1. and used with the permission of the author.
JOBTALKS
Professional Employment Services
Indiana University Kelley School of Business C. Randall Powell, Ph.D
Contents used in this presentation are adapted from Career Planning Strategies
and used with the permission of the author.

2. Business Career Planning and Placement
JOBTALKS
Business Career Planning and Placement
Indiana University
School of Business
C. Randall Powell, Ph.D.
JOBTALKS
Professional Employment
Services
Business Career Planning and Placement
Indiana University
Kelley School of Business
C. Randall Powell, Ph.D.
Lecture 11, Creative Job Search Strategies
Introduction To Professional Employment Services
Indiana University
Kelley School of Business
C. Randall Powell, Ph.D.
May 6, 1994

3. Professional Employment Services
job counseling
resume preparation
job leads
interview arrangements
many other services
Job Search Help
Different Approaches
There are many different approaches that you can use in your job search strategy.
Just as thousands of other job seekers do each year, you may turn to the employment professionals for help with your job search plans.
These professionals offer job counseling, resume preparation, job leads, interview arrangements, and many other services.
Making effective use of third party assistance is an important job search strategy. It is an approach that you should evaluate for your applicability.

4. Using Third Party Assistance
(Six types of services)
Third Party Assistance
You may need professional help in the job search process. There are at least six different organizations that can offer you assistance in your job search.
1. College career counseling and placement services
2. State employment services, which are funded by public funds
3. Private employment agencies
4. Private search firms
5. Career advisory firms and
6. Employment specialists
These organizations provide career counseling, job leads, interviews with potential employers, job search advice, and other related services.
You may find the services to be of value to you. It is important that you understand what they can do and cannot do.
1. College career counseling and placement services
2. State employment services
3. Private employment services
4. Private search firms
5. Career advisory firms
6. Employment specialists

5. Do Not Expect Miracles You must get your own job! But:
$100,000 Job Cartoon
None of the placement services, private or public, can get you a job. You must get your own job!
They may do everything from simple advice to practically holding your hand in an interview.
You need to know what you want from these organizations if you elect to use them. Do not expect miracles.
Staff members of these services are usually career experts. They know far more than you do about the job search. Their information is valuable to you. Most will charge you for their information and services.
The money you spend may be well worth the cost. To determine if these services are useful to you, you need to understand how they operate.
But:
staff members are experts
their information valuable
most charge for their services

6. Employment Agencies Act as brokers - maintain two files Job Openings
Your personal network of contacts plays a major role in your employment search. Some job hunters, however, want (and are willing to pay) others to do some of the work for them. Employment agencies can provide valuable services for you.
An employment agency plays a broker's role in trying to bring employers and applicants together. You may want to consider utilizing the services of an employment agency. It is the only way that you can learn about some types of openings.
An employment agency is an organization that maintains two files. On one hand, they continually work hard to develop a list of job openings. On the other hand, they build a file of job candidates.
The agency's role is to sell the employer on a given candidate and vice versa.
Agencies only make money when a match is completed.
Job Openings
Candidates

7. Agency Reputations Visit the agency Get referrals from friends
How do you identify the bad apples?
How do you identify the bad apples?
Visit the agency
Get referrals from friends
Most are reputable
Agency Cartoon
Some employment agencies have questionable reputations. The attitude is that they are interested in getting you any type of employment, regardless of your background, because they are paid only if you find employment.
On the whole, however, you will find most agencies to be quite reputable and the services provided to be a very professional nature.
The problem you face is how do you identify the bad apples in the lot. You can do that by a personal visit to the agency and from referrals from friends.
The fly-by-night stereotype is false. Most agencies are in business for the long term and must provide a quality service if they are to remain in business.

8. Agency Selection Consideration
Scope: national or local?
Efficient operation?
Qualified counselor?
Specialization in certain fields?
Who pays?
Agency Selection Considerations
Before you select an agency, you need to get some answers to some specific concerns you may have.
One of the first questions to ask relates to their job listings being local or national in scope.
You want to observe the efficiency of the total operation. Is it managed as a business should be managed?
You should also make a very considered judgment about the individual counselor assigned to you. Will he or she have your best interests in mind? Do you get along?
Some agencies tend to specialize in fields such as sales, engineering, systems, accounting, and so on. Don't get locked into an agency that does not offer you the best quality and type of service consistent with your background and interests.
It is rarely possible to get the answers you need without a personal visit to the firm.
Need to visit to get answers!

9. Agency Fees Up to 25% of annual salary
Agencies must charge, either the applicant or the employer, to stay in business. Their fee is usually percent of the annual salary.
Employers usually pay the fee when they approach the agency to help them locate hard-to-find job applicants. The employer pays when the number of applicants is low in relation to the number of jobs available.
The applicant, you, usually pays when there are many applicants for a few jobs. If your skills are in demand by employer groups, you can usually use an agency and expect to pay nothing.
But even if you have to pay 25%, if it is the job you really want, it is well worth the cost.
Many jobs, few applicants (employer pays)
Few jobs, many applicants (applicant pays)
Up to 25% of annual salary

10. Contacting Agencies Yellow pages, want ads Most openings are local
Be specific about goals
Don't use for counseling
Contacting Agencies
Some people will hesitate to recommend specific employment agencies to you. Selection of an agency demands careful scrutiny. You must evaluate agencies on your own.
You can locate agencies through the telephone directory and want ads.
Most of the openings that an agency offers are usually within a narrow geographical area. Although several firms advertise national placement, you usually have to be in the local area for an interview.
When you approach an agency, be specific about your career goals. Don't use them as a counselor. Tell them what you want. They can charge you though for counseling.
Always take a well-prepared resume with you, otherwise they may charge you to help you prepare a quality resume.
Take a resume with you
Take a resume with you

11. Employment Agency Advice
Don't sign until you read
Get to know your counselor
Employment Agency Advice
A very high percentage of the agencies you contact will be very reputable but as in most fields, there are some hucksters.
Do not sign any contracts until you have read them completely. An agency can charge you for all types of “services” including career advice.
An agency career counselor can help you only to the degree that he or she gets to know you well. You must establish a positive working relationship with the person assigned to you.
Beware of promises that sound almost too good to be true. It would be a good idea to use only an agency that one of your friends says is reputable. A bad agency can damage your reputation and career with poor advice and misrepresentation.
Beware of promises!

12. Agency Caveats Counselor is a salesperson
Money made when you are placed
Agency Caveats
Always remember that your counselor is a salesperson. No money is made until you are placed.
Some agencies have a reputation for sending applicants on every opening they see regardless of whether there is a possible legitimate match or not. If you find yourself on a wild goose chase very often, drop the agency.
Wild goose chase if not legitimate match.
Drop the agency!

13. After interview, check back with agency
Agency Caveats
Pursue several leads simultaneously
Pursue several leads simultaneously
Agency Caveats
You will have other irons in the fire besides the agency. Several leads from different sources can be pursued simultaneously. You can also use more than one exclusive job agency.
After each interview that the agency arranges for you, you should check back with the agency within a reasonable time frame. They should be able to give you a tentative status report and offer some constructive feedback advice.
After interview, check back with agency

14. Agency Caveats Busiest day = Monday Avoid contacting Monday
Make appointment by phone!
Agency Caveats
The busiest day at an employment agency is Monday, just after the Sunday classified newspaper ads. Try to avoid contacting agencies on Monday or expect a longer than normal wait and possibly even a rush job.
If at all possible, try to establish an appointment time via the telephone. Even then you might have to wait.

15. Agency Caveats Most openings are with smaller firms
Applicants contact large firms directly
Applicants contact large firms directly
Agency Caveats
Most of the openings available through an agency are with smaller firms or branches or plants of larger firms. Many larger corporate offices of the Fortune 1000 firms do not use agencies because large numbers of applicants contact them directly due to their reputation.
Please read everything you sign very carefully.

16. Agency Caveats Some agencies rely on Sunday ads Read ads carefully
Give glamorous titles
May not be openings
Agency Caveats
Some agencies advertise heavily in the Sunday edition of major Metropolitan newspapers. These ads are designed to get as many applicants into the office as possible.
Read agency ads carefully. Many will advertise glamorous sounding titles like personnel, public relations, executive assistant, and so on only to get you into the office. When inside, you may learn that these jobs are glorified secretarial openings.
Some firms will advertise “Management Trainee” jobs and once you are in, try to convince you to go into other fields.
In a few cases, there may be no openings at all for the jobs advertised. The ad may be a standard ad that the firm runs every week knowing that they usually, but not always, may have openings in the areas advertised.
The Sunday classifieds are the agencies' most valuable applicant advertising tool.

17. Executive Search Firms
Hired by employers
Recruit high level execs
Don't deal with individuals
Executive Search Firms
Executive search firms are organizations hired by employers to recruit highly technical or high level executives.
The major differences between search firms and employment agencies is that search firms do not deal directly with individuals. They are first contacted by the employer and owe all allegiances to the employer.
Owe allegiances to employer

18. Executive Search Firms
Paid a retainer to find high level person
Firm is paid %
Search firms will not talk to you unless you have several years of experience
Executive Search Firms
Most executive search firms are paid a retainer by an employer to locate a specific type of person. When the person is located and hired, the firm is paid a percentage (usually about one-third) of the annual salary.
Search firms are hired to find people at the levels of chairman of the board, president, partner, executive vice president, and so on. Most of their corporate clients use them only to find candidates for positions paying more than $75,000 per year.
Unless you have several years of high level job experience, search firms will not talk to you. If they do, they are probably a glorified employment agency.

19. Executive Search Firms
Maintain database of high-level talent.
They are usually not looking for a job.
Executive Search Firm's Process
Many of the largest search firms maintain rather sophisticated computer-based files of high level or specialized talent. The best people are almost always satisfactorily employed in their career field and quite successful. They usually are not looking for a job.
As a search firm receives a search assignment, one of the first things that it does is scan its data base of names of successful people.
They usually call people who are successful in a given line of work and ask if they know of people who might be interested.
The search firm manager is looking for referrals from highly successful people. These people often have young subordinates who may be ready for a major move. In many cases, they may even recommend themselves.
Search firm will call for referrals

20. Using Executive Search Firms
If qualified, turn to personal contacts
Don't personally contact
Have someone recommend you
Using Executive Search Firms
If you qualified to have your name in this select category, your first task is to turn to your personal contacts. Find several people who will recommend some reputable firms to you.
It is usually not wise to contact search firms directly. Your best bet is to have someone in a high position recommend you to a search firm. If the firm is interested in more information, they will contact you.
It is better to be recruited than appear to want a job when you are dealing with search firms.
Even though these firms specialize only in highly paid experienced executive and technical talent, it never hurts to try to use the system. Be alert. If the firms try to recruit you as a client, they are probably an employment agency, not a search firm.
It is better to be recruited
It is better to be recruited

21. Executive Search Firms
Directory of Executive Recruiters
(printed by Consultant News)
Library
Telephone Directory
Addresses
Each year a Directory of Executive Recruiters is printed by Consultant News. This directory is the most authoritative one available.
There is a charge for the directory, but it is usually around $100. You will need to write and request an order form.
The addresses of Consultant News and other directories that you may find in public libraries can be found inside these directories if you wish to purchase a personal copy.
Your telephone directory will also give you a list of the search firms in your area.
Charge for directories

22. Career Advisory Firms Serve as employment counselors
Listed in metropolitan papers
Counseling is expensive
Sometimes called "outplacement firms"
Career Advisory Firms
Career advisory firms are organizations that serve as personal employment counselors. There are many of them listed regularly in the classified section (usually in display ads) of major metropolitan newspapers and the Wall Street Journal.
These firms offer advice on planning and implementing a job search plan. The same advice is usually found in programs and in career books. Personal counseling is very expensive. It usually costs $50 to $100 per hour spent with a counselor. Many are called “outplacement firms.”
Be careful about promises of job placement. They may offer some information on potential leads but none of them operate the same way an employment agency or search firm does. It is often not legal for such firms to refer you.
These programs can often cost you several hundred dollars, and there are no guarantees of placement success.
Be careful about promises of placement
Very high cost and no placement service

23. Employment Specialists
Involved in "mechanics" of job search
Cover letters and mass mailings
Resume and printing services
Direct mail firm on your behalf
(expensive but useful if there are time constraints)
Direct mail firm on your behalf
(expensive but useful if there are time constraints)
Employment Specialists
There is another group of specialists that gets involved in the mechanics of the job search process. These services are expensive, but they can save you a considerable amount of time.
These firms will individually type all of your “personalized” cover letters on a word processor. They may even provide some mass mailing names and addresses if you are unable to provide them yourself. They basically can function as a direct mail firm on your behalf.
Many also provide resume design and printing services. All you need to do is supply the raw data.
These firms can do all of your mundane clerical work like typing, folding, stuffing, addressing, and mailing. In essence, they serve as your personal secretary.
They are expensive and not normally needed. But if you have major time constraints, they can be very helpful.

24. Summary Your efforts pay biggest dividends
Job openings may not be advertised
Professional services bring you and the employer together
Key is to wisely prospect
Employment services are part of supporting cast.
Summary
You must decide which of the services offered by these professional employment organizations that you need. Each type of professional agency has a role to play. It is your responsibility to decide if the services warrant the cost that you must pay to use them.
Your efforts pay biggest dividends
Your efforts pay biggest dividends

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