employability support that worked for you?

June 21, 2017 4:14 PM

Have you ever used a job club, employment adviser/consultant, HR person, or even a really caring recruitment consultant to find a part-time job or a flexible working job? I am looking for experiences that people have had, how they found the support, and what they felt could work better if they went about it again.
posted by parmanparman to Work & Money (1 answer total)

Hi,

In the past I have been a design and tech recruiter/headhunter for some of the big firms on both coasts via an agency.

I have also contracted for several agencies in the Bay Area in part time and full time gigs.

This is the workflow:

take your skill set and match it to the agencies that place people like you.

The agency process is like a job interview with some skills testing and a little bit of matchmaking.

you are matched with client gigs and if you accept them you get a brief, a project to work on and a deadline.

you can work for several agencies as a temp at the same time, if you do so, stick to your guns on your rate so the agencies don't pit you vs. you to clients (it happens)

Hourly rates vary depending on the market and your skill level.

Here in the Bay Area, contracting for an agency can be steady work that is shaped to your schedule once you are a known and reliable entity. The good agencies offer training opportunities and some even have insurance pools you can join if you do the required # of hours in a week.

Again, it all depends on the work you do, your skill level and where you live, so your mileage may vary. General employment placement agencies will always be a mixed bag... Tech, Graphic Design, Web Design and Development are all still in play and there is almost always work.

As an aside, I was a staff recruiter at a non commission agency for 3 years and got hundreds of people full time jobs that netted my employer (not me) a 20-30% of their first year salary fee (paid by the employer).

In all of that time, exactly 2 people stopped and thanked me for helping them. Average salary of the people I placed? Generally over 6 figures. This is why I'm not a recruiter anymore.
posted by bobdow at 7:05 PM on June 21, 2017