Finding Work through Staffing firms

Being in the “staffing” industry for more than a dozen years, I am curious why more people do not look to staffing firms as a means to getting a new position. I have placed many people into full time positions through our contract to hire agreements. Others I have kept employed for years full time.

Staffing firms do all the work for you. You submit your resume, go in for an interview, and fill out some forms. Let them market you to their clients.

I have heard many interesting comments regarding the staffing industry, and yes, some might or might not be true. Much of my book and website that I will be releasing at the beginning of December is based on my view of what I see and hear from candidates. And how they can improve their presentation.

I have heard comments like: “They never call me back”, or “It was a waste of my time” “They are making money from my hard work”, and finally, “they are keeping me from getting into the company I am working at.”

Well I can tell you from my experience and what I write and coach people is that, it is not the companies obligation to contact you, they are not wasting your time. Staffing firms want you to do well because, they are making money, but what company is not making a profit because of your work?

An hour out of my day = getting a new position = paying bills=taking care of family….hmmm yes I would consider a waste of time.

As far as keeping you from working with a particular company, I have had many people tell me they tried applying for a position with the same company, and no response. More than likely they found something wrong with your resume, your presentation or something wasn’t right. I get them in and they are hired.

OMG…….

As I am typing this blog, my recruiter is on the phone with someone that has a resume out on the job boards, this indicates that they might be looking for a position, I hear her let him know that if you are to tired to answer the phone in a professional manner it might be wise not to answer it . Yes, imagine the sound of a person just answering the phone from their bed from a long night, that sleepy tone is very impressive to me.

This will be the same person that will bad mouth my company for not employing him.


So what should you do to help your marketing efforts:

• Get rid of the attitude “I have people call me and they say “Ewww, you’re a staffing firm?”
• See if they place people with your qualifications
• Make sure there are no candidate fees
• Find out the process for applying for positions
• Make sure your prepared to apply and present your skills, if not my book and website will be helpful
• Set reasonable boundaries for working. In many cases, a contract staffing position might not pay you as much as you were making, they might not have benefits, and they might send you to a position that is a bit below your skill. Know your limits!
• Ask about the position, get the details, and find out if this is long term, contract to hire, hours, and dress, everything you need to start. Also, find out what contract obligations you have. Make sure it feels right to you
• Make sure you are ready to work, and if you are getting a contract offer, know it is work.

We employee everyone full time W-2, same as if you worked directly for any other company.

So utilize staffing and employment firms as and added mean of getting work. If your not getting response from them, this is probable an indication that something is wrong in your presentation. If you are unemployed, the rewards might be worth the risk. You might want to consider getting some help. I am available.

Have a great weekend,
Dennis

Click and Sit isn't working

In my classes and coaching I have asked, “So how many resumes have you sent out?” I get incredible responses, “Oh I have sent hundreds!” Then I ask how they applied, and I get the same answer. "Well, I responded to all the openings on Monster and CareerBuilder."

There is no thought, no direction with that approach. Just a click and sit approach is not going to get you noticed.

I find that seeking work should be as much of an effort as if you were working. You need to find, locate and then impress. A position is not given, it is earned.

So did you see what happened on Jerry Springer today?

I hope not. If you find yourself looking forward to the next episode, you might want to consider another approach to getting a new position.

Simple ways to change your state

Wow! With all the recent news – down markets, layoffs, it might be tough to stay in a positive state. If you have been recently let go, or you know something is coming, this is a very important time for you to manage your state. What do I mean by your state? I find it best if I describe a state. If I asked you to describe someone that was sad, how would you describe that person? Shoulders down, slouched, eyes down. What would be the language or tone of this type of person? I am sure we have all met someone in this state.

Managing your state starts with you doing something else.

Focus on something else!

Make quick movements. And if you are not in an area where you can do jumping jacks, I find that by taking a deep breath letting it out slowly, raise your head and your eyes and you will find a change of state.

Also try this:

Stand up , move your hand out to your sides like wings and move your hands together in front of you quickly, then move them back out rapidly. Notice a change, Take a deep breath and do it again.

Why is this important? Well if you are in a better state, you will be able to focus on your job search better. You will find that your emails, your cover letters, your tone on the phone have a positive feel to the other person. If you are meeting with people, having a more positive outlook and state will come across.

So next time you are ready to start your job search, or if you have an interview, just before you proceed, check your state. Make sure it is positive! If not, break your current state and find yourself ready to get that new position. - Dennis

Job Fair Etiquette

Now this was front page in one of the local papers of a job fair in my area. It was for drivers and labor based positions. What struck me about this picture is I did not see one person with a suit. Ok, maybe a suit would be too much. How about a tie, hmmm didn’t see one of those , how about a collared shirt, not much of that either. What about leaving the hat at home, wouldn’t want to do that. I’m curious if the person interviewing didn’t like Dale Jr. “88” , would he pick some one else? No, that wouldn’t happen or could it?

I know that this might be their normal wear, but this is your opportunity to stand out! Be different, impress. Please notice and remember the hiring people, as you can see in the picture, are dressed business casual. Maybe you can raise the bar up to that level. I’m sure there is a collared shirt in your closet. And leave the hats behind!

The other thing about standing out, and you might notice, there is many people in the picture. I'm curious if people realize this company is not hiring everyone, just the ones that impress them. If it’s a close decision, the ones that stand out the might be the ones they like.

No, that wouldn’t happen or could it?

Dennis

Playing Dress Up

So watching my kids getting ready for a Halloween party I realized that Halloween is a time for us to let go , to ACT out, to dress up. Which brings me to getting a new position, ACTING and dressing the part.

Now my kids don’t go around in their regular clothes and say, "look at me I’m a scary monster." No, they get a costume and dress the part. On top of that, they ACT the part, they enjoy it and get in to the character of what they wanted. They play full out.

So two things I like to get across to candidates; first to dress the part. Coming in your regular clothes and saying I am a professional, won't be believable; you need to wear that “costume”.

The second thing is to ACT the part, you want to be what you want to be, so act the part. And enjoy it and play full out.

And even if it is a position that is less then you want or something to get you by, you need to ACT the part and convince the hiring person you want to be there.

So I suggest that you find your way in the door, what you really do after that is up to you. The way to get in the door is to ACT the position you want.

Have fun, enjoy and play full out.

Dennis

Please, keep the resume

If you are going to send a resume this bad, don't bother calling to follow up!

OBJECTIVE:
My objective is to find me a form of employment, I have certain skills in allot of fields that might be useful in the area of the job that i am applying for. I currently am in school for certifications that are needed to get me a better form of employment. I was employed from January of last year to December of this year. The reason that i am not employed anymore is because the owner decided to go back in to his old country to live out his retirement days. Now i'm back out looking for me another form of employment, My duties at the job in which i was previously employed was Technician,take phone calls,salesman. The reason that i had so many titles is because the owner found out that i could do other duties that came useful in the envoirment of work. I was okay with it, and i know if my previous boss was still here in our country i know he would highly recommend me. I am a easy guy to get along with, and get along with others. I always leave room to learn something new so i am willing to sit and listen to what my instructure is telling me because i know when i get out in the field i don't want to make any mistakes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
I have made many accomplishments in my life. My latest personal accomplishment I have just learned how to install an engine inside of a car. This is my latest accomplishment. These are some of the accomplishments that I have achieved. I now know how to install cable lines through an entire house, I have learned how to type not excellent but really well now, i have no idea how much i can type a minute now but if i had to guest i'l say about 40 maybe 50 words per minute, this is just a educated guess. I can really do almost anything with my hands. Theres always room to learn new things. I hope that the form of employment that will hire me teach me new things to learn or the things that i already know help me and the employer. An accomplishment that I really need to try and get is the ability to write a good resume. Right now i go to college part time to try and accomplish certifacations to show employers what i am able to do,instead of employers going off word of mouth.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Technician,Salesman,Customer Service,Stock.
My duties was to install and rearange the store for the owner to see fit. I installed cable lines, Installed televison wall mounts. I also installed electrical outlets and ran lines for the electrical outlets. I built walls for the inside of the store to block off what the owner did not want the customer to be able to see. I took all phone calls no matter what I was doing, that was my responsibility to answer the phone and deal with the people. I had to interact and socialize with all the customers that came inside the store to get whatever. I also was the salesman i had to sale most of the items in the store because i was in charge of three departments in the store,Clothing,Housing,Accessories, I was in charge of these areas because the owner saw how well i reacted wit people, and how I was able to talk with the customer like we was friends known for years. Since these was the departments with the most population in the store and how i was able to handle it I was put in charge. There was other departments also those was just the departments i was chosen to run.

EDUCATION:
I currently go to a community collge so that i can get credits so tha i can go into a University. I have a long way to go until that will com up so i am seeking employment so that i can work myself through college. My field of study is left open because currently while i'm in this community college i'm taking classes like Math classes and English classes because these classes offer the most credits and if i get enough credits when I go into the University then they will benifit me there. I currently hold a 3.6 gpa at this school and hoping that this will all help out for me in the long run.

INTERESTS:
My interests are to reintroduce myself to the working world. I just go to school and do nothing else except for personal things like installing my new TV or doing some car work or something like that. It's no need for me to be sitting around the house in a world that we live in today. I feal like that the demand for certain items and also other things that Americans want is in high demand, I want to be that person that brings it to them or calls for that certain item that they want. I feal that the demand in our society for certain things are very high and it is better to me to be out working in this fast paced world other then sitting on my couch waititng until i have to go to school. I only go to school twice a weak, all the rest of the weak i feal that i am letting life past e by. I am used to working , being in the work field and i would like to stay in that field.

KEYWORD SUMMARY
I am a indivusual that would like to reintroduce myself into the workforce. I go to school two days out of the weak in the evenings. I would like to be a part of this fast paced world that we all currently live in. I have certain skills that vary by which catogory in which my skills will be needed. I can do allot of things with my hands, I would like to think that I am almost excellent with using my hands. I am also good with my min. I would like to say that I am also almost excellent with using my mind and I am able to sit down and learn something new I have no problem with learning somwthing new. I am a cool gut to get along with, rarely in trouble, almost never in trouble. Nevr in trouble with the law I have a clean name and I am also a clean person well dressed and well spoken.

Thoughts from today's candidate

Well, today is the big day! I finally got a call for an interview, hmm what to wear? I think jeans and a polo shirt, that should do it. Boy, I can't wait till they offer me the position. So what do I need to bring with me? I can’t think of anything, they have my resume via email so I should be all set. I’m sure they have pens as well.

Just need to stop and get gas before I get there. Wow! Look at the traffic. That’s ok I’m sure they won’t mind if I’m a bit late.

Wow where is this place? I’ll give them a call. "Hello , yes I have a 10:00 interview , yes I know its 10:10 already, I’m lost , no I forgot to print the directions. I will be there shortly."

"Sorry I’m late, no I didn’t bring a copy of my resume, you should have it, oh you want me to fill out an application? Well my information is on my resume, could you print that for me?"

"I can’t remember the address of the my previous employer from a couple years ago, and I didn’t bring my references , can I get those to you?"

I think I got this position.

A little more about me

My name is Dennis Scherer and my company, Apvantage Corp., was created to help job-seekers market themselves efficiently and effectively. After 12 fulfilling years in the staffing industry and owner of my own staffing company for over a decade, I have interviewed thousands of people, many of which have the same destructive patterns and attitudes that keep them from getting jobs. With my insider knowledge of how and why hiring managers make decisions, I have coached numerous job-seekers on how to recognize and break bad habits, develop a stronger sense of self, polish their interview skills and resume, and motivate them to strive for their dream career – not just another job.

Are you currently unemployed, unhappy with your job, or overqualified for your current position and ready to make a change?

Are you presenting your resume over and over again without receiving positive response?

Have you heard the following phrases?
“You’re over-qualified.”
“The position was filled internally.”
“We’ve eliminated the position.”
“We will consider you for future positions.”
“We will maintain your information on file.”

If you are interested in learning how to enhance your career, Apvantage is here to help.