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Marketing yourself in your job search doesn't need to be done on your own. Have you ever considered using personnel recruitment services, or as they are better known, the services of a recruitment agency? Your job search or better still, your career change, is made so much easier with a recruitment agency. Their service is free, friendly and what's more, it gets results. It is not often in life that something that is free is actually worth having. But the services of a personnel recruitment agency can actually change your life. All it takes is quick and simple registration and they will leap into action to find you your dream job. Give them a description of the career you wish to pursue, the kind of environment you are after and your qualifications, and they will contact you as soon as an interesting position becomes available. After experiencing the service you will wonder how, and why, you ever tried to find a job without them. The search is on 'Match-makers' meet with local and international clients to discover how best to serve their recruitment needs. They are also responsible for interviewing pre-screened applicants and keeping them abreast of the new opportunities that become available in their chosen field/s. So who better than the matchmakers themselves to explain the advantages to job-seekers of using a recruitment agency rather than going at it all alone? "Let's face it, job hunting is frustrating, disappointing and time consuming - making matters worse is doing it on your own. Left to their own devices candidates can easily lose momentum: convince themselves that their search is fruitless or even worse - give up." "Finding a job has everything to do with marketing their most important product - themselves! True, it's difficult and uncomfortable to toot your own horn, yet in todays highly competitive and dynamic job market candidates must distinguish themselves from the other job seekers. It is best to let the professionals show them how to market themselves, how to come across positively, how to conduct themselves during an interview. We help them to open doors that they have been unable to find on their own." What is the local mentality regarding the use of employment agencies, both from the point of view of the potential employees and the companies seeking to recruit? "From a candidate's point of view, they have come to respect our commitment to confidentiality, which in a country as small as Malta is important - it would be terrible if we sent their application to their current employer. Also, they save a lot of time going through adverts, sending out CVs and going to interviews for posts that they later find out were not even suitable - we can put them in touch with many clients who have suitable vacancies. "With respect to employers, we take the effort out of the recruitment process. In fact, we are normally able to provide a short list of pre-screened, pre-interviewed candidates within two working days - candidates that not only meet the criteria of a specific post (with respect to their experience and qualifications), but individuals who will fit right into the environment that forms part of an existing team. "Our personalized service is geared to relieving our clients from the headaches of personnel hiring, allowing them to use their time in more productive and profit-making tasks. "Through our database we are often successful in filling clients' vacancies on their behalf and in strict confidence. This avoids exposure of their name; it will not prompt their competitors to unfair conclusions and also avoids soliciting." Are there any charges to job seekers using recruitment agency services? How does the company make its money through recruitment? "With respect to candidates, there are no fees, charges or commission for our services. These are arrangements that we make with our clients and candidates are not involved in this." THE SATISFIED CUSTOMERS We asked some job seekers to share their experience of using a recruitment agency. How would they rate this system to anyone looking for a new job? Anna* cannot sing the agencies' praises loudly enough. "I definitely would recommend them, because the process is simple and effective. Simply send in your CV and the recruitment agency takes all the initiative to find you a job. "This is a small island and as soon as the agency hears of a job they can send in your CV, because it's already on file. Nothing beats a personal recommendation either: it's not just your CV that the recruiting company receives, but also a recommendation from an independent individual who's already heard your wishes and goals, therefore allowing for vacancies to be filled with the right people." John agrees, particularly because a recruitment agency has access to both numerous clients and information on job seekers. "They can also come up with suggestions that the candidate might not have known about if he/she had been searching for a job alone. Another factor is that it is up to them to struggle to find the candidate a job - they only get paid if the company employs the candidate." Laila whole-heartedly recommends the agency because she had had trouble finding a job on her own. "I come from Belgium where this is the usual way to find a job. They took my application seriously and tried to find a job that fitted my profile, not simply looking for any job that I 'could do'. Within the first few days following my first interview with the agency I had four interviews lined up. Contrast this with the fact that when I was applying for jobs on my own, I had sent in over 40 applications in two months and only got one interview. I got employed one week after my initial interview with the agency. Due to the restructuring of the company I was then made redundant after 10 months, and again I used their services. I would recommend any professional looking for a job to apply with them." Do you feel that there are vacancies that can only be discovered through a recruitment agency? "Very much so," says Anna. "Foreign companies in Malta tend to recruit through an agency. They offer an array of services to companies that want to set up in Malta. It is while they are discussing something like legal issues that they may also ask such agencies for potential employees, therefore, only they would know about this vacancy. Also, when such a good relationship is built with an agency, the foreign company would listen to any recommendations about potential applicants." John's take on this is that there are always particular positions which are very rarely advertised. "They require people with specific qualities and knowledge - and these jobs need to be filled in the least time possible." Stephen concurs too: "Certainly, many companies tend to rely solely on recruitment agencies rather than posting their own advertisements, especially when they are based overseas or relatively young and may not be familiar with the country's job market." Was there any specific reason you used these services? With John it was a classic word-of-mouth scenario. "I also feel that recruitment agencies are gaining more knowledge in the particular sector I work for, and that increases the probability of my getting the job I want." Anna says that they have 'that human touch'. "The professional way they deal with applicants and the fact that they are totally confidential; they ensure good contact with the applicant and follow-up on all vacancies and interviews. They keep you informed within a few days of applying. The feedback may consist of: 'Listen you weren't short listed, however, don't worry. What do you think about this other vacancy?' It keeps your morale up. It's devastating when you've just left university thinking you're really going to make it in life, to be crushed when you are turned down for the jobs you were so keen on. They get an applicant's mind off the negatives and looks at other good - maybe even better - possibilities." I have used employment agency services over the past several years and have actually landed each of the three jobs that they recommended me for when I was seeking employment on three different occasions! I find them to be responsive, fast, and genuinely interested in helping me through my career, and I will continue to use their services whenever the need arises." We hope that this article has shed some light on the advantages to be gained in using a recruitment agency. We sincerely believe that finding a job has never been this easy . Log on to our website at http://www.VacancyCentre.com today to find the job and career you've been looking for. You can search the job bank where new opportunities are posted every day and submit your CV. If you have any type of query please don't hesitate to email us at support@VacancyCentre.com or call our offices on 21 232224-5 Monday to Thursday from 8am to 5pm and Friday from 8am to 2pm. *(Names are fictitious in order to preserve clients' confidentiality.)
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