| Job searching can be stressful and time consuming. As a staffing and recruitment agency, we are your advocates. We get a lot of recurring questions and comments regarding the industry and how the process works with partnering with a recruiter. This month, we decided to take some time to answer your questions and clarify some misconceptions. Here is the who, what, where, when, and why!
 Who are our clients and why are they kept confidential
Our clients are kept confidential for two reasons. First, our clients occasionally ask for their openings to remain confidential, especially if they are trying to replace a current employee. Second, the staffing and recruiting market is a competitive one. Our employees, past and present, have worked long and hard to develop a wonderful pool of clients to bring our candidates top-notch opportunities. Having a public profile of our clients creates an easy pick-up for our competition. Thankfully, we have well-established, long-lasting and loyal relationships with our clients, and are always open to new affiliations.
What temporary, temp to perm, and contract really mean
Nothing in this life is guaranteed. Our promise is to be honest and forthright. In all of these types of positions, you are employed by the staffing agency you are working with. A temporary position is one that can have a set amount of time or be open-ended. Sometimes temporary positions can become permanent, even if they are not advertised as so. It all depends on the need for the opening. A temp to perm position is a temporary job with the opportunity to become a permanent employee. More likely than not, if the person in the position is doing a stellar job and working up to expectations (if not exceeding), they will get hired permanently. If expectations are not met, there is no guarantee this type of position will end with a permanent offer. A contract position is for a predetermined amount of time. Often times, contract positions get extended beyond their initial timeframe, but again, this is not a guarantee.
Unlike many agencies, we like to treat our long-term temporary and contract employees like our own. These individuals deserve benefits, and once they are qualified, they become eligible for paid time off, paid holidays, and subsidized health insurance!
What it means to be overqualified/underqualified
Staffing agencies exist to help candidates find jobs they are qualified for, and to help businesses find employees who are properly qualified. The last two things we want to do are to throw you into a job where you are either bored out of your mind or treading water just to stay alive. We are experts on our clients and we want to become experts on getting to know you! We will work with you and our clients to find a job that is perfectly suitable with what you are capable of.
Where have you interviewed? And the reason behind the question
A well-established agency is not going to try to find out who you have been interviewing with for their benefit. We often ask this question because there can be crossover in our industry, meaning we may have the same openings that other agencies have. We always ask our candidates for approval to be submitted for positions, unlike many of our competitors who slyly submit resumes to their clients without approval in hopes of beating out the competition. Being asked where you have interviewed is not a question you should avoid, but make sure you feel comfortable answering the question before giving up the information. It can be difficult to tell who is going to use your information for their advancement.
When jobs you apply to suddenly disappear
We never post fake jobs. I repeat, never. A very common question is, "Is the job I saw on your website even real?" The answer is "absolutely". Jobs do not miraculously disappear, at least ours do not. However, we place people into positions every day, which means those positions will no longer be available. Our website is updated in real-time, so what you see on our site can change in a second. Another possibility is that our client has decided they no longer need to fill the position, in which case, we simply close the job. The final reason is that sometimes positions are "on hold," as we like to call it. This means that the position is dormant and our client is not currently interviewing candidates for the position. The job will either eventually become active, or in some cases, be cancelled.
Why you have not heard from us
It can be difficult to find the perfect match between candidate, position, and client. Sometimes this process can take some time. Even if you have not heard from us, we still have you on our mind (and in our database) for when the perfect opportunity arises. If you ever have any questions, we are an email away. We also request that you keep us up-to-date with your status. If you take on an opportunity, let us know. We want what is best for you and will do our very best to help you get there.
Why we get as many details as possible
We are your best advocates. When our clients receive your resume, they are not just looking at a Word document or PDF. They are looking at our detailed notes and descriptions of you and your experience. We know exactly how to explain your experience and jobs to our clients, as long as we get enough detail from you. We often hear, "My experience is a little confusing," or "My title was Administrative Assistant, but I had a lot more responsibilities." These are the reasons we ask a lot of questions and dig into your experience, so we can accurately present you to our clients.
Why we ask your salary history and salary goals
Salary can be a difficult topic. When discussing your salary history, it is best to be honest and include information about overtime and bonuses. As far as target salary goes, give us a range. We want to know the absolute lowest pay you would be willing to take and your ideal salary. We say this because we want to be able to narrow down which jobs you would consider, and which jobs would be idyllic. If you say, "I'm looking for a range of $40,000 – $100,000," that is not genuine nor helpful. We want to get you a salary that is comparable to your goals, while remaining realistic.
If you have any additional questions or have heard some things that you would like clarified, please let us know and we will be happy to assist!
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"There is little as stressful as looking for a job in tough economic times. There are hundreds of ideal jobs on the internet, but it is funny, you never hear back from them even though you spend the time and effort to apply. I think the worst thing about the online application is remembering all those passwords! Lucky for me, I found my ideal job with a very reputable agency, Laufer and Associates. The icing on the cake was that I got to meet Julie and Cristin!
"It is a big, wide world out there. The real world. This is a fact that I had heard, but not fully grasped. Having recently graduated, I was forced to make the leap into the daily commute and join the 9-5ers. To be honest, I was digging in my heels. It seemed like such a change from how I was used to living my life. I was grasping at the last threads of my youth when a friend put me in touch with Laufer and Associates. I owe that friend an immense amount of thanks, as it is because of her that I met the team that changed my whole perspective.
What do you think of when you hear "social media"? Aside from connecting with friends and family, social media is an excellent research source for job seekers. You can find information about the companies you are interviewing with, and even the individuals you could potentially meet. It is important to remember that hiring managers and interviewers have access to social media as well, so it is important to keep everything professional and/or private. According to an article on Forbes.com, written by Jacqueline Smith, 37% of employers use social networks to screen potential job candidates.
