Are you entering or reentering the workforce? Want to get your foot in the door with a company or with a new career? Have a gap in your resume you’d like to fill?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then a staffing service may be a good place to start. A staffing service can introduce new opportunities to you through its access to available jobs, many of which go unadvertised, and through its dedicated employer network.
What Is a Staffing Service? How Do They Work? What Can They Do for You?
A staffing agency works with businesses to find candidates that would be a good fit for both company and candidate (you). Their job is to find you a job. A fee should never be charged to you since companies pay fees directly to the staffing agency for its services. If an agency ever asks you to pay a fee for their services, find another agency. No reputable firm requires an upfront placement fee for its services.
An agency’s first job is to determine your skill set and what type of placement you seek. Expect to complete an application, an interview, and possibly some skills tests. Come with your latest resume and at least two forms of identification. Some services will require you to take a drug test before placing you on a specific assignment. Based on these results, the agency will let you know what jobs they have available that would be a good fit for you.
Advantages to Using a Staffing Service
1. Gain exposure to new jobs and career paths or working environments
2. Get your foot in the door and gain visibility with a company you prefer
3. Make connections you otherwise would not have made
4. Improve skills and gain experience
5. Use your temporary position to transition to full-time employment
6. Save time and money – an agency does the searching for you and presents you to the
employer as a pre-screened candidate
7. No long-term commitment required if you are dissatisfied for any reason
8. Use it to fill temporary gaps in your resume while looking for your desired career
Questions to Ask a Staffing Service
When you visit a staffing service, please keep these questions in mind:
1. Do you charge a placement fee or does the employer pay the fee?
SEEK never charges a placement fee for using their services.
2. How long is the typical time between assignments?
SEEK’s time between assignments/placements is typically very short as we like to place people immediately upon the end of their current assignment.
3. Do you provide any training?
SEEK does not provide specific training but we do offer a Trainable Fit program for those interested in learning a skilled trade. Trainable Fit is a program that pairs potential candidates with skilled positions that may require specific training. We evaluate each candidate closely to see if he or she has the right skills, as well as mechanical and mathematical competencies, that would make him or her a “close match”. Using our program, we take a “close match” candidate and make him/her a perfect match the business that desires them.
4. Do you provide any benefits?
We provide health, 401(k), and vacation/holiday pay to assignment employees who meet eligibility requirements.
