Career Change and temporary work

I get many phone calls from applicants who mistakenly think that working for a temp agency would be the right place to make a career change, or to try out jobs they have never worked in before.

Not really. Fact is that most of our clients demand a candidate who can ‘hit the floor running’ or who needs minimum supervision and already has maximum job knowledge. They usually have an immediate hire need with no time to train (other than job specifics). This is somewhat true even for direct hire clients.

However, sometimes it just isn't possible to stay in the same career field. It will be easier to make a transition from one similar field to another if you let your recruiter know what you want, and give them a written cover letter addressing skills that will transfer to the new field. Add a category named Transferable Skills in your resume and be precise.

Our specialized staffing software parses and sorts to match open client job orders with key words on all resumes and applications. If the required experience or specific skill set is not on your resume it won’t be brought to the front for hiring consideration. If you are changing fields be sure to use many of the same keywords included in the job description you are wanting as well as any jargon or buzzwords pertinent to that industry.

The big difference between a resume for someone seeking a job in their established field and someone entering a new career field is that the new person may not have direct relevant experience. Transferable skills are those skills that are not specific to a particular job or industry but that carryover.

A quick example of a transferable skill is a manager. If you have managed a department or company then your people management skills will be beneficial wherever you go. The particular goals or tasks of the people you manage may be different in a new industry, but successful management is pretty much the same.

You need to show us in print what skills and expertise you have, even though you may not have worked in the new field. Your resume should always highlight your achievements and successes, regardless of whether you are changing careers or not. So write your new resume from the perspective of showing what you have achieved in the past and how that will benefit your new employer. Don't focus on job titles or job tasks, which may be totally irrelevant if you are changing industries. Be sure that your resume does not contain jargon pertinent to your old industry. It may not be understood by a hiring manager in a different industry.

Our clients often request to see a candidate’s resume, even for shorter term temp work. If the position is a temp to perm or direct hire they will ALWAYS want to review the recommended resumes.

Job Search Cover Letters

Cover letters rock!  A good cover letter can set your resume apart fromt the crowd and actually get you an interview with our client.

I receive hundreds of resumes each month, but I only have a select few jobs to fill. I don't have time to interview every applicant although I do look at every resume. And those resumes with cover letters (and selected reference letters) usually go to the top of the stack for consideration.

You will want to personalize your cover letter with the name of the position you are applying for, as well as the company you are applying at.  You can create a template for yourself, but make sure each and every one of your cover letters, or email text, is personalized in one way or another. Humorously, I usually receive several resumes each week with cover letters addressing other companies or job posts.

 If you are authoring your cover letter as an email,  I recommend that you never send an obviously boilerplate “Attached please find résumé”. Do tell a bit about yourself, your interests and skills and a short summary (no bullets) of your career. There are many personal questions an interviewer is not allowed to ask by law, but if voluntarily supplied by you could show that you would be a good fit for a client's work culture and that could get you a first interview. But it works both ways; never list anything in a cover letter that could eliminate you from being considered for the job you want.

Remember that a staffing agency works for a client, and the client is our customer. Our clients go through an extensive interview process which tells us what they are looking for in their next employee. Let your cover letter paint a true picture about yourself. It will help us present you as the best fit candidate.

Always mention mutual contacts, and proofread carefully.

Employment Verification

A good indicator of future performance

There are many ‘build a resume’ sites on the internet complete with sample resumes. Do you think that someone would actually use the sample to apply for a job? Yes, they might just change the name of the company, insert some random dates and submit that copied resume as their own. Don't be fooled by a fraudulent resume. There are many reasons applicants might falsify their employment or credentials.

By using a staffing firm that routinely confirms previous employment and determines the validity of the resume, you can be assured that the applicant's credentials fit your job requirements.

Our team at A1 Best Staffing always verifies a candidate’s current and previous work history before we employ them. Our faxed or emailed Employment Reference Check form asks for dates of employment, position held, and reasons for leaving. Ratings for Job knowledge, punctuality, attitude, productivity and overall ability are also requested. Eligibility for rehire confirmation and additional space for pithy comments is included on our form. We get the relevant information you need directly from the employers, so you hire only honest and truthful employees.

If you are an applicant reading this I have some advice. It is actually from my late dad B. A. Townley: “Always tell the truth. It’s really hard for an honest person to remember a lie they've told, much less to who and where and when they told it.”

Hire the Right Person

Recruiter Short Listing Process

An applicant ‘short list’ is culled and sifted from the response generated by a posted job opening. The recruiter takes the original applicant list, narrowing it to their own short list and then to the final client’s short list; those chosen few who meet 100% of the hiring criteria.

Here is how I create my shortlists from the storm of applications we receive. I identify essential and desirable professional job related qualities that matter most to my client, then sift through the applications to select the best candidate as quickly as possible.

I love to do the ‘placement dance’, but before I can get there some pretty hard work has to be done.

When I begin trimming out the applications I have two points to look at: POINT A. the absolutely important criteria and POINT B. the desirable criteria. A candidate can have A and not B but still be on my list at this stage. 

My goal is to exclude as many unsuitable candidates early and as quickly as possible but I may have to come back to my POINT A candidate list later. Use these steps:

Decide on a rough number of candidates to interview for this posting – Remember the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of the best overall candidates for any job will be found in twenty percent of your professional applications. That twenty percent you are looking for now will most likely be in the applicants for this posted job. So, don’t reach very far back into the files unless you really didn’t get enough response to your initial job posting. The "Pareto principle” is very much alive and at work. Re-tap your recruitment network if you need to. Referrals are golden.

 

Do preliminary eliminations - Once the first shortlist is complete carry out additional stages that refine the list further based on client criteria. Only eliminate for not meeting minimum qualifications at this stage. Keep a list of applicants that meet the minimum, those left meet POINT A.

• How to set minimum qualifications –Refer to the educational, professional and experience required in the job description furnished by your client.

Further eliminate – Look at factors important to the client. If length of previous employments, sector exposure (previously worked in their same job environment), specialized training, professional affiliations and other job related desirables are present then impose additional filters. The candidates remaining now meet POINT B

• Conduct applicant interviews – Schedule interviews that are competency based for this specific job. Now you are looking for a good personality and expectations fit for both parties and other checks to evaluate the applicant's compatibility. Use common sense and detach your own personal preferences and personality from the equation.
• Eliminate personal bias - Every recruiter listens to their client carefully and encourages frank discussions about work place environment, job performance expectations and current labor laws for interviewing and hiring. Keep the entire selection process fair and adhere to the letter of the law.
• Facilitate client/candidate interviews – The client’s short list should be 2-3 candidates, ideally. You have screened, checked, verified, interviewed and feel confident these candidates are fully qualified for the position offered.

Final client selection – Joy and another success story. You placed a good fit candidate.

Now it’s time for the placement dance. Close the office door first.