Choosing an Employment Agency

How to Find the Right Headhunter to Help You Find the Right Job

May 2, 2008 Deborah S. Hildebrand

Not all recruiters are the same. Some focus on a particular industry, others on a particular job type. Figure out which one would work best based on individual needs.

When job seekers are looking for a new employment opportunity, it is important to utilize all their resources. And that just may include working with an employment agency.

Now there are two types of agencies: temporary employment and regular placement. Temporary services are a good way to try out short- and long-term temporary positions in a variety of organizations in the job seeker’s area. However, temp work is not a guarantee of finding a full-time position.

With a regular employment agency, the staffing representative or headhunter is focused on identifying each candidate’s skill sets with the hope of matching him with a current employer looking to fill a regular full-time vacancy. Candidates who have never used the services of a headhunter may not be familiar with how one works or what to expect. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Develop a List of Potential Employment Services

This one seems like a no-brainer; however, depending on where a candidate lives, there may be many to choose from. Large U.S. cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are going to have different resources than smaller cities. The best way to start is to develop a list of agencies that might potentially offer the right type of service. Candidates can do this by:

• Asking friends, family and business associates for agencies they have used themselves. They may even be able to provide the name of a contact.
• Searching the Internet using a search engine and the words “employment agency” with the city where they live.
• Looking in the yellow pages either on-line or in the soft-cover book that most people have tossed in a cupboard somewhere.
• Checking out job posting sites to see which agencies have jobs posted in their area. Monster and Careerbuilder are the two largest job sites.

Once a job seeker has a list of potential employment agencies, the next step is to narrow the field down to the top three to five. Candidates can do this by finding out:

• From those friends and colleagues that first provided the recommendation why they like this particular agency.
• If the agency is job focused – administrative, management, day laborer – or career focused – accounting, scientific, IT. The more highly defined the service, the more likely the clients offer the right jobs.
• Whether the agency has current or anticipates future job openings with clients that would be a good match with the job seeker's background and experience.
• What the agency will require from the candidate, what is involved in the screening process, and whether there are any special services that the agency offers such as resume preparation or computer skills brush-up.

Know What to Expect from Each Staffing Service

When candidates first use an agency, there may be several hoops they will need to jump through. These include:

• Interview. Expect that there will be an initial interview in order to determine what the job seeker is looking for in the way of company, position, and salary. Be sure to take a resume.
• Testing. Depending on the position, there may be a series of tests from basic spelling and math to more sophisticated computer skills testing.
• Paperwork. There may be forms including an application that job seekers are required to complete.
• Payment. At no time should the job seeker pay a fee for services. This is paid for by the hiring company.

Understand How to Utilize an Employment Agency

Finally, it is important for candidates to understand they have a say in the staffing process. A job seeker should never feel compelled to go on a job interview for a position that does not fit his specific requirements. Candidates need to be very clear with their agency representative about the type of position, type of company, location of company, and salary requirements that meet their particular needs.

On a final note, there are two schools of thought on how many placement agencies job seekers should sign on with. More than one may be necessary in order to ensure access to a variety of job opportunities, since not all employers use the same service. On the other hand, there is something to be said about developing rapport and a good relationship with one recruiter – someone who understands and will truly take the job seeker’s desires into account.

It's just like with most anything, it takes a little time and a little research to find the right employment agency, but with patience, the job seeker can find the right headhunter to help him find the right job.

The copyright of the article Choosing an Employment Agency in Career Advice is owned by Deborah S. Hildebrand. Permission to republish Choosing an Employment Agency in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.