According to the American Staffing Association (ASA)—the voice of the U.S. staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry—more than three million temporary and contract employees work for America’s staffing companies during an average week. What’s more, the ASA reports that during a course of a year, America’s staffing companies hire nearly 15 million temporary and contract employees.
In addition, nine out of ten temporary employees said working for a staffing firm made them more employable.
That’s no surprise, because working with a temporary staffing firm provides several unique career opportunities for job seekers in a wide variety of fields. Let’s take a look at five reasons job seekers benefit from working with a temporary staffing firm.
- Keep skills up to date/eliminate gaps in employment: Employers like to hire job seekers with a consistent work history. If one needs to find a job to eliminate gaps on a resume and keep skills sharp, they should consider working with a staffing agency to find a temporary position. Employers work with staffing agencies to find qualified workers for short-term (3-6 months) and long-term (1-2 years) employment opportunities in a wide variety of industries. Working with a staffing agency helps job seekers eliminate gaps in employment and helps add valuable skills to bolster their resume for the next job.
- Networking, networking, networking: Working with a staffing agency allows job seekers to not only secure a new career opportunity, but connect with other industry professionals. That new co-worker may someday go to another company and could be your “in” to a permanent opportunity. That department supervisor may see your strong work ethic and the value you bring to a team and can be a reference for a future job or even consider hiring you on a permanent basis. And…if that supervisor ever gets promoted or takes another job, you could be on their short list of candidates they contact when new positions open up. It’s not always what you know, it’s who you know.
- Reduce time getting hired: A job search can take several months, but staffing agencies like Atlantic Group have direct access to hiring managers for hundreds of open jobs and can get your resume in front of decision makers in an instant. In fact, even if you are employed, registering with a staffing agency in advance of needing a new job is recommended. You can develop that relationship with a recruiter, get your resume in the system, and be ahead of the game should you need to make a change. Working with a staffing agency can reduce your time to hire by several months—increasing money in your pocket by eliminating time away from work.
- It’s free: A reputable staffing agency should never ask you to pay to register with their company. So if you can get all of the above for free, why not partner with a staffing agency and their skilled recruiters to assist your job search and help you achieve/reach your career goals? There isn’t much that’s free these days, but registering with a staffing agency like Atlantic Group is 100 percent free! That being said, some unique services with recruiters do cost money—so be sure you understand the differences before taking a meeting with a recruiter.
- Hidden job market: Some employers only work with staffing agencies. That means hundreds of good jobs won’t be listed on job boards—they’ll be listed with reputable staffing agencies, like Atlantic Group. Bottom line: Recruiters from staffing agencies can present offers/opportunities no one else can. No competing against thousands of others for the same job or trying to get that resume through an applicant tracking system that eliminates your resume before a human even reads it.
There are countless great reasons to work with a staffing agency to find a temporary job—these are just five. What will your next move be?
Meet the Author and Team:
Kris Borkowski | Managing Director
Atlantic Group
225 Franklin Street | Boston, MA 02110
Direct: 617.544.9940 | Email: kborkowski@atlantic-grp.com