Tag Archives: seeking

Temporary Work Myths: EXPOSED!

Temporary Work Myths: EXPOSED!The economy is changing, and while it slowly climbs it’s way to recovery, employers are looking at the job market in a different way. Now more than ever, companies are increasingly relying on temporary staffing to fill open positions instead of dealing with the time and expense of directly hiring new employees.

This is a great opportunity for job seekers to gain valuable experience, but many don’t consider it as an option because of the various misconceptions about interim work. It’s time to expose these ideas for the myths they are. Here are the top three staffing myths busted to help you find success in your career.

Temporary work doesn’t pay well and is low-level.
This isn’t the case. For staffing agencies, demand is growing fastest for administrative and commercial jobs.  More and more professionals are embracing the flexibility and control they have over their work schedule and the challenge and variety they can have acting as a consultant to their various jobs.

Staffing agencies want highly skilled and talented individuals to meet the needs of their job orders. That means they offer competitive wages and benefits that are on par with those directly hired. Some staffing companies offer health insurance, vacation, and retirement options. Research your local agency to see if their services are the right fit for you and your schedule.

I can’t get a full-time job if everyone knows I’m a temporary employee.
Because of the high cost of hiring and terminating employees, companies are turning to staffing agencies to evaluate and test new hires before hiring them full time. Employers are still cautious of the economy, so it makes perfect sense to hire workers from staffing agencies as a cost effective way to meet their needs. In many cases, a staffing agency can be your foot in the door with some prominent companies.

There are several stories about temporary employees working for Express who end up in full-time positions in companies they never would have been considered for otherwise. Check out these stories of temporary employees’ success.

Having temp work on your résumé looks bad.
Showing how you have gained and developed skills will only strengthen your résumé. As staffing has grown into a bigger part of the economy, experience in temporary work is seen as the equivalent of consulting experience in some industries.  Many employers see long-term staffing jobs as the same as regular work experience. There are several benefits to working with a staffing agency that will look good on a résumé as long as you can show how your experience can help potential employers.

The increase in employment through staffing has always been a sign of future economic recovery, but opportunities to work on a temporary basis are expanding. Some industry experts are predicting temporary work may become more integral to the economy in the next decade. Contact your local Express office to see if we can provide you with an opportunity to help you succeed with your career goals.

Like, Mention, and Friend Request Your Way to a New Job Through Facebook

Use Facebook For Your Job SearchFacebook just recorded 901 million active monthly users at the end of March. Needless to say, it’s a big deal. Odds are you are one of the millions of users checking their account every day to see what’s going on in the life of friends, loved ones, family, and celebrities.

What’s great about Facebook is you can use this vast market of people and organizations to help in your job search. Best part of all, you’re probably already using Facebook in your normal daily routine. With a few simple steps, you can use this common digital past time to help find a job.

Clean it up
It’s becoming more routine for employers to search candidates’ social media profiles to influence their hiring decisions. Consider cleaning up your profile to make sure it reflects a professional image of you by removing photos or status updates that could reflect poorly, and untag yourself from images you wouldn’t want potential employers to see. If you really must have those photos and memories on your profile, make sure you set them to private so only trusted friends can see the content.

Make sure your future updates are in a professional manner when looking for a job. Be especially mindful when updating after an interview. An employer may be taking special interest in what you say after talking with you.

Implement Interaction
One of the most important tactics in a job search is networking. Facebook can help you stay connected with people from all over the world. It’s time to take advantage of that. For example, post an update to your friends to ask if they’ve heard of any job openings you’re qualified for, or at least asking if they know anyone who does. Provide them links to your online résumé, LinkedIn profile,  professional blog, or website.

You can also use Facebook to interact with companies and organizations you want to work for. They are always looking for more interaction from their customers on social media, and if you can get on their social media radar, the better the chance they’ll notice your résumé. Commenting on status updates and sharing their links are great ways of interacting with potential employers. It also opens doors for you to ask about employment opportunities.

Facebook’s App Attack
Apps on Facebook are more than just Farmville and Socialcam. They can be used specifically to help you build a professional network and find a job. One example is BranchOut, which allows you to build a professional profile on Facebook, network with more than 400 million professional profiles, and search more than three million job and 20,000 internship postings. You can also connect with Monster.com’s BeKnown mobile app on Facebook. Marketplace also has a jobs section that allows you to connect directly with recruiters.

Another option to consider is placing a Facebook ad. Some job seekers have found success using them, but they do cost money, and Facebook ads have been losing effectiveness since they launched. Do your research and see if it could be a viable option for you.

If you’re already on Facebook, go ahead and use it as a powerful tool to grow your network and connect with potential employers. What success stories do you have using Facebook to find a job?

How to Stretch Your Deflated Network

How to Stretch Your Deflated NetworkMany job seekers have or are facing long-term unemployment. One of the side effects of going long bouts without work is called “shrinking world syndrome,” in which  job seekers fall into repeated patterns of inefficiency. It becomes harder and harder to break out of a rut as the world feels like it shrinks.

If you feel like your professional world is shrinking, you may feel increasingly helpless when trying to connect and grow your network. You could be struggling with ideas on how to utilize the small network that you still have. Here are some ways you can take advantage of your smaller network to regrow a shrinking professional world.

Sometimes, Weak Ties are the Best Ties
Nearly 30 years ago, a study by Johns Hopkins University showed that the best leads for job opportunities are more likely to come from more distant colleagues and friends as opposed to the closest ones. This isn’t because your close friends don’t give good recommendations, but because they are more likely to know about the same job openings, while the job openings known to more distant colleagues- those with whom you don’t interact very often- are not as likely to be known to your own friends.

The Hopkins University conclusion of opportunities coming from distant connections remains true today.  A recent academic study  shows venture capital firms concentrated in the traditional tech centers do better than other firms primarily because they “cast a wide, public net,” harvesting the results of their weak ties. Consider reconnecting with those old contacts you haven’t talked to in a while. They may have leads for you that your current network doesn’t.

Get Out of the House
Another step to take is to get out of the house. At least once a week, make a commitment to get out of the house and around other human beings, in person and face-to-face. It doesn’t have to be a huge networking meeting, but that can be one of the possibilities. It can also be doing something you enjoy, or meeting one-on-one with an old friend for coffee. Volunteering at local charities works great as well.

The main thing is to start an interaction at some level. Our world starts to expand when we share it with others. There are several websites to help you meet others. Meetup.com is a handy site to find like-minded people, and, depending on where you live, many groups can be related to your industry. Many LinkedIn groups also meet in person. So, check with the group organizer to see if they are organizing anything.  Group members often post events on LinkedIn, so look for ones that interest you as well.

Modern job searching is about making quality connections. Embrace getting to know others, and your network will get bigger. Sometimes meeting just one person can change your job search, but that can only happen if you make the effort to get out of the house. What are some ways you’ve made the most out of your network?

4 Ways to Background Check a Potential Employer

Backgroundcheck_Jan2012_webAll right, super-sleuths. You sent a strong résumé, and the employer has called you for an interview. What do you do now? It’s almost certain the prospective company is already starting to research who you are and what you’re like outside of work, so it’s just as important that you thoroughly background check them too.

Even with slow economic conditions, choosing the right employer is imperative because you will be relying on them for continuous employment, a steady paycheck, and challenging work to help you develop and grow your skills.

Where do you start? Where do you go other than the main website? What do you look for? Don’t fear, job gumshoes, the Movin’ On Up Detective Agency will help you hit the street, put the finger on available sources, and get the information you need so you can put the screws on your potential employer and get hired.

Direct Approach

Even with the internet giving you more information at your disposal than ever before, some of the best information can be gathered on foot.

Bigger companies or nonprofits generally have an abundance of pamphlets, fliers, and other sources of information available at the front desk if requested. You’d be surprised how many organizations don’t put many details on their websites. Smaller companies and nonprofits are harder to find information for and can require outside sources.

Another old-fashioned way of finding information is through public resources like libraries.  Many public libraries subscribe to databases that aren’t generally available to the public, and those can open up riches of information on companies and non-profits. If you aren’t sure where to look, ask one of the librarians for assistance.

Online Sources

You should be finding out if your employer is a public or private organization. If it’s public, you can use all the sources from the library at your disposal, but if it’s a smaller, private organization, you’ll have to try different methods.

If you don’t have access to a college library and your public library is lacking, there are several websites out there to help you gather intel on potential employers.

Try looking for their new products and services, potential mergers, and their general financial future. Also, look into what their competition is doing to see how the employer is separating itself. Try using websites like Vault or GlassDoor to get general information and opinions on your potential employer.

Social Media Savvy

If you can’t find information on the organization’s website, try looking on their Facebook or Twitter pages. Many times, a company’s social media site will not only have more company information, but will have contact information for you to call or email if you feel like you need more data.

It’s also a good idea to check out the potential employer’s blog as well. This will give great insight to their feel, identity, what it’s about, and what’s important to it. Seeing what is on the company’s mind will give you some topics to discuss when you interview.

Man on the Inside

If you’ve graduated from college, don’t underestimate the value of your school’s alumni association. Try finding out if any of your school’s alumni work for your potential employer and see if they can give you any insight into the company, how the hiring went, and any other useful information they can give. Also, try looking at your LinkedIn connection levels to see if you have connections with anyone associated with that particular company.

If you don’t have access to any graduates or contacts from inside the company, you can always make connections by calling them to find out more information. Try calling the HR department or any recruiters to get more information or promotional material. Start conversing with them, and see if you can get any extra tidbits that aren’t listed in the promotional material.

You may feel like you’re behind the eight ball when it comes to giving your potential employer an up-and-down, but with these helpful hints, you’ll be ready for anything the employer can throw at you. What are some ways you have learned more about a potential company?