As a staffing professional for almost 15 years, I have noticed many changes in the staffing industry over the years. What hasn’t changed is the fact that companies have always come to rely on utilizing staffing services to fulfill many short-term and even long-term staffing needs. While the staffing industry has had to respond to the various economic changes over the years, there has always been a need for companies to rely on flexible staffing solutions to respond to their ever-changing employment requirements. For example, there were over 2.2 million temporary jobs created in July 2011. And for over 25 years, Renoir Staffing has been the premier staffing resource for property management companies in finding employment opportunities for many of the industry’s top talent.
The most common needs for staffing help are to cover for vacation, employment leave, and/or when there is a vacant position. During a recession, it is not uncommon for many companies to reach out to staffing agencies to look for qualified candidates to fill full-time positions on a temporary-to-hire basis. With an increase demand for work productivity but less staffing resources, the need for temporary help becomes much more popular. This option allows both the employer and the employee to evaluate if there is a mutual fit. Staffing firms like Renoir Staffing can prove to be a good resource to provide this type of solution. This is even more common with specialized staffing firms such as Renoir as it is more challenging for companies to find the top industry talent due to such a competitive market. So remember that a temporary assignment could lead to greater chances for a longer term opportunity and always put your best foot forward.
So what has changed?
With the advantages in technology and the social media buzz, it is becoming much more common for staffing firms to utilize social media sites as Facebook and LinkedIn to network, promote and advertise open positions and, most importantly, RECRUIT!! While the use of job boards and company websites prove to still be one of the most traditional ways that companies look for qualified candidates, social media has proven to be an easier and more effective ways to reach out to the candidate marketplace. LinkedIn is the most widely used as a professionally-based method to get and stay connected. We at Renoir recommend that our candidates create and update their LinkedIn profiles in order to be more attractive to potential employers. Remember this is the best way to advertise and summarize skills, experience, accomplishments, and allow potential employers to assess an individuals’ qualifications if they are looking to fill an open position. It can also be a better method to highlight some of your other professional achievements, showcase your talent, show what industry associations you are involved in, and review employment recommendations. Referrals are always the best way to get your foot in the door so make sure to always ask for colleagues to add recommendations on your profile.
Conversely, LinkedIn is a wonderful way to find out more about companies and allow individuals the opportunity to evaluate the company profile that lists executive management, vision and mission statements, employee profiles, and even a link to the company website for further discovery. Remember, job seekers need to research the companies that they might be interested in working for as well so LinkedIn becomes one of the best ways to find out more than what a typical website might offer.
In addition, joining groups on LinkedIn provides a wonderful way for individuals to network, learn more about trends of a company or industry, and even participate in group discussions and blogs. It’s all about NETWORKING!!!
While Facebook is most commonly used for personal connections, it has recently introduced a platform called BeKnown in partnership with Monster to allow Facebook users to distinguish between personal and professional contacts. While still relatively new, it seems to allow the over 500 million active users on Facebook to have a professional exchange that is separate from the personal outlet that most users look to this site to provide them. Most companies, including Renoir Staffing, utilize their company profile on Facebook as a way to share fun stories, industry highlights, and news and information for its’ clients and employees.
Staffing firms like Renoir are in the business of finding people jobs, and good jobs at that. The bridge between the old and new ways of recruiting has been very exciting for the staffing industry as a whole. We are in a very unique position to leverage our expertise with the old and new ways of finding talent. Here at Renoir Staffing, we take pride in utilizing many various resources to reach out to candidates in the property management field to connect them with great companies in the industry that are hiring. Companies come to Renoir because they trust that we can find them the employees that they need. Through the use of creative and innovative methods to seek out these individuals, it’s one of the reasons Renoir has been the most successful property management staffing firm in the Bay Area.
The following resources were used in the research for this blog:
Arisha Williams, Manager of Staffing Services