A Temp Agency? Really? Yup.

While speaking with a recent college grad, she was telling me about the need for her to find reliable work during graduate school.  She said, “I definitely don’t want to work at the department store again for the summer.  That was awful and the hours were worse.”  Meaning no offense to the retail industry, but that was not what this young lady wanted.

Of course, I asked if she had a resume yet and offered to look it over.  Then I said, go to the temp offices.  The what?  Yes, the temporary offices.  The temporary offices are not just for the typing pool anymore.  There are agencies out there for all disciplines.  This is the one time in this age of technology where I strongly recommend pulling out the phone book itself.  Look up “Employment” in the yellow pages and the listing is absolutely astonishing!  Pick up the phone and start calling.  If they ask you to submit through their website, go ahead, but then follow up and make sure you get to speak with a recruiter.  Note: you may/will have to go through several.  Whatever you do, be honest about your search and let them know what you’re doing.  Some will be much better than others.  Only by calling can you really know. 

There are two times in the economy when agencies like this provide a crucial service to small and large businesses alike.  The first is when there are more jobs and applicants and the other is when there are more applicants than positions to be filled.  In both instances, HR and Hiring Managers are swamped with the amount of work involved.  Using agencies allows them to outsource and save time plus great expense.  When these companies are used, the hiring company can either short term projects done or can use the company to find personnel in a trial period.  This allows everyone to know if the company and employee are a good fit for each other.  Then a contract can be extended or not, an offer can be made, or a contract may be terminated by either party at any time.  The company also doesn’t have to carry workman’s comp insurance on the employee, pay employment taxes or offer benefits until things are secure. 

Word of Warning: NEVER pay for a job.  I mean never.  Employment agencies should be charging the client company for their services, not the employee.  In situations where the employee is asked to give up a percentage of their income, run-don’t walk-to the next place.  There are things worth paying for which are services specifically for the employee to find work.  Hiring a resume writer or buying a book on resume.  Job or image coaching.  There are times to invest, but not at the employment agency. 

What do you bring? Speaking on your resume...

What to write, what to write, what to say…  Argh, right?  Here’s the question: what have you done with your time in the past?  What do you do now?  How can that be properly explained?  In a word: Exposition.  That’s right, expository writing. 

In a resume, words are your ally – they are your only true representation and there’s one shot, usually, to get someone’s attention.  Are your words succinct?  Are they properly descriptive? They need to explain:

Who you are.

Where you’ve been.

How did you lead, follow, work on a team?

In what ways (very specifically) did you benefit the company?

What tools did you use or skills did you demonstrate to accomplish these things?

What is your education? Any college at all?  Put it down.  Certifications-even in other fields-yes. Show you are willing to learn throughout your life.

In other words, what do you bring to the table?  What makes this company interested in speaking to you?  The purpose of your resume is to start the conversation.  Sometimes, it is easy for the company to also realize that you are just not the right fit for them.  This doesn’t mean you aren’t a qualified candidate, but remember that this is about finding the right fit for both of you.  If you do your best to represent yourself in an interesting, engaging, accurate way, that piece of paper can do a lot of talking for you. 

Why Even Have a Resume?

-So, why a resume? There are many reasons to keep a valid and updated resume. Naturally, the first reason is to look for work. Unemployment is very high and don’t let the numbers fool. The perception of its dropping is only because folks have run out of benefits and are no longer in the system to be counted.
-A second reason is to find new work. Maybe you just need to move on from where you are. While your progression could be from one company to another, it could also easily be within the same organization. Large companies and small often prefer to hire from within. However, even if the folks down the hall know you, they must have documentation of your skills and qualities. Each state’s laws have variation and your resume may be needed to follow those laws to protect you and the company.
-A third and simple reason is also to keep your pulse on your industry and demand for skills. As a former recruiter, I had the resumes of many highly skilled individuals who had no need for another position, but I would call them anyway to let them know what was going on in their field, see if they were interested in investigating my position, and for referrals. More times than I can count, the potential candidates to whom I was speaking knew someone who was recently out of work or looking for a new situation.
-Believe it or not, networking is a fourth and very good reason to have an up-to-date resume. I have personally brought my resume with me on different kinds of meetings: introductions, brainstorming sessions, conversation in my home and so on. It quickly provides a background for the other person. They can know my professional history quickly and have the tools they need for us to move forward in whatever project we are pursuing.
-I have a resume in hardcopy and I have a LinkedIn account (more on that in another post). I work for myself so it would be supposed that I don’t need one. But I keep it at the ready because I work for myself. I need to make sure others know my own employment history and experience so I can gain clients.