If you’ve decided to go to a recruiting or staffing firm to help you with your job search, congratulations! Staffing firms such as StaffEx often know about openings before the general public. In addition, many Tampa Bay-area firms use StaffEx to bring in workers on a temporary basis, which is a great way to get your foot in the door. Many of these temporary assignments sometimes turn into offers of regular employment — when the company sees how well the worker performs and decides it doesn’t want to let a  good worker get away.

We see this happen regularly.

So if you do decide to come to us, here are some tips that will, to paraphrase a character in the great film Jerry McGuire, “help us to help you.”

1) Understand that as much as we’d love to find you work, we are in the business of helping employers find great employees. If you don’t have the skills or background for the positions our clients need, we may not be able to help you.

However, even if we don’t have a position for you now, we may later. In addition, our staffing managers can act as great sounding boards and can give you wonderful advice on how to write a resume, present yourself to employers, even conduct a job search. Just don’t rely on us to find you a job. Even if we do send you on an assignment, your work ethic will — or won’t — allow you to be successful at the client company. It’s always the worker who actually “gets” the job; we just provide the opportunity.

2) Look at us as just one tool in your job-search arsenal. Don’t sign with us and sit at home waiting for the phone to ring. Continue your networking efforts, applying for openings for which you’re suited, etc.

In addition, we do recommend you register with a few (maybe three or four) other staffing services. Just let us know that you have. We can work with you around schedules. (For example, say you’re ending one assignment with another service on a Friday, but we would like you to work on Thursday. We often can rearrange assignment start dates for our employees who have proven their reliability in the past.) It’s all in the communication. Just be open and above board with us.

This is especially pertinent if one of our clients is considering you for a long-term or even direct-hire position. If you are in discussions with other employers for a position, good! Just let us know. This in no way means we won’t send you to speak with our client. Far from it. It’s actually a good thing for you: you could end up having to choose between two terrific offers!

3) Let our staffing managers know exactly what your goals and hopes are. Also give specifics regarding your skills, background and education. The more detailed you are, the better assignments you’ll receive.

That said, the more flexible you are to the types of assignments you’ll accept, the more work we can send your way. And, who knows, a position you take as a “stop gap” could well lead to something wonderful.

4) Be yourself. Be genuine. Trying to fit your personality and desires into something you think a recruiter or employer want will do you no good.

5) If you have gaps in your resume, if you were fired from a job, if you have a criminal record, be upfront about it. We conduct through background checks and it’s better that you tell us about something less than stellar in your record than allow us to find it. Being fired from a previous employer or having a criminal record does not automatically mean we won’t or can’t place you. The more forthright you are with us, the better your chances of placement.

When you’re looking for work in the Tampa Bay area, contact StaffEx. We can place you in temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire assignments with some of the Tampa Bay’s best firms. We look forward to hearing about your career goals. Contact us today!