You’re hitting your job search with everything you have, and you’re taking advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. You’re contacting your network, scanning job boards, and pursuing leads, and you’re submitting at least a few resumes to prospective employers every single day. But there’s a critical step you may not have added to your list; are you working with a professional recruiter? Here are a few reasons you may want to add recruiters to your job search team.

Recruiters cost nothing

Your recruiter works for the company (or companies) that hire her candidates; she doesn’t work for you. No legitimate recruiter will expect payment from a candidate, and it’s in her best interests to seek out only the best adapted and most qualified applicants on the market (hint: that’s you). Your recruiter wins when the company wins, and the company wins when they identify and hire the highest level of talent. Become a link in that winning chain: it won’t cost you anything.

Recruiters have large networks.

You may think your own professional network is expansive. After all, you’ve been studying and working in your field for a long time. But your recruiter’s network IS his field. He knows people who know people who know people, and his connections and resources extend in all directions. He can connect you with people and companies that can move you forward, and he also helps them to find you.

Recruiters can offer coaching tips.

Before she presents you to her client, your recruiter will have a chance to study your resume and (usually) meet with you in person or by phone at least once. Since she knows what the employers are looking for, she can help you address potential concerns and highlight the elements of your resume that they’re likely to find impressive. Recruiters can help you play up what works and dial back the issues that may stand in your way; trust your recruiter when she offers you some free guidance.

Recruiters have a wide reach.

Recruiters provide an integral service in almost every imaginable industry. No matter what you do, and no matter what kind of job you’re looking for, there’s a professional recruiter out there somewhere who can help you get where you’re going. The experts at Merritt staffing have decades of experience in a long list of fields and industries.

Recruiters are great listeners.

When they’re trying to fill an open position, hiring managers have a long list of specific needs. But job seekers have specific needs as well. No matter what you’re looking for– in terms of salary, location, hours, responsibilities, and opportunities for advancement– your recruiter will listen carefully and help you find it.

Partner with a recruiter and find the fast track to your next job offer! Contact the Fairfeld County staffing professionals at Merritt today.

Most workplaces operate like delicate ecosystems; functional teams are made up individuals with complex relationships and established interpersonal patterns that serve and reinforce a specific status quo. When conflict arises and things go off the rails, your teams probably step into their familiar roles—peacemaker, problem solver, devil’s advocate, cheerleader—in order to push things back on track. When one member tips the system too far in one direction, another steps into reverse and stabilize it before it goes off course. Actions have reactions, friends support each other, plans fall apart, and everyone works together to keep things moving in a steady forward direction.

But what happens when the ecosystem changes? When new employees are introduced into the mix, for example, or when beloved team members suddenly leave the group for good? When big changes happen, do you find your feet quickly? Or do you collectively wallow through a period of low productivity and reshuffling before order is reestablished? Here are a few ways to minimize the impact of change on the success of your group.

Provide notice and warnings.

When a key employee gives notice, or when you decide to hire a new employee or bring on temporary staff, don’t ambush your current teams. Give them as much warning as possible. Even if they don’t seem to care or don’t believe this change will impact them very much, keep offering reminders as the day approaches. Be clear about why the change is happening and what will be expected of each current staff member.

Keep things positive.

Change can be upsetting and scary, but it can also be exciting and interesting. New people can be a drag, but they can also represent potential new friends or allies, and they bring interesting new stories and experiences to the group that can refresh existing worldviews. Emphasize the positive. Get your current teams excited about the new person. Share some key details regarding the person’s background and interests.

Provide infrastructure.

Long before the new person arrives or the departing one leaves, adjust your infrastructure to accommodate the change. Never leave a new employee standing idly in the hallway while you prepare a desk for them, and never drop a departing employee’s projects and responsibilities on a current team member without providing the tools required to handle these tasks. Everybody should have the basic equipment, space, and support they need in order to navigate the change, and they should have these things long before the change takes place.

For more on how to keep your teams from missing a beat during an awkward staff transition, reach out to the hiring and management experts at Merritt Staffing.