For all the sturm and drang, there are some great benefits to doing a job search in December.

This is a great time to reconnect with former colleagues or acquaintances.  Check in with people to wish them a happy holidays, and then let them know that you are open to new opportunities in your career. Calling people out of the blue can feel intimidating, especially if you have not spoken to in a while. The holidays are a great icebreaker.

There are many networking events that happen around the holidays. This is a great way to meet new people and expand on options. You don’t have to be intimidated by the idea of being a job searcher when you go into the event, because you have the added value of celebrating the season.

This is also a great time of year to check in with an agency. There are many positions that have an end-of-year deadline to be filled, and you may be able to get an in if you call this time of year.

Overall, don’t let December be a deterrent for your job search.

1.  Understands the Industry: You want a recruiter who knows about the field you work in.  If you want a job in tech, make sure the person actually has a reputation placing in tech.

2. Cares about both clients and candidates: Finding clients who have jobs is important, but finding candidates who can fill them is also important. You want to work with someone who can be empathetic to everything they service.  This can help create a better match.

3. Search the Job Boards: How do you know a recruiter has openings that would fit you? Go on their LinkedIn Page or Website and see what positions they have open.

4. Interview Your Recruiter: When you go into an interview don’t be afraid to ask the recruiters questions. You want to find someone who can stick up for you. Make sure that you are working with someone who understands your needs, as well as you understand theirs.

Working with a recruiter can be like working with a match-maker. It is important to find someone who can help you get the perfect match.

1. If your resume is not on LinkedIn, make sure the recruiter can find it somewhere. We know the job orders we have to fill, and the positions we generally get in. We can best help you if we have a complete picture of who you are.  If you don’t feel comfortable sharing the information on your profile, have it available in an email.

2. Don’t assume that just because we connected this means we have a job available for you at that exact moment. The job market moves quickly and it could take a few weeks to find the perfect position. Just know we have your complete information and we are aware of your search. Also make sure you check the job board. If there is a specific position you had in mind, mention it. This way we know exactly what you are looking for.

3. Don’t be afraid to reach out us on email. LinkedIn is just a social media channel at the end of the day. A polite email with a short description of your areas of expertise is much more personal and human than just a “connection”.

With that said, please continue to reach out to our recruiters on LinkedIn. We really appreciate all the activity we’ve been having recently.

Many start-ups don’t have a Human Resources Department, and never before saw the need for one . When a company is under 10 people, everyone works as a team, and problems are resolved as a group.

As a product takes off,  however,  start-ups will have to hire outsiders, and will have to manage those people’s employment.  Creating contracts,  working out billing systems for different types of employees, and providing a framework to hire and fire people can be expensive both in time and money. We recommend using an agency to cut costs and increase efficiency.

Here are few of the  benefits when using a trained agency:

1. Time: It can be very time consuming interviewing and hiring people. It is the job of an agency to do this, and do it well. The the time spent finding qualified candidates,  could be used in product development or finding new clients. Remember agencies are paid to find perfect person, and so they will.

2. Costs: Creating the HR network needed for a growing business can be expensive. Outsourcing to an agency will allow you to focus on what is most important in house. The start-up cost of working with a third party who is trained is much less then having to learn best practices in house.

3. Candidates:  Agencies are paid to find the best candidates for the position. They have people dedicated to screening and testing in a way that can be tedious in house. While the final decision to hire or fire is left up to the company, the pool of applicants is much better. Not using an agency can be like throwing spaghetti against the wall, and seeing what sticks.

4. Contracts: What is the difference between exempt and non-exempt? What if the continuation of this persons employment is contingent on the growth of the company, what is the best way to hire them? Is this position better for a consultant? These are all important questions to ask, and an agency can work with companies to make sure that they employ people in the best manner. They also, on another note, can help you in the case you need to let someone go. This can be very difficult, but agencies work within a framework that prevents a company from blow-back.

1. Make sure people know: Make sure you have sent your actual resume to anyone who would be able to help you, either now or in the future. Some good starts are former professors, friends of parents,  and your career services office . People are more like to send something your way if they know exactly what you have to offer. 

2. Highlight Specific Skills: While your degree is important, make sure you list specific career-related skills. Did you take statistics with SPSS? Have you made a PowerPoint presentation? All too often resumes from recent grads read very vague.  Instead of saying something like “Ability to forecast using computer software” write the tools that you have used. 

3. Get Listed: Make sure you have a LinkedIn profile that is at least 75% complete. Make sure you put specific classes, skills, and interests. This is what differentiates you in search. Make sure you have sent your resume to HR agencies.  We don’t just mean filling out the online form, we mean researching recruiters in your field and sending them your resume. It is perfectly fine to say “I saw your profile on LinkedIn and I thought I’d reach out with my resume” (but don’t harp on anyone).

4. Experience is Experience:  Extracurriculars, internships,  volunteering, even certain classes count as experience. If an activity you did demonstrates reliability and capability it can be used.

5. Keep Yourself Busy: Don’t spend all day alone in the house online searching. Get out, stay active. This could be through volunteering or networking.  Anything that keeps you active and in touch with your interests or industry will help you stay relevant. 

6. Be Reasonable: The first caveat to this is have clear expectations. Don’t turn down perfectly great positions because you are waiting for your dream job. Remember when you were applying to college you had “safeties” and “reaches”. The same would be good for a job search. Know your baseline and know your limits. Don’t turn down an acceptable offer.

That said, please feel free to send your resume to dcollins@unitedstaffing.com!

Here are 2  major benefits to getting a temp-to-perm position:

1. If all goes well going into a role like this will lead to a company career, if it doesn’t work out there is always the next option. That is the best part about temp-to-perm.

2. If the job fits the position expands, if it doesn’t work out you can part ways and remain on relatively good terms. This does not mean your should treat temp-to-perm position with disregard because you can always find another spot. What this does mean is that the company cares about who they are hiring, and want to make sure the fit is just as comfortable for you as it is for them.

Don’t be afraid to go to an agency. At USS we offer more than just one-off positions. Feel free to contact us for more information! -dcollins@unitedstaffing.com

That’s right, not does the candidate know the program, but do they have the ability to use it as needed. It is important to look at it from this perspective because one company might use a program like Salesforce to track actual clients, while another might use it to track complaint cases from users.  Some job descriptions just say that a person needs to know Excel, but for what purpose?

Here are two tips for finding the best candidate:

When creating a job  description it is important not only to mention the programs needed, but how you use them. 

When interviewing a candidate  give them a scenario and let them explain how they would use the program to solve it. Salesforce/Office/Magento etc…..these are all business solutions. Let the candidate be the problem-solver.

If you need help finding the best candidate feel free to drop us a line!

“I’ve send an email, I’ve written a document…I can use Office, but they want an expert…” Is something we hear all too often as an excuse not to apply for a position. While you may not be a ninja coder creating new phone apps,  the word expert is fairly relative, as is proficient. Don’t be afraid to flaunt what you know on a resume. Even if you only make spreadsheets to calculate your grocery costs, you know how to create a new file, put content in it, and save.  This is considered proficient in many positions.

It is important during the interview process to ask what exactly they mean by these skills. A good question is “How would I be using Office (or any other program) on a day-to-day basis?”

If the answer is sending emails and writing documents, you are an expert.  If the answer is something more advance, don’t be afraid to use that as motivation to expand on your skills.

Learning a new technology can seem intimidating, especially if you are used to an older paradigm. Many people believe that as time passes these programs become more complicated, and in fact the opposite is true. The surprising thing is, as developers learn more and more about user experience, and how people interact with the programs they make,  the easier the newer editions are.

In fact the newest editions of Excel and PowerPoint have less barriers to entry than they did five years ago.  Now is the best time to learn a new program. Here are some basic tips for learning new technology for your job search:

1.Don’t be afriad: This stuff is made for humans to use, not rocket scientists.

2. Learn the Basics, then specialize as needed: Understand how to create new projects and update information, then expand on those skills as needed by the role you will play at your job. Different companies use programs differently.  Anyone can be an expert at a program, once they use it more often.

3. Look on the web: Most programs have online editions with simple tutorials and discussion boards. This is a great place to learn new software without having to download or pay for it, and share your experience.

Good luck, and if you have any questions or need help, feel free to reach out to us here on twitter @team_uss, or our linkedin group!