Today’s job search can feel like a full-time job in and of itself. In many circles it’s suggested that you treat it as if it were exactly that. That being said, there are wise and not-so-wise ways to handle your job search. Handling your job search right from the start can mean the difference between weeks of unemployment and months of unemployment. In today’s job market; that difference can feel like a lifetime. That’s why it’s so important to have someone on your side, such as a staffing agency, to act as an advocate for you in your job search.

Here are five reasons why it’s advantageous to partner with a staffing agency in order to land your next job.

1)    Resources. Staffing agencies have access to job listings that aren’t widely known. In fact, many companies don’t advertise in traditional methods at all. They simply turn to staffing agencies in order to pre-screen potential candidates.
2)    Relationships. Staffing agencies don’t advertise all of the jobs they have available either. Some of them are new and some of them they hold close to the vest and only share with highly-qualified job seekers. In other words, you must have a relationship with the staffing agency to even hear about these positions. Not only can you develop a relationship with the staffing agency but they also often establish relationships with the companies they actively recruit for. This means that even if you’ve been turned down for a position with this company before they can help you get another opportunity to interview with the company and help you prepare for the interview for a better shot at success this time around.
3)    Industry Specific. Not all staffing agencies are industry specific but there are many that are. This is helpful to you because you’re dealing with people who understand the industry they are recruiting for and aren’t simple human resource employees that are “guessing” you’ll be a good fit for the company.
4)    Cost. It generally costs you nothing to use these services. Most of the time the fee is a percentage of your first year’s salary that is paid by the employer – provided that you remain employed for a specified amount of time.
5)    Negotiating power. You can enjoy a little additional negotiating power with potential employers with the staffing agency acting as your advocate. Make no mistake. Their salaries are paid by the companies doing the hiring so they aren’t often going to go above and beyond but they can negotiate a little more aggressively, especially if they are convinced that you would be an ideal fit for a particular company, than you would be able to do on your own.

Staffing agencies aren’t always the perfect answer but most of the time they are a good solution for people looking for a new job in today’s highly competitive job market. The odds are good that you would enjoy many benefits from this particular partnership.

Business Analysts
• Bachelor’s Degreed
• 2-8 yrs of Business Analysis experience including formulating and defining system scope, analyzing business/user needs, writing and executing test plans.
• Experienced with traditional applications, web and mobile development/Quality Assurance.

Project Managers
• Traditional as well as Digital/Technical with Marketing/Advertising Industry experience.
• PMP certified, experienced with Agile Methodologies, traditional application, web and mobile projects. 

Mobile Application Developers
• Experienced developers with Android, Blackberry and iOS technologies.
• Experience with Objective C, CSS3, HTML5 etc.

Web Developers
• Developers with 2- 7 yrs of experience
• Net, C#, PHP, CSS, HTML, etc.

A contract workforce can greatly improve your IT staffing needs. As a business owner or hiring manager, it is not always necessary to bring on full time staff to manage a small problem. The entire process of hiring an employee is long and complicated. If you just need to tune up or update your IT technology, you do not need to hire a full team of employees. Rather, you may be able to get the results you need from a specialized contract workforce.

Why IT Contract Staffing Works

Contract workforce employees, or temporary workers, come in, do the job and are gone. There is no long term incentive to worry about managing. There are no high cost employee benefits to worry about during the process. However, there are some key benefits to hiring these professionals over others for your IT needs.

• Hire an IT professional on contract to come in and update systems, as they need them. Updates are something many businesses put off because they take time and labor away from the tasks. Keep your staff busy and have a pro handle the upgrades required.
• Do you need to manage those safety breaches or handle those software problems? If your business does not need a full time IT professional but just someone to come in when it is necessary, turn to contract workers instead of hiring someone. It could cost you less than hiring an IT company to do the work.
• Installation of new equipment, software or other IT tools is often necessary. When you need to make a significant move to expand or to build on your current network, bring on a professional to help with the transition. This can be especially helpful when it comes to training of employees with new systems.

The key in using contract workforce is getting a team you trust. Ensure you can come back to the same team members whenever you need them. This can help to increase the overall successes you will have with using the company. Once they know the IT structure that is in your business then they can handle the concerns or needs that you have faster and within your budget.

If you do not need full time IT but you need to make changes to keep your systems working at the top of the IT industry, use contract workforce to get you to that point. What you may find is that these professionals can do the job and even offer all of the benefits of a full time professional (from managing those IT problems to offering advice on how, when and why to upgrade.) Do not overlook the value of temporary employees within the IT sector. This is especially valuable for any business that does not have a large IT footprint to manage in the first place.

It is tax time and you need to bring on a few accounting temps to help you with the process. Tax season is not the time to hire someone full time to manage your books, but it does make sense to bring on a few contract professionals to help with the process. If you do not take the time to hire the right people, though, you could end up with more of a mess than what you started with going into this season.

Do They Know Enough?

When hiring accounting temps, take a closer look at who you are bringing on. You likely do not want someone who will come in and try to make significant changes to your accounting practices. That would slow things down and affect everyone’s job. You do want to hire someone to offer the expertise necessary. Hire a professional with knowledge. Here is what to look for in these professionals.

• Ensure the accounting temps have experience using the types of software programs you are currently using. There is no time or patience right now for the new hire to learn the books. They need to know it before you bring them on.
• Are they go-getters? It can be hard to find the right accounting temps based on your lack of ability to interview them enough. However, you need someone that is going to jump right in and get work done without much training or hands on attention.
• They do not have to be certified accountants to do the job. However, they likely should have some experience in the field. After all, one mistake they make now means countless hours for your team to figure out the problem. Experience helps.

The right accounting temps is important, but it is also important for you to take steps to make the process go smoothly.

What You Need to Do Now

If you need to bring on accounting temps to help with the tax season, you also need to put your books in order now. Avoid waiting until the last minute to get organized. You may also want to hold onto a quality temp after the season is over for a few weeks to set up a system to keep you organized going into next year. The key here is to ensure that those who work with you have the ability to do their job well.

For those who are already behind, it pays to make this clear to anyone you plan to bring on. You may need to bring on more than one person to get the business’s records up to date. Be sure you state this as you look for and compare your options in accounting temps.

Do not be the last business to hire these professionals either. It is almost inevitable that a run on these professionals will happen in the weeks leading up to tax filing season. However, it is always a good idea to bring on temps sooner. You will get better qualified professionals.

Engineering candidates are back in big demand. Though systems and methods change, technology grows and the fields often shift, there is always a demand for qualified engineering professionals. For those who are looking for jobs in the engineering field, it helps to know which careers are going to be in demand. 2012 promises to offer a range of opportunities for this field. Should the economy continue to improve, positions in this field could grow significantly.

Top Engineering Fields

For those who are graduating with a degree in engineering, the horizon looks good, even if the economy does not strengthen significant. The key will be to choose a field that is expanding rather than contracting. Some may need to step back into school to freshen skills for this still-demanding and still-changing field. For those who are in the following fields, it may be easier to find positions than other areas of engineering.

Biomedical Engineering

For those still in school, consider moving into the field of biomedical engineering. Biomedical engineers are going to be in demand according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These are engineers with a degree and working knowledge in biology, biomechanical procedures and engineering. Their ability to fit within the bulging health care system and products will push them forward. In fact, with a 72 percent expected increase through 2018, this field is one of the fastest growing fields. The average salary is about $82,000.

This could be one of the best fields to be in for a number of reasons. As the population ages, the demand for better healthcare and a more connected healthcare system will become vital. More health companies are moving towards advanced systems for management of their businesses, too.

Computer Software Engineering

Computer software engineers are also in demand. Those who work in computer design systems and in any related service industry are likely to find themselves in demand. Within this field, a bachelor’s degree may be all that is necessary. Expect the average salary to be about $97,000. The Internet continues to grow and more businesses than ever are moving their accounts online. With cloud management also becoming more in demand around the globe, individuals can count on finding jobs in this field as well.

What 2012 has to offer is unknown, but as the economy continues to improve, jobs in engineering will emerge. Those with the most up to date skills and the ability to apply skills that are more versatile will be more in demand than those that are stuck with engineering skills from ten years ago. There could be a retraction in some fields of engineering. In the global economy we live in, it is likely that this field will grow outward – with more importance paid to those careers that help to connect people and meet the individual’s needs.