffing agency to increase your job search opportunities. Working with a recruiter can happen in several ways. One of which is receiving a call from a recruiter who saw your resume on a job site such as LinkedIn or Indeed as they were looking for candidates with the skills sought after by their employer clients. Receiving a call or email from a recruiter is a positive thing.
Proactive Search
While it’s nice to get noticed, you can always contact a staffing recruiter directly and ask to work with them. This option is a good way to introduce yourself and your skills to someone who is already searching to fill job roles for employers. At Staffing Kansas City, working with a recruiter is easier than you might think.
The process starts with filing out an online application and/or submitting a resume. This gives the staffing recruiter an idea of your skills and which industries might be a good match. If Staffing Kansas City is a good fit for your job search, a recruiter will call to schedule a phone interview. With in-person and over-the-phone interviews be prepared to talk about your skills and the kind of work you desire. Post-interview, the recruiter will provide coaching and feedback on the interview and suggest possible resume changes. Candidates then complete testing to verify skills line up with the job requirements.
Be Interview Ready
Whether you’re talking with a recruiter or the hiring manager at a company, interview preparation is the same. Research who you will be talking with, the company and the role. Then prepare a short summary of your work history, including relevant tasks, duties and any promotions or advancements. Next consider personal strengths and weaknesses. Often a strength can also be a weakness when looked at from a different perspective. Understanding how strengths and weaknesses can be associated with the role will help articulate how you can best help a company.
Interview Steps to Consider
- Be timely, not too early and certainly not late
- Remain positive when talking about past employers
- Maintain good eye contact during the conversation
- Prepare to talk about strengths, weaknesses and relevant skills
- Ask questions about the company and the role
- Send a follow-up thank you note or email after the interview
- Be ready for a new opportunity
Timely Communication and Follow-Up
Throughout the process, it’s important to be honest and communicate with your staffing recruiter. The better they understand you, your skills and expectations, the better they can pitch your skills to prospective employers. Prompt communication is always important. Return a recruiter’s calls and emails quickly so you’ll stay top-of-mind. Above all, stay open to opportunities. You never know which one could be the right fit.
How Does the Process Work? is the fourth of a multi-part series from Staffing Kansas City featuring some of the most frequently asked job-seeker questions.
This article is brought to you by Staffing Kansas City, a full-service Kansas City employment agency that provides contract-to-hire, direct hire and contract employment placement services.