Thursday, January 8, 2009

Staffing Agencies are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and you will find a job if you're looking

I graduated college a year ago last month. I was blessed to have friends and mentors in my industry and work with and for them this year. But all while I was working with them, I was looking for a job that was fulfilling and made my degree feel worth while. Not that working with them wasn't a great experience. I learned a lot, but I knew it was temporary.

I've applied for a lot of companies, most of which I never heard back from. On top of the job market being horrible and the economy in shambles, the area I live in is way over-saturated with people holding the same degree or no degree and much more experience. It posed a real challenge for me.

I grew up in a small town. I was a big fish in a pond. When I moved to a city filled with hundreds of thousands of people with similar goals as me, I relocated myself to the ocean. (Please forgive the analogy, it's the simplest way to explain the situation.) 

Feeling completely incompetent after working 3 jobs throughout college to pay for a $100,000 education so that you can have good experiences and get a good job, not so great. Rejection = No Fun

After pushing for a particular company for several months, I finally threw in the hat. Putting all your eggs in one basket is not always such a good idea. I really believed that was what I was supposed to do. The company is very well known and has great principles. I really wanted to work there, but their hiring process sucks. I interviewed twice with 2 different divisions. One time I was in the top 3 for the job and the other, they basically told me I was too smart for the position. You'd think they want smart people, right?

Anyway, a good friend of mine works for that company and she tried to help me find a job there. It just wasn't meant to be. The same friend gave me her contact at a staffing agency. I was reluctant to try it for a really long time. "How are these people going to find me a job that I will like? I can do it on my own." Boy oh boy was I wrong. 

I interviewed with the contact last Tuesday, the 30th. I got called about a possible job on Monday the 5th, less than a week. I submitted my resume and heard back within a couple hours. They wanted to interview me. There were a couple random issues thrown in the mix with our interview time/day but we settled in on Wednesday at 1:30. The interview went over an hour and I got a call an hour after that. And now, I have a job. The staffing agency found me a job in one week. 

Now I will say for those thinking about trying out a staffing agency, my case may or may not be rare. It depends on your contact and the agency. But I have to say that my experience has been wonderful and I HIGHLY recommend it. 

Hopefully there will be even more news and clarity on life later today! My hubby has an interview as well!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am so thrilled for you! God always has a plan :)