Have you ever left a job feeling like you have just escaped? The door closes behind you, you slip into your car and experience a profound sense of relief. This is a clear sign that something is wrong, that while your job may have all the right skill requirements, it is somehow still a ‘bad fit’ for you as an employee.
Knowing a Bad Job When You’re In One
We have all had at least one bad job experience where something about the employer, company culture, office environment, or even the way you’re asked to use your skills just doesn’t sit right. Work stress increases over time and no matter how much you like the money, you know it’s time for a change. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to change your whole career. Chances are that the skills you have built and the career choice you started with is still a good idea, you simply found the wrong industry to apply it to or even just the wrong employer in an industry you love. You resolve, as you draft your two-weeks notice in your mind, to find something a lot better next time. And the best way to do that is with the help of a boutique staffing agency.
Job Boards Have No Guarantees
The trouble with hunting for jobs on your own is that job boards aren’t really there to help you. They are there for the employers and freelance recruiters trying to draw in as many candidates as possible. It’s a marketing platform. Once they collect, say, 50 or more applications, they immediately cut out more than half of them for resume ‘issues’, do a round of interviews, cut the number in half again, and so on until they find the right new hire. Unfortunately, this system is not kind for job seekers, especially if you are actually eager to find a new position. The policy of most job boards and the recruiters/employers who use them is that applicants are basically disposable, which is why your dozens of applications have turned into a handful of blow-off phone interviews and nothing really promising.
Job boards are also incredibly challenging for people looking to make a change in their careers. While you may find some luck looking for a position exactly like the one you just left, it’s difficult to get a good idea of what is out there or even the company culture of potential employers looking at a board listing. Some recruiters even list their positions without the name of the company to keep you from applying directly or researching the position beforehand.
Working With a Boutique Staffing Agency
This is why so many job seekers, especially those who are looking to make a change, turn to staffing agencies instead. Comprised of real humans who will talk to you about your skills and dreams, independent staffing businesses build their reputations on making not just quick matches, but good ones that leave everyone involved happy about the connection. Small, personal agencies are the bridge between the unfeeling corporate need for employees and a job seeker’s need for a rewarding career.
You don’t even have to commit right away. The team of a boutique staffing agency are more than happy to hold a consultation with a new job seeker, hear them out, and even make a few suggestions before anything is signed or an agreement is struck. If you like the way the staffing agency treats you and their ideas for how you can expand your career from the bad place you just left (or are still working), then the two of you can work together to source your next career move.
By knowing you as a person and not just a resume, your boutique staffing agency can look for jobs that not only suit your skills, but will make you happy in their work environment and job tasks you will get to work on. And if you ever need to find bigger and better things, you can always return to find your next perfect job. For more information or help finding a position through the resources we have available, please contact us today.
