I used to be pretty skeptical about job placement companies. You see, I came of age during the IT boom. With the little programming knowledge I had and my high school diploma, I was able to make a mint practically overnight. As a matter of fact, when the IT bubble burst, I was still living off of my earnings for the next year. This gave me pretty unrealistic expectations. I had no information on jobs and very little training. I figured that a job placement agency would place me in a menial position far below my abilities. I had no desire to temp for the rest of my life, and could not accept the fact that my computer skills would no longer earn me an easy place in the high-paying firm.
As a matter of fact, I only tried going to a job placement company out of desperation. Of course, I had used Internet job placement companies before, but I had had no success with them. At the time, I thought it was just further proof of their mediocrity. I didn't realize that my resume was atrocious! I have never been very good at writing a resume, and I had not been wise enough to seek some advice from a professional. Nonetheless, the IT staffing service made up for my lack of professional presentation. They asked me about my qualifications, gave me a few tests, and sold my skills themselves. At first it was just temporary employment, but I did so well that I get a permanent job out of it! It doesn't pay as well as the tech job that I first had, but it pays very well and has opportunities for promotion.
Nowadays, I can't recommend job placement companies highly enough. Of course, it depends on the field you're in. I have heard that if you don't have any specialized skills, job placement companies are a big pain in the neck. Nevertheless, if you are an IT professional fallen on hard times, they are the perfect way to get you employment opportunities. Provided you are willing to work hard and are knowledgeable about what you are doing, you should be able to find full-time employment from one of your temporary jobs. Staffing services, you see, aren't only convenient for you, but convenient for large employers as well. As a matter of fact, many of the best jobs are only available through the job placement companies. You can't afford not to take a look!
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