The Good and Bad News of Job Searching
The good news? According to LinkedIn Talent Solutions, more than 83 percent of business leaders say talent is the number one priority in their organization and 56 percent of U.S. business leaders say their team’s hiring volume will increase.
The maybe not-so-good news? If you’re looking for a job, you may find it’s not as easy as you hoped. With 48 percent of hires coming from employee referrals and 79 percent of organizations focusing efforts towards promoting their own talent from within, you may need more help than you thought to land your dream job.
Related: 10 Job Searching Tips You Need
Think of it this way: 70 percent of the global workforce is made up of passive talent who aren’t actively job searching, and the remaining 30 percent are active job seekers. With so much competition, don’t you want to give yourself the best opportunity to stand out? IT staffing agencies do more than just scour job boards. Anyone can do that. No, they do plenty more that can give you the edge you need.
What an IT Staffing Agency Has that You Don’t
IT staffing agencies have an advantage over individuals when it comes to job searching. Their connections, market knowledge and placement skills give them a leg up. Whether you are actively seeking a new job or you are one of the many who are employed but always have an eye open for new opportunities, you may want to consider the many benefits of working with an IT staffing agency. What do IT staffing agencies bring to the table?
Off-Market Jobs
Job boards are convenient and easy to use. In fact, 60 percent of job seekers use them to search for open positions. Here’s the catch: 80 percent of jobs are not posted online. What are you missing if you’re relying on online job postings? Apparently, a whole lot.
IT staffing agencies have relationships with local companies and know what jobs are coming, which ones aren’t going to be posted, and which ones need to be created in order to fill a void. It’s like a pocket listing in real estate – only a few people know about them but if you do, you have the first opportunity to snatch up a property before it hits the market.
More and Different Opportunities
You may be searching for a specific job that utilizes your skills, but are you sure you’re marketing all you have to offer? An IT staffing agency will not only have relationships with local companies, but they will have a relationship with you, or at least they should if they’re good.
They will ask you lots of questions to understand all you have to offer, what makes you tick, and what type of company will help you shine. They won’t just interview you once and call it a day. The best ones will establish ongoing communications like any good relationship has. They can then better match you up with the companies they know will check all of the boxes. Agencies can find you more opportunities beyond the ones you assumed were your only options.
Narrower Focus
Even with all of the newfound opportunities, an IT staffing agency is really good at helping you narrow your focus to the organizations that will give you what you’re looking for. Whether it’s pay and benefits, opportunities for growth, travel opportunities or anything else, agencies know what the best companies have to offer and will help you pinpoint what you care about most and which companies deliver.
With a narrower focus, you spend less time going down the wrong path. You get fewer nos and more hell yesses. Instead of chasing every potential job opportunity, you are laser-focused on the ones that meet not only your criteria but are most likely to want you. This is especially beneficial if you are among the many who are currently employed but always seeking. Who has time to go on interviews that will never lead to anything? Stop the madness and get focused.
Perfect Your Resume
Ah, the resume. If you’re smart and have any work experience, you know how important the resume is. It tells the prospective employer who you are, at least on paper, and why they should choose you over any other candidate. Sadly, many hiring managers and recruiters say they frequently receive subpar resumes that hurt the candidate more than help.
When you work with an IT staffing company, they often offer resume advice. They can tell you which skills to highlight, particular to the position to which you are applying. This is a critical point many candidates miss – they are too general and don’t sell themselves for the actual job they want. They throw everything they can on paper and hope something sticks. An agency, however, will refine your resume so it is accurate, on point and sets you apart.
Advance Your Career Faster
Money and benefits aren’t the only things candidates look for when searching for a job. In fact, 44 percent of new hires say opportunities for career advancement was the reason they chose their current position. How do you know if a potential employer will help you grow and give you opportunities to advance? You can ask, but it’s not always transparent. Oftentimes, candidates accept the job and hope they can find ways to develop their skills and climb the ladder. It doesn’t always happen.
Related: 4 Things Candidates Should Look for Besides Their Job Role
Those relationships staffing agencies have with companies play a critical role here. They know how the company works and whether or not they actively promote career advancement. They won’t place you in a company where positions are stagnant. If this is a top priority for you, they will seek those companies with a good record of promoting within and offering ongoing skills training.
Free Jobs
Believe it or not, all of these benefits come at no price to you. The companies pay staffing agencies to find them the talent they need. The services they provide are deemed worth the investment, saving companies thousands of dollars and countless hours in hiring their own talent. You are the product they want and they’re willing to pay to find you.
With a staffing agency always looking for the next best job for a candidate, the candidate can continue working at their current job with confidence knowing if a better one comes along, the agency will let them know. Jobs tailored to their skills and checklist come to them instead of them having to spend time looking.
If you’re a job seeker, consider working with an IT staffing agency. You’ll get a whole lot for no investment from you.
