Job agencies place employment searchers in positions with organizations that are in need of hiring new staff. Some placement agencies attempt to find the exact match employees with permanent openings, while others place individuals in temporary positions. In essence, some openings are short term ranging from few weeks to few months, whereas others are temp-to-full-time. The latter means the organization wants to first evaluate whether or not an employee is a the perfect fit, and will hire him if so.
Important Fields
Today job agencies are dealing with corporations as well as job seekers in a diverse range of fields. Some work for office workers, accountants, business professionals, computer technicians, laborers, nurses, nannies, or a range of occupations. Many are specialized in entry and lower level staffing, but others specialize in middle and executive level positions. Similarly, some agencies basically place employees within their own country, while others are ready to find shining prospects abroad, especially in Arab countries like Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and others.
Public and Private Agencies
Majority of job agencies operating in different parts of the globe consists of private job agencies. Private agencies charge a specific percentage of employee’s annual salary as a fee to employers after successfully placing an individual in a position. Very rare are the agencies that charge a fee to job seekers. Other than private job agencies, there are state-sponsored agencies that exist in almost every state. These agencies typically have offices in cities all over the country, and offer services to job seekers free of cost. Their primary aim is to enhance employment rates and augment the local economies.
Signing Up with Job Agencies
Good agencies conduct interviews to test out job seekers in terms of their skills and abilities. An applicant may first undergo a complete series of questionnaires and then speak with a staff member regarding his qualifications and field experience. If the applicant intends to work in computer field, he will take tests on computer to exhibit how efficient he is with different types of software. Applicants are suggested to dress neatly just as they would for a formal job interview. Applicants dressing sloppily might not be first on the list of job seekers to call when a good opportunity arises.
Cautions
Sometimes, some agencies persuade applicants to attend interviews or accept job offers that may not be actually appropriate for the applicants, so job seekers must refuse to accept being pressured in these ways. Another worth importance matter here is to always learn about agencies’ fees prior to signing an agreement with them, and try to evade those that charge fees, since you probably have many other options. Similarly, inquire the agency about visa and travel expenses if you want to get posted in foreign countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the like.
How to Find a Job through Job Agencies?
There are a number of job agencies out there. Some are more national in scope, while others also place candidates in foreign countries. Irrespective of the specialties of such agencies, there are certain common application procedures that one has to follow in order to boost his chances of finding a job with a job agency.
Choose an Agency
Start out by finding all of the job agencies operating in your city. Be selective and try to find the ones that are specialized in job opportunities in your own field. You can find this by making telephone calls to the job agencies or looking in the yellow pages. To your advantage, some larger agencies display ads and enlist the types of jobs they handle. The internet is another source for finding job agencies in your city. Make sure you have an updated resume that best represents your current skills and experience.
The Application Process
After finding two or three job agencies dealing in your field, it is time to process your application. However, make sure the agencies will receive the fee from the employer, not the employee. Ask for an appointment with the sales representative. They may require you to e-mail or send your resume in advance. In this regard it is better to submit it in person as this way you can impress a job agency by explaining your skills, experience, abilities and addressing certain areas of concern they may have with your background.
The Interview
Revise your syllabus thoroughly if you are a fresh graduate or just study your background in case you are serving in a firm and rehearse extensively for the interview. Figure out the method to express your most relevant experience and make mind to explain why you left all past positions. Take on spick and span dress appropriately for the interview because job agencies know the type of personality their clients want to hire.
Be professional, shake hand with the sales representative with a smile on your face. Display a high degree of spirit and enthusiasm. Up to this point, the job agency does not reveal the exact names of their client companies. When they do so, choose only those companies that best match your field and background qualification lest you should waste your time with wrong companies. Ask your representative to submit these companies a copy of your resume. Now your main objective should be to get your first interview with the executives of those companies in which you have an interest.
Follow Up
This is very important to stay in contact with the job agencies. Follow up at least once a week to check the latest status of each job opportunity. Job agencies have to sift out a number of job applicants. You need to stand out as a distinct candidate from the crowd. As a final measure, remain hopeful and wait for the better prospects and never get your hopes up for any particular job.
