Being out of work for an extended period of time can make it tougher to successfully reenter the workforce. Whether you took leave to care for your children, to care for an ill parent, to go back to school, to travel, or for any other reason, you might benefit from getting some help with your job search.
Getting the help you need from a career professional can expedite your job search and help you find a job that will be rewarding and fulfilling, while meeting your needs.
When returning to the workforce, the first place you should look for help is your local staffing agency.
Here’s how a staffing firm can help you reenter the workforce.
Career Advice
Your recruiter will be able to help you carve out a career path. You’ll receive valuable career advice that can help you evaluate your interests, passions, and needs, so you can zero in on the right industry and position. This type of professional advice can help reevaluate your current job search and help you determine if you should be considering new options, like part-time work, in order to get back into the workforce.
The recruiter will know what industries are currently hiring and which aren’t, what skills and experience are required for any given type of position, and the type of worker that typically succeeds in any position.
When returning to the workforce after an extended leave, a little advice can go a long way.
Hidden Job Opportunities
A recruiter will also be able to give you access to hidden job opportunities. As you know, only 20 percent of jobs are advertised. That leaves another 80 percent that aren’t advertised and that you don’t have access to when searching for a job on your own. When you work with a recruiter, you’ll be able to get exclusive access to these unadvertised jobs, increasing your chances of finding a great job that you’ll love. Plus, because these jobs are unadvertised, the competition will be much lower.
Resume and Interview Tips and Tricks
Those returning to the workforce after a long break can be quite rusty when it comes to their resumes and interview skills. They haven’t dusted off or updated their resumes in years and can’t even remember the last time they went to an interview—much less what they have to say to impress potential employers.
A recruiter will be able to help you update your resume to match your current skills and experience. They’ll also be able to give you interview tips that will help you get hired, from how to dress to how to answer common interview questions.
This professional resume and interview help can give you an edge.
Temp Work
Though you might want to get right back to a full-time, permanent job, this might be difficult to do after an extended leave. After all, you’ll be at a disadvantage with the gaps in your work history and your out-of-date skills. A recruiter can set you up with a series of temporary placements, which will allow you to earn a pay cheque while also refreshing and refining your skills. Temp work will also help you learn new skills and build up the experience section of your resume, so you can be a strong contender once you do start to look for full-time, permanent work. In addition, you could also turn that temp job into a permanent one if you impress your employer.
Negotiation Help
You might think that because you’re returning to the workforce after time off, you should expect a pay cut. You could end up taking less than you deserve because you don’t negotiate your salary. You could also be returning to the workforce after raising children, and might benefit from part-time hours, job sharing, or flexible hours, but you might be too afraid to ask.
A recruiter can go to bat for you during negotiations, so your work conditions will match your needs.
Liberty Staffing can help you get back to work. Contact us today.
