• Job seekers will become aware of job openings that are not “publicly advertised” by the employer because in today’s economy even more companies are utilizing a staffing firm to perform the advertising, implement the screening and assist in the placement process.
• Some excellent workers are “challenged” when it comes to the interview and negotiation processes – a staffing company can promote you in a professional and marketable manner.
• A staffing company can conduct a parallel job search free of charge.
• Employees gain valuable on-the-job experience which will increase their potential for contribution to the workplace and more options for employment opportunities.
• Employees can take advantage of training which is usually concentrated and delivered in a short time period.
• Both the employee and employer gain insight before committing to a “regular” employment situation.

• Present yourself to a staffing company in the same professional manner you would to any other employer.
• Clearly state your job criteria in the order of importance.
• In detail, explain what you feel are your most marketable job skills and outline “up to date” job seeking activities which result in parallel job search.
• Make arrangements with the staffing personnel if you wish for them to discuss a potential job situation with you prior to forwarding your information (again, it is important you keep them “up to date” with your job search).
• At the appropriate time, discuss with the staffing company personnel the type of positions you'll be a candidate for and to what employers they plan to present your qualifications.
• Ask the staffing company personnel how they would present you to a prospective employer and what information they would relay to a prospective employer.
• Make sure you are comfortable with the job, work location, work schedule, compensation and any other information important to you prior to accepting a temp to hire interview.
• If the job opportunity is presented to you as “long term with the possibility of being hired”, ask the staffing firm the percentage of hires at this location and the average time period that individuals have worked temporary prior to being hired.
• If the job opportunity is presented to you as a “temp to hire”, ask the following:
• What is the normal temporary time period?
• Will there be an additional probationary period with the client before benefits would go into effect?
• Is the permanent hire compensation the same or different from the temporary compensation?
• Ask the staffing company personnel if an after interview “thank you” is appropriate for each individual prospective employer.

• Adhere to all of the staffing company’s guidelines while working in temporary or contract capacity.
• If working in a temporary capacity, pay close attention to punctuality and attendance, do not ask for time away from work without first notifying staffing company personnel.
• Continually update your resume to include temporary and contract work experiences as the work location personnel could request it at any time. Also if the staffing firm is also continuing to promote you for other job opportunities, they would have an updated version of your resume.
• Should any issues arrive, contact the staffing company prior to notifying anyone at the work location.
• Make the staffing company aware of any changes in your job description while in a temporary capacity (this could change your temporary rate of pay which will help in permanent negotiations).
• Do not perform jobs outside of your job description, work overtime, change procedures, or modify systems such as filing, computer protocol, financial without the direct order of the person you report to at the client location.
• Conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times. DO NOT become too comfortable with co-workers or supervisory personnel – remember you are still in the evaluation process.
• When working a temporary position, ask the staffing company what the guidelines are when working temporary about applying with the employer or responding to in-house postings – every work location may have different guidelines.

• Your name should be a clear, concise, and a professional representation of you.
• A chronological resume is preferred.
• Always include the month and year in your dates of employment.
• Use “action” verbs for impact, i.e. “achieved, coordinated, implemented, saved, promoted, supervised”.
• Provide only the information that is relevant to the position for which you are applying.
• Never include photographs or illustrations, unless required by your profession (i.e. actors’ composites).
• Never include age, weight, height, marital status, race, etc.
• Never include salary history or present salary objective unless specifically requested by the employer, and then only provide in your cover letter.
• Whenever possible, keep the resume to one page...no more than two. It is not necessary to go back more that 10-12 years.
• Always include education, degrees, special courses taken, etc. as well as special skills…languages, computer programs, certifications, etc.
• Use good quality paper, white or manila. Do not use colored paper. Use envelopes that match the paper.
• The resume should be typed and printed or taken to a printer for professional printing.
• Proofread the resume for typos…then proofread again and again. Typographical errors and misspelled words will land your resume in the “circular file.”
• Be prepared to provide references as a separate document and give to the interviewer when requested.

• Does your resume clearly communicate your abilities and experience?
• Does it highlight your strengths?
• Will your resume be placed on the top of the stack?
• Do you know how to communicate your strengths in an interview?
• Do you know which key words to avoid?

• Meeting Conference
• Dialog Consultation
• Talk Discussion

Temporary Resources, Inc. views an interview as a process of evaluation for both the prospective employer and prospective employee. Think of an interview as an evaluation process and by changing the word "interview," using any of the synonyms listed above, may make the process seem less intimidating for you, the interviewee.

Some ways in which you, the interviewee, can control the outcome of an interview are:

1 . To honestly evaluate your needs, skill set, and employment goals in order to seek and attract employment opportunities that meet your criteria;
2 . To be prepared for the interview process itself;
3 . To expertly gather (by research and/or observation) and evaluate the information regarding a prospective company and the prospective position

Within approximately 30 seconds of meeting you, the prospective company’s personnel will have formed an opinion of you – favorable or unfavorable. Having a professional appearance and presenting yourself in a friendly and organized business manner will ensure that the overall first impression is favorable.

See PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE

Remember that anyone in any position within the company can be included in the applicant evaluation process and may also be your future fellow employee. Genuine relationships grow from a genuine beginning.

Be human, your interviewer will form subtle perceptions of you while you are there. Take a look at the following and see if you habitually do any of these things; then check to see what signals you may be sending. If you are being interviewed by someone you will possibly be working for or with, you can also gain insight into them as well.

It is important to understand that a prospective employer thinks they are hiring the person they see in the interview. If you oversell or undersell yourself, you will not be placed in a job that will be a long term match for you – someone will end up being disappointed.

Sometimes by keeping your eyes and ears open you can learn additional information that you can use to make a good job decision. Is the environment somewhere you would like to work?

Are the employees smiling and happy?

Be prepared to answer very specific questions about your employment history.

You should be able to verbalize the following without referring to your resume or application:

	Dates of employment
	Job title and Description
	Supervisor’s name
	The reason that employment ended

By listening carefully, you will be able to evaluate the position and whether it would be a good match for you. More significantly, good listening skills will provide you with the information on what is important to the employer and will give you opportunities to sell yourself:

An example would be: Your interviewer states, “We need someone who is very dependable. The person in this position is the one who will open up the office every day.” If you are listening (which means both hearing and understanding), then at an appropriate time during the interview you can say, “I understand that this position requires punctuality and dependability, and I pride myself on being on time. In my last position, I only missed one day the entire year”. Of course, you can only provide information that is true and accurate.

One of the most difficult questions to answer during the interview is the question about your former employer. If, for example, in your previous job, you perceived your boss as a poor manger, employee morale was low, there was too much office politics, etc, and you voluntarily resigned, you are faced with a dilemma when the interviewer asks, “Why did you leave your former employer?” It would be a mistake to say all of those things that were problems for you. A positive and professional response may be to state, “I voluntarily resigned because I was uncomfortable in that particular working environment”. If the interviewer presses the question, you could expand on your answer by making a positive statement such as, I have found in the past that I am most comfortable in a professional atmosphere where open communication, team work and respect are standard operating procedures upheld by all employees.”

NEVER SAY ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT A PAST WORK SITUATION!

There are employment laws that are in place to protect everyone to insure that discriminating hiring practices do not take place. However, we are all human so you can insure you are not a victim of any type of discrimination by providing only job related information. For example: If asked “Tell me about yourself”, you should respond by providing information about your skills, work experience, work style, etc. Identify yourself as a professional setting yourself apart from age, gender, marital status, parenthood, etc.

You may have a lot of work experience, skills and traits to offer a prospective employer and you need to make sure that the ones you present are ones they deem important in the job they are interviewing you for.

• Tell me three new things you learned on your last job
• Tell me about a job you have had in the past that you really liked
• Tell me about a work environment that you really liked
• Tell me about a work place where you were promoted or your job changed while you were there
• Tell me about a work situation in your past where you dealt with conflict.

Preparing and organizing prior to attending a job fair is essential. Some job fairs provide information prior to the event that includes: presenting companies, services available to attendees such as childcare and translators, and scheduled educational seminars. An effective preparation technique is to visit the websites of presenting companies to learn more about their business. Not only does it help you to determine if you wish to visit a company’s booth, but will also help to eliminate obvious questions like “What does your company do?” if you decide to stop by their booth. If pre-event information has not been made available prior to the event, upon arriving, you should pick up any materials that are available at the registration desk so you can plan what booths you will visit and in what activities or seminars you would like to participate in. If you have already forwarded a resume, applied, or interview with presenting companies, make a list. This will help you present yourself in an organized manner when visiting each booth.

Time spent practicing a verbal presentation of skills, experience, and desired job opportunities will also help you present yourself well. Any materials that you plan to distribute needs to be reviewed or revised so that it is free of errors, and provides current information. Keep in mind that most employers scan resumes and cover letters into a computerized tracking system and search for candidates using key skill related words and phrases.

Simple, yet extremely necessary, is the task of creating a folder to be taken into the job fair that contains numerous “copies” of resumes, a notepad, a pen, and an envelope to store all business cards and pamphlets you will be collecting.

Your Presentation. Presentation is extremely important when attending a job fair because immediate impressions are made with in-person contacts. You should attend a job fair dressed in what you would wear to an interview. A traditional, professional, and well groomed presentation shows respect for the process, self confidence, and promotes serious consideration of a candidate. Because the time you have to spend with a company contact is brief, a firm handshake accompanied by a smile, a concise explanation of your experience and qualifications and 2 to 3 key questions are most appropriate. Some questions you may ask a company contact include: “What types of positions do you hire for on a regular basis?”, “What current job openings are available?”, “What requirements or qualifications does the company seek regarding employees?”, and “How does one pursue employment with your company?”. Remember, having prior knowledge of the company will eliminate basic questions and allow other conversation to take place. Make sure to mention if you have already forwarded your resume, filled out an application, or interviewed with a company. The response and directions given may be different.

At the end of the conversation with a contact, ask how they suggest you follow up. On your note pad, record the name of company, the name of contact, the suggested directions for follow up and a brief note so that thorough follow up can be performed.

If you are offered the opportunity to fill out an application or participate in some type of screening at the job fair, you should take it. Participation in a job fair is necessary to get the most out of the process. Attending educational seminars allows you to obtain advice from area experts free of charge.

Networking with employers is obvious; however, many other networking opportunities exist. Speak with other job seekers to learn what companies they have pursued and say hello to past employers. They may provide work references that could be extremely beneficial.

After the Fair – Follow-Up is the most important part! Contacts, not job offers, are made at job fairs. Turning leads into potential job opportunities is your responsibility and requires a strategic plan. First, use job fair notes to create a time line for follow up (Example XYZ company accepts applications on Thursdays from 2-4 and XYZZ company accepts applications on Fridays from 1-3, etc.). Secondly, list all of the companies that did not give specific follow-up directions. You can choose to contact by e-mail, phone, or regular mail. For contacts that spent considerable time with you, a handwritten thank-you note may be in order. Thank-you notes should be sent within 2-3 days of the event and other follow up should occur within 2 weeks of the job fair. If you cannot get in touch with the specific contact, then a call to the company’s main number can be placed inquiring about the application process. Remember, when speaking to a contact, job fair notes should be as a reminder of the candidate and the specific conversation.