Recruiters
Jason Truesdell
Employment agencies and consulting companies like Volt,
Wasser, Comforce,
Sakson & Taylor Onsite, and Computer
Personnel Inc. can be useful when you're trying to find job leads. But
every one of them focuses on different types of customers and on different
types of positions; you need to understand their business almost as well
as any other potential employer.
Some agencies focus exclusively on people with several years of
job-related experience, especially ones whose primary business is
providing consultants.
Some agencies primarily do short-term or open-end contingent staffing
(such as Volt), and others focus on permanent placement (Computer
Personnel, for example).
Each agency might specialize in different kinds of job descriptions
(software testing, technical writing, web designers, interactive media,
software development).
Sending your resume to these people, and even talking to a recruiter,
is not guaranteed to find you leads. After you submit your resume and
other requested information to them, you should continue looking at their
web sites for new job descriptions and call them occasionally to ask them
about the positions you find.
In my case, one of the more valuable recruiting agencies was Computer
Personnel Inc. They weren't the ones who found me my job, but they
provided useful job-seeking advice, told me how the various agencies
around my area worked, and were up-front about what they could and
couldn't do for me. Occasionally you will find an agency or recruiter that
can provide you some kind of mentoring and guidance, which can be more
valuable than simple job leads. Be sure to take advantage of this. On
the other hand, many
agencies with lots of jobs to fill will call you frequently. They don't
always realize whether you're a good fit for a position or not; they don't
necessarily care. Since recruiters typically earn commissions and have
what amounts to sales quotas, they may try to get you an interview slot
for a totally inappropriate position. You need to do your part to make sure you're
not going to be wasting an interviewer's time. Ask questions about the
level of experience required; ask if you can talk to the employer over the
phone to get a feel for whether the position is right for you. Take a
look at the left-hand navigation bar above to learn more about particular
agencies. |
