Tips on your meeting with a #StaffingAgency

As an active #JobSeeker, at some point in your #JobSearch you will come into contact with #StaffingAgencies. Working through a #StaffingAgency may be a great tool for you to use during the course of your #JobSearch as they can potentially help you get in front of decision makers at organizations you’d like to work with. When in contact with an Agency, your primary aim is to get yourself in front of the #Recruiter handling the position (or positions) which interest you and see if there’s a potential mutual fit.

Whether the meeting is to discuss specific roles OR an introductory meeting, here are some tips for meeting with Staffing Agencies:

1. Treat the meeting with the #StaffingAgency the same you would an #interview with an employer. Make no mistake – the #Recruiter is there to evaluate you as a potential fit for roles they might be recruiting on OR that they’re anticipating in the near future. And at your end, you need to be prepared with your own questions and evaluate the Agency as a potential partner for your search.
2. Be prepared to speak about yourself. Simply showing your resume is not going to cut it. If you took the time to get ready, walk/drive/take public transit to get there, and meet with the #Recruiter – why put any less effort into presenting your professional experience? Don’t expect your resume to do all the selling for you – there’s no magic bullet here. Be prepared to run the #Recruiter through your background experience, especially in recent years, and select standout accomplishments/projects to highlight.
3. Be punctual. Plan to arrive a bit early, and then check in to meet your #Recruiter contact around 10 minutes prior to the meeting start time – just like any interview.
4. Have a few printouts of your resume. In most cases, likes 99% of the time, the #Recruiter will have your resume in front of them. But if for whatever reason they don’t – you don’t want to make your trip a waste. Take out those extra copies and be prepared to sell your professional experience!
5. Have a clear idea on next steps. What are the next steps? Will they be presenting you for an opportunity? What's the timeline on feedback? You need to have a clear picture on what's going to transpire post-meeting. This will allow you to have realistic expectations about how things will progress from this point on.
6. Know how often they recruit for your skillset. Whether they'll be presenting you for a specific position or not, you need to determine the frequency with which they recruit for your skillset. How often do they get job requirements from their Clients looking for [insert job title]? This will ultimately give you an idea of how often you should be following up with your #Recruiter contact after the meeting to check for new opportunities.
7. Find out who else you can meet. Different Agencies have different team structures internally; get an idea of how that structure works and find out if there’s anyone else they can introduce you to while you’re there so you can make the most of your visit. For example, at Robert Half Technology, we have two divisions within technology focused on either full-time/permanent roles or contract/temporary staffing. If you’re open to both type of roles, you can always ask to meet our counterparts working the other side of the equation.

Remember – treat the meeting like its an actual #interview and see it as an opportunity to figure out whether the Agency you’re meeting with could potentially assist you in your search, if not now, at some point in the future.

If you’re an #IT Professional in the Greater Toronto Area looking for your next full-time/permanent role – let’s connect!

Dean Kulaweera - #TechRecruiter

You can also follow me on:

Instagram (@dktechrecruiter), Twitter (@dktechrecruiter), “Like” my Facebook Page (Dean Kulaweera - Tech Recruiter) and Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for #JobSearch Videos!