As a job seeker in Middle Tennessee, there are so many ways to give yourself an edge over your competition.  You can dress for success, prepare for common interview questions and research the employer or available position.  Today, we’re going to review one more job hunt weapon to add to your arsenal:  great e-mail etiquette.

Despite being a critical part of conveying a professional image, many job seekers overlook – or simply don’t know about – e-mail “rules of engagement.”  Unlike personal e-mails or texts, professional digital communications need to follow certain guidelines to be effective.  So if the follow-up e-mail you send to a potential employer is polished and – yes – mannerly, it can actually help you stand out from the crowd and increase your chances of getting the job.

Before you send your next work-related e-mail, make sure it presents you in a positive, professional light.  Use these important tips to develop flawless e-mail etiquette:

1. Fill in the “To:” e-mail address last. Wait until you are completely through proofing your e-mail to fill in the recipient’s address.  This will keep you from accidentally sending an e-mail prematurely – and save you from the potential embarrassment of typos or forgotten attachments.
2. Be professional. Skip abbreviations, texting lingo and emoticons.  Mind your manners and follow the basic rules of courtesy you learned while growing up – like using the words “Please” and “Thank you.”  Keep your tone professional at all times, striving to come across as respectful, friendly and approachable.
3. Create a descriptive subject line. Make it easy for your recipient to tell what your e-mail is about; otherwise, it may be overlooked or deleted.
4. Address the recipient by name in the body of the e-mail. It adds a personal and courteous touch to your communication.  Only address someone by his first name if he implies that it’s okay to do so.
5. Avoid the following: USING ALL CAPS (it’s the written equivalent of YELLING!); over-using punctuation!!!!!!; HTML (not everyone can view it); forwarding unsolicited e-mail (not everyone will think it’s cute or funny, and you may wind up offending or annoying someone).
6. Be concise, but thorough. Respect the recipient’s time by getting to the point of your e-mail as quickly as possible.  Additionally, make sure you include all relevant information the recipient needs, to avoid a string of unnecessary additional e-mails.
7. Use office e-mail exclusively for office communications. Work e-mail is official company property.  If you want to e-mail friends or family, use a separate Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail account.  Remember, your IT administrator and/or boss has the right to open work account e-mails at any time.
8. Always use a signature line. Do not assume that the recipient knows who you are.
9. Use your spellchecker, but don’t rely on it. Spellcheckers have their value, but may not catch missed words, incorrect information, etc.  Always proof your e-mail yourself before sending.

A final note to job seekers:
When you are applying for a job via e-mail, follow the instructions given to the letter.  In general, you should copy and paste your cover letter into the body of the e-mail.  If the posting asks you to send your résumé as an attachment, send the file as a .doc (Microsoft Word document) or .pdf (Adobe Acrobat file).  Before sending the e-mail, send yourself a test message to make sure everything displays properly.

Looking for more great career advice?
Visit Wood Personnel’s Candidate Resource Center.  It’s filled with useful tips to help Middle Tennessee job seekers like you land a great job, manage your career, achieve a healthy work/life balance and more.  Have a specific question?  Contact Wood Personnel today.

While in an interview, you probably expect to answer questions like:

“What was your last job like?”

“Why are you interested in the available position?”

“Why should we hire you?”

These are all standard questions designed to gain more information about your skills and experience.  But are you prepared to answer questions like:

“What is the most creative idea you’ve implemented to solve a problem?”

“Can you describe a time when you tried to persuade another person to do something that he was not very willing to do?”

“What is the most difficult project you’ve worked on – and how did it help you develop professionally?”

Don’t let behavioral interview questions like these throw you into a tailspin.  If you’re new to the concept of behavioral interviewing, here is a quick 101 to bring you up to speed:

• Behavioral questions are designed to reveal more than just skills or experience.  They operate on the premise that understanding past behavior is the best way to predict future success.
• Questions may be casually inserted into a typical interview, or you may be formally required to answer a set list.  Be prepared for either scenario.
• Questions will require you to describe situations from your past, as well as your feelings and observations about them.  Depending upon your answers, the interviewer may have follow-up probing questions.
• The interviewer will look for evidence of desired behavioral traits in your responses, to assess your proficiency in certain job-related areas.

As with all interview questions, preparing for behavioral questions is essential to success.  While you cannot predict the specific questions you will be asked, you can use these tips to ace your next behavioral interview – not matter what type of job you’re seeking:

• Learn about the company.  Do your homework before the interview to learn about the company, its core values and the available position.  Use the job description to determine the most essential behaviors needed to succeed in the position, then research potential behavioral interview questions that are associated with these traits.
• Create your behavioral interview arsenal.  Create a list of key accomplishments that exemplify the traits necessary to succeed in the available position.  If you lack work experience, draw upon your school experiences (challenging courses/tests, group projects, research papers, etc.).  Select experiences that reflect well on you, even if the outcome of the situation itself was not favorable.  With a bit of work, you can develop a repertoire of a small number of workplace experiences that you can use to answer a wide range of behavioral questions.
• Flesh out each experience.  Make sure each of your examples has a beginning, middle and end.  Experts recommend using the STAR technique to communicate your ideas logically and concisely:  the beginning should describe a Situation you were in or the Task you needed to accomplish; the middle should recount the Action that you took; the end should review the measurable Results you achieved.
• Practice with a friend.  Behavioral interviews can be grueling.  Boost your confidence by rehearsing your workplace stories ahead of time with a friend or relative.  Aim for vivid, concise answers that are one to three minutes long.

Looking for more interview help?  Searching for jobs in Middle Tennessee?  Wood Personnel is here to help.  As Middle Tennessee’s leading employment services company, we can help you take the next step in your career.

It’s as natural as the circle of life.

With each flip of the calendar year, many of us resolve to improve ourselves – to drop bad habits, to start good ones, or to find a way to make the world a better place.

While these intentions are certainly noble, they’re also likely doomed from the start.  So this year, resolve NOT to make a New Year’s resolution.  Instead, sit back and take a read through this list of the Top 10 Most Commonly Broken New Year’s Resolutions, courtesy of Time.com:

1. Lose Weight and Get Fit.  After a season of cookies, candies and holiday parties, it’s only natural to want to shed a few extra pounds and get into better shape.  But research shows that by February, 60% of gym memberships go unused.
2. Quit Smoking.  E-cigarettes, nicotine patches and chewing gum are all designed to help newly motivated smokers kick the habit.  But after just six months, only an estimated 15% of quitters are still cigarette-free.
3. Learn Something New.  If you’re thinking of taking up a musical instrument or learning to cook French cuisine, know that you’ll face an uphill battle.  Resolving to learn something new is exciting, but it’s also hard work.
4. Eat Healthier and Diet.  Many dieters are full of resolve on January 2nd.  Unfortunately, they force themselves into restricting diets they can’t possible keep.  Try using some common-sense moderation, instead, and you’re much more likely to succeed.
5. Get Out of Debt and Save Money.  After the budget-unfriendly month of December, many consumers try to halt their spending and manage their debt more effectively.  Rather than announcing sweeping changes and setting unattainable goals, however, financial planners advise making specific budget-friendly rules (like packing lunch, shopping for cheaper insurance/lower credit card interest rates, etc.) to improve your financial situation.
6. Spend More Time with Family.  The beginning of the year is an ideal time to reconnect with family whom you’ve not seen in awhile.  But work pressures, physical distance, strained relationships and even messy divorces make this resolution particularly hard to keep.
7. Travel to New Places.  The new year awakens within many of us a desire to travel.  The financial realities of the Great Recession, the headache of planning and the difficulty of finding help to tend to your home and pets can quickly put this desire to rest.
8. Be Less Stressed.  While it’s not a bad idea – less stress can make you healthier and happier – stressing less is likely to be the very first resolution you’ll break.  Case in point?  Just thinking about tackling any resolution will raise your stress level!
9. Volunteer.  This year, you may resolve to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate than you.  While this is certainly a noble gesture, even the most compassionate among us can fall back on commitments.  Finding time to give to a worthy cause is often harder than finding money.
10. Drink Less.  After a seemingly endless barrage of parties filled with beer, wine, champagne and cocktails, it’s not surprising that many of us vow to drink less.  But after a few days or week, why do we start drinking again?  The Greco-Roman ancients may have said it best when they proclaimed “In vino veritas” (in wine, there is truth).

From all of us at Wood Personnel, have a safe, happy, healthy and successful New Year!

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Research by Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov reveals that all it takes is a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger from his face, and that longer exposures don’t significantly alter those impressions (although they might boost your confidence in your own judgments).

From your handshake to your knowledge of the potential employer, everything you do and say is scrutinized by an interviewer – from the instant he lays eyes on you.

Are you doing everything you can to create a positive first impression?

Fair or unfair, an interviewer sizes up you and your abilities within the first few minutes of meeting you.  In fact, the more experienced he is, the more likely he is to draw conclusions about you based on limited information.  So whether you call them hunches, first impressions or simple intuition, an interviewer’s snap decisions are critical to the success of your job search.  To land the job you want, use these tips to make a great first impression:

Do your homework. Spend a good amount of time before the interview date researching the employer.  Their company website is a great place to start.  Don’t just skim through the information – really read it.  Find out everything you can about the organization’s history, mission, lines of business and key personnel.

Next, Google the company and find out what others have written or said about them.  Check newspapers, business magazines or other reputable sources to further educate yourself.  When you finally head into your interview, you’ll have an additional level of knowledge and confidence that will shine through – and keep from looking like a “deer in the headlights” if the interviewer asks you to tell him what you know about the company.

Remember that actions speak louder than words. The nonverbal cues you send from the moment you walk into an interview are scrutinized.  Pay careful attention to your posture, handshake and eye contact to create a positive first impression.

Come prepared. Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes.  What would you think of a candidate who had to ask for a pen, or who rifled through a cluttered briefcase to dig out a wrinkled résumé?  Have a crisp copy of your résumé and references, a pen and notepad for notes, and your portfolio (if applicable) organized and ready to go.  Doing so will allow you to hit the ground running and immediately focus on the interviewer.

Avoid common interview mistakes. To succeed in your job search, you need to back up your skills and experience with a first impression that leaves no doubt that you’re the right person for the job.  Arrogance and sloppy attire are mistakes you simply cannot afford to make.  Be confident, but make sure you’re not cocky.  Overconfidence could be misconstrued as indifference – suggesting you could take or leave a job offer.  Similarly, you should dress for interview success.  Failure to do so could convey that you don’t really care about the job opportunity enough to dress appropriately.

Ask only relevant questions. Show the interviewer that you’ve done your homework by preparing a few questions pertinent to the job or the company (use the research you’ve conducted to help you generate ideas).  If they’re answered during the course of the interview, don’t feel pressured to make up new ones on the spot.  Throw-away questions won’t impress an interviewer – they’ll only end the conversation on a down note.

Thank the interviewer. Expressing thanks is one of those “pivotal moments” an interviewer may hang his hat on.  So without fail, thank the interviewer for his time both at the beginning and the end of your conversation.  Tell him that you’re excited about the opportunity.  Positive emotion and good manners go a long way toward creating a lasting favorable impression.

Ask for the job. Good salespeople ask for the sale; good job seekers should ask for the job.  Beyond thanking the interviewer, say, “I would really love to work here.”  This sounds simple, but so many candidates fail to do it!

Land Your Dream Job with Wood Personnel

As a leading staffing service in Middle Tennessee, we match job seekers like you with rewarding temporary, contract and direct hire jobs every day.  Contact Wood today to learn about administrative, light industrial, IT, accounting, engineering, management and human resources employment opportunities in Middle Tennessee.

It’s called “work” for a reason.

While many of us would love to be in an exciting career with endless variety and opportunity, the truth is that our work is not nearly that glamorous.  In fact, lots of jobs – especially entry level ones – can be tedious, monotonous and even downright boring.

Still, you have to start somewhere.  And if you want to get ahead in your career, you need to carry out your responsibilities (no matter how uninteresting they may be) to the best of your ability.  Use this list of tips to stay interested in your entry level job, so you can stay focused and productive:

Be honest with your supervisor. While it’s unadvisable to whine about how boring your job is, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask your manager for more work.  If you are working in a direct position, tell your boss that you are ready for more responsibility.  He may appreciate your honesty and efficiency and reward you with a more challenging set of tasks.  He may also allow you to trade duties with colleagues, so you both get a break from the monotony.

If you are working with Wood Personnel on a temporary or contract assignment, speak directly with your staffing supervisor.  He can look for future assignments that build on the experience you’re gaining.

Volunteer for tasks unrelated to your job. Offer to help plan the company office party or sign-up for another social committee.  You’ll not only keep yourself busy, you’ll also network, show-off your organizational skills and establish your reputation as a team player and natural leader.

Change your perspective. One of the easiest ways to freshen your outlook on the job is by asking your supervisor for a new desk, office or cube to call home.  If you can’t change your location, see if you can change how your desk is oriented.  Even a small change can refresh your perspective and renew your enthusiasm for your work.

Take initiative. If you’ve finished your work and need something to do, take a look around the office and see what needs to be done.  Ask co-workers if they could use a hand.  Find out what’s on your supervisor’s To Do list (it’s probably a long one) and see if you could tackle a project for him.  Don’t wait for challenge to come to you.  Be proactive.  Demonstrate your willingness to work and desire for challenge, and chances are you will be rewarded.

Take a power break. When boredom threatens to overwhelm you, fight back by using your breaks intelligently.  Though you may be tempted to surf the Internet or play solitaire, use your time more contructively.  Clean up your desk, invite a colleague for a cup of coffee to discuss a new idea, or brainstorm a list of ways to improve your department.  The more intelligently you use your break time, the sooner you’ll move on to a more challenging job.

Stay positive and give your best effort. Remember, nearly everyone has been in your shoes at one point or another.  Yes, your work may be menial now, but try to make the most of the opportunities it presents you to help develop your skills, increase your knowledge base and build your network.  If you always give your best effort and focus on staying positive, you can effectively keep boredom at bay.

Looking for more variety, responsibility or challenge?  Give Wood Personnel a call.

Working as a temporary employee provides constant variety.  As a Wood Personnel employee, we can provide you with a wide range of temporary assignments with Middle Tennessee’s best employers – delivering the opportunity and challenge you desire.  If you’re bored in your work and could use a change, give us a call today.

Landing a new job or assignment in Middle Tennessee takes hard work, patience and sometimes a little bit of well-timed luck.  When you land a great opportunity, it’s only natural to be excited.  After that initial excitement wears off, however, you may start worrying about the uncertainty inherent in any new work situation – like the pace and “atmosphere” of the work environment, the personalities of your boss and co-workers, and how well you’ll ultimately fit-in.

At Wood Personnel, we know how important new work opportunities are for you.  So when you begin your first day, we want to help you do everything you can to get started off right.  Use this list of suggestions to thrive on the job from day one by meshing well with your new corporate culture:

• Observe. From the moment you walk in the door, pay attention to others – how they interact, dress, maintain their workspaces, etc.  By simply observing, you can learn a lot about how the company operates on a daily basis.  Find out who the most successful team members are and take your cues from them.
• Be flexible. Be open to changing the ways you approach tasks, communicate with others and structure your work day.  The company probably has well-established ways of getting things done and expects you to conform to their standards.
• Be courteous and respectful. One of the best ways to win over new co-workers and supervisors is by using good business etiquette.  Treat everyone with respect by being considerate of others’ workloads and meeting your commitments on time.  If you are working in close quarters or open spaces with others:  use a quiet tone when speaking; keep your cell phone off or on vibrate; keep socializing to a minimum.  Remember that everyone has work to do, including you.
• Dress for success. Your clothes influence the way your manager and co-workers perceive you.  While on the job, avoid fashions that are too trendy, revealing or casual.  Make a good impression by dressing appropriately for your position, or one notch above.
• Beware of office politics. Office politics are part of the interactive process of working together toward individual, team and company goals.  While on a short-term assignment, the best choice is to steer clear of these dynamics.  If you’re on a long-term assignment, or have accepted a direct position, however, you need to learn to cope with them.  Learn how to compliment and not criticize; disagree without being disrespectful; stay above gossip by not spreading rumors.  Establish a reputation as a hard working, positive employee who is not a part of the rumor mill, and you’ll be off to a good start.

Find a Great Fit with Wood Personnel

If you’re looking for a job or temporary assignment in Middle Tennessee, we invite you meet in-person with one of Wood’s staffing and recruiting experts.   Together, we can discuss what type of job works best for you, the environment you like, your strengths and your salary requirements.

Serving Middle Tennessee job seekers since 1988, Wood Personnel knows that a good fit means more than matching skills.  To find the right opportunity for you, we will carefully match your career goals, experience and strengths with the company’s culture and the requirements of the job.

Contact us today and find a great fit with Wood Personnel.

Thinking about asking for a raise, but still hesitating?

Well, maybe you shouldn’t be.  A recent New York Times article reports that median pay for top executives at big 200 companies was up 23 percent last year.  Corporate wallets are opening up.  It’s time to get your share.

Still, asking for more money can be daunting – especially if you don’t know how to do it the right way.  Use these tips to guide you through the process and get paid what you’re worth:

Conduct some research. Find out what others in your position make, using tools like Getraised.com, Salary.com or Payscale.com.  Be sure to factor in your level of experience and geographic area.

Prepare a presentation. Before you go knocking on your boss’s door, make sure you can justify why you’ve earned a raise – not why you need one.  Spend some time reviewing your strengths and accomplishments.  Develop a list of measurable results you’ve achieved, new skills you’ve acquired, additional work you’ve taken on, etc.  In addition, prepare what you’ll say if your boss turns you down.

Choose your moment. When it comes to asking for a raise, timing is everything.  The best time to ask for more money is shortly after you’ve accomplished a goal on the job.  Schedule an appointment with your boss, preferably at a time when he’s at his best (e.g., if mornings are hectic for him, schedule the appointment in the afternoon).

Keep emotions out of it. Whatever you do, avoid raising your voice or getting upset.  Never mention personal financial problems when asking for a raise.  Again, your boss is interested in why you deserve the raise – not why you need it.

End on a positive note. If you get what you want, that’s great.  But if your boss is unable or unwilling to give you a raise, develop a plan that will lead to what you want.  Before leaving the meeting, put together a performance plan with another review date so that your boss will be able to see what you’ve accomplished.

Find a Great Paying Job with Wood Personnel

Wood Personnel works with top employers throughout Middle Tennessee.  We will listen to your needs, help you determine what you’re worth and match you with a great-paying temporary, contract, temp-to-hire or direct opportunity.  Contact Wood Personnel today.

Wood Personnel employees choose temporary work for a variety of reasons.  Some like the extra cash and freedom temporary work provides; others want to gain experience; still others seek a full-time, direct position.

No matter what your reasons are for working as a Wood Personnel temporary, you can use these six tips to succeed while on assignment:

Prepare yourself. Buy a memo pad to serve as your temporary employment reference book.  Once you accept an assignment, be sure to write down the following details and take them with you the first day:  company address and phone; client supervisor’s name; dress code; hours; name and phone number for your staffing coordinator.  Having this important information available will help ensure you are on-time the first day and get off to a great start.

Display a positive attitude. When you work as a temporary, you are put into unfamiliar situations with people you don’t know.  Make a conscious decision to approach your new work situation constructively.  Choosing to display a positive attitude – even if you’re a bit uncomfortable – can help you manage the stress of your first day.  Your optimism will be appreciated by co-workers and assignment supervisor alike and set the stage for a great working relationship.

Listen. Although you may be accustomed to completing work a certain way, most employers have specific systems and procedures already in place.  When your supervisor gives you your work instructions, pay close attention and take notes (in your memo book).  If any instructions are unclear, be sure to ask for clarification.  Your employer will understand that you are new, and he will respect your attention to detail.

Stay out of office politics. Every company you work for on assignment will have a unique corporate culture.  As a rule of thumb while on assignment, strive to remain neutral, avoid office gossip/politics/arguments, and focus on the job you have to do.  If conflict is making your work difficult, contact your staffing coordinator immediately.

Take initiative. If you finish your work ahead of schedule, ask for something else to do.  You will earn a reputation (with both the staffing service and the employer) as a hard worker.  Remember, productive, proactive temporaries land the best assignments – and are the first to be offered direct employment.

Keep in touch with your staffing coordinator. Check in with him periodically to explain how your assignment is progressing.  If your assignment is nearing completion, let him know so that he can get to work lining up your next one.  Finally, tell him what you liked or didn’t like about the assignment once it’s complete.  The better he understands your areas of strength and work preferences, the better prepared he’ll be to match you with the ideal opportunity.

Get on the Path to Career Success

Find out how Wood Personnel can match you with the ideal employment opportunity.  With staffing offices in Nashville, Cool Springs and Murfreesboro, Tennessee, it’s easy to come in and learn more about our services, available jobs and what we can do for you.  Contact a Recruiter to schedule your appointment today.

Go Social!

Like Wood Personnel on Facebook.  It’s a fun, easy way to learn more about our company and our staff.

Recently graduated from college?  Here are a few facts about your Class of 2011:

• The U.S. Department of Education estimates that approximately 1.7 million students graduated with bachelor’s degrees in the 2011 winter/spring graduation season.
• Females outnumbered males, with the U.S. Department of Education reporting 140 females for every 100 males in the Class of 2011.
• This class is the most indebted in history, with an average personal debt of $23,000 after graduation.
• The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that the average starting job salary for graduates with bachelor’s degrees will be nearly $37,000, down from nearly $47,000 in 2009.

Undoubtedly it will be a tough go for this year’s graduates.  But if you’re looking for a job the news isn’t all bad:

• In a survey of approximately 4,600 employers nationwide, the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University found that hiring for graduates will increase about 10 percent this year.  This is significantly higher than the increase in overall hiring for all degrees, estimated at 3 percent.
• Another survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers reports similar findings.  According to this survey, employers across the country reported that they will hire 19 percent more new college graduates this year than they did in 2010.
• Hiring prospects remain better for college graduates than for non-graduates, with the unemployment rate for workers with bachelor’s degrees (or higher) at 4.5 percent.
• Although employers are still cautious about hiring, demand remains strong for college graduates in the healthcare, technical, engineering, construction and business sectors.  For a detailed long-term outlook on hundreds of jobs, follow this link to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook.

If you’ve recently entered the job market, here are a few tips to make your job search after college more productive:

• Make sure your résumé is up to date. Review your résumé to be sure it has all the latest information, including your college activities and your major.  You may even want to prepare multiple versions of your résumé that cater to different positions or industries in which you’re interested.
• Build your network. Many companies don’t advertise open positions, so networking plays an important role in finding job opportunities.  Keep in touch with family, friends, professors or past co-workers to learn about potential job opportunities.  Build your online network using sites like LinkedIn and Facebook to meet new people, garner recommendations and investigate potential job leads.  Be careful, however, to mind your online image, as a majority of employers are now researching job candidates’ backgrounds online.
• Use on-campus resources. College career centers usually welcome recent grads and can help in your job search. You also might be able to connect with other alumni who can provide advice.
• Consider an internship. Internships offer valuable experience and can provide an excellent introduction to the working world.  Beyond building skills, having an internship on your résumé shows a potential employer that you have the abilities to succeed in a job after college.  In some cases, internships can even lead to full-time job offers.
• Request informational interviews. Research companies you would like to work for and ask for informational interviews to learn more about these organizations.
• Meet with a Wood Personnel Recruiter. As Middle Tennessee’s leading employment services company, our recruiting and staffing specialists can be your eyes and ears in the hidden job market.  We can provide useful feedback on your résumé and interview skills, and match you with the ideal career opportunity or a promising temporary assignment.  Simply put, we want to help you achieve your personal and professional goals.
• Treat your job search as if it’s a full-time job. Bring the same discipline and work ethic to your job search as you would to your first real job.  Proactively build relationships, work closely with university career centers and capitalize on real-world job experiences through internships and temporary assignments.
• Be aggressive and persistent. Like it or not, competition for the best jobs is – and will continue to be – fierce.  Prepare yourself mentally for what may be a longer-than-normal job search.  While it may be tiring, and you may be tempted to give up, keep at it.  Staying positive, aggressive and persistent will help ensure that your job search after college is successful.

Technology vs. the human touch.

When it comes to your job search, which is better?  Job board technology is certainly efficient.  With a few clicks you easily can apply for several jobs in under an hour – all from the comfort of your own home.

But that same efficiency can work against you.  Jobs that are available to you are also available to literally anyone else with an internet connection.  When you submit your résumé, you may be one of dozens, hundreds or even thousands of applicants.  As the number of job posting applicants increases, so does the chance of your résumé being completely ignored.  How efficient is that?

Job boards do serve a purpose in connecting job seekers to employers.  But if you’re serious about finding a great job, here are several reasons why experienced recruiters, like the ones who work for staffing and placement services such as Wood Personnel, beat job boards – hands down:

Reach the hiring authority – 100% of the time. A good recruiter has the ear of prospective employers and will proactively market you directly to key hiring decision makers.  Recruiters keep your best career interests in mind and ensure your skills, experience and personal brand are presented in the best light possible to potential employers.

Access the “hidden” job market. Many Middle Tennessee employers know that they have greater hiring success when working with a recruiter.  These companies rely on staffing professionals to handle the time-consuming legwork associated with finding the best candidates and skip the job board route altogether.

Get inside information on employers and their hiring practices. If you are interested in a particular employer, a recruiter can use his knowledge of an employer’s hiring processes (including interviewers’ personalities and interviewing styles) to help you successfully navigate obstacles.  Likewise, he can provide valuable insight on a company’s corporate culture, helping you more accurately evaluate career opportunities.

Maintain job search control. A top performer who plasters his résumé all over every job board may suffer unintended (and unwanted) consequences.  Unethical staffing services may find your résumé on a job board and submit it without your approval or begin hounding you with phone calls.  With a good recruiter on your side, you can maintain control over your résumé and work with a single point of contact.

Manage job search anxiety. For many, finding a new position is extremely stressful.  Recruiters are experts at the process and can help guide you through the nerve-wracking process of interviewing.  By working with a recruiter you also enjoy peace of mind, knowing that you have someone else on your job search team.

Get a personal advocate and partner in your job search. In most cases (retained searches being an exception), recruiters aren’t compensated unless they actually place candidates.  Unlike a job board, they have a vested interest in ensuring the success of your job search.

Protect your privacy. If you think your current employer won’t find out you’re actively seeking another job, think again.  Many employers set up automatic search agents on major job boards which notify them if their employees are preparing to make a move.  When you work with a recruiter, you can rest assured that you will be represented anonymously, and that your job search will remain confidential.

Access contract opportunities. If you are out of work and open to temporary or contract employment, recruiters can place you in short-term assignments or project-based opportunities that get your foot in the door and may even lead to direct employment.

Wood Personnel – The Human Touch in Recruiting and Placement

Technology is an important component in your job search, but nothing replaces a recruiter’s human touch.  To us, you’re more than just a résumé or an application.  You’re our greatest natural resource.

We listen and take a real interest in matching you with an opportunity that suits your unique skills, needs and interests.  Contact a Wood Personnel recruiter today to learn more about administrative, light industrial, IT and executive opportunities throughout Middle Tennessee.