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Helping job seekers find employment - Express Employment Professionals
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AP Photo / Richard Drew
Staffing agencies are fast becoming an important source for finding employment during the economic recession. These days, finding employment through a “temp” or staffing agency is often faster than the process for finding permanent employment. The need for “immediate income” is luring job seekers to employment agencies in record numbers. I recently had the opportunity to interview Jan Patillo, owner of the Alexandria office, of Express Employment Professionals about staffing agencies and their benefit to job seekers.
Express Employment Professionals is a franchised staffing business offering employment solutions to job seekers and businesses. They have over 600 locations nationwide, including almost 20 in the DC Metro area. Express Employment Professionals works diligently to find positions for job seekers to provide not only a source of income, but a chance to maintain or gain valuable work skills. Even though we tend to think of franchises as individual businesses, Jan assures us that this is not the case with the Express Employment Professionals offices located in the area. Each of the locations work together to find the best fit for the clientele and businesses utilizing their services.
By successfully merging the needs of the job seeker and the business, Express Employment Professionals create a win-win situation. They work with a wide range of companies including professional businesses as well as commercial industries and warehouses. As a result the agency is able to place a diverse spectrum of job seekers from the professional to the entry level, as well as blue collar.
To put it mildly, it is now an “employer’s market” in terms of recruiting. “Companies are looking for the best of the best,” states Jan. The more flexible and knowledgeable a candidate is the better their chances in the job market. For example, a candidate that possesses Microsoft Access or database skills will set themselves apart. Jan warns potential applicants, however, that it’s essential to be truthful when divulging their work history and skill sets. It is easy to determine whether or not an applicant truly has database knowledge by asking a few very simple questions related to the software application.
What can one expect when working with a staffing agency? Jan states that her agency puts potential workers through rigorous testing to make sure that they are fit for any position that they are offered. This includes word processing and data entry tests to assess the skill level of each candidate. The experts at Express Employment Professionals also provide training on basic office skills.
According to Jan, it is easy to spot those individuals that have a true desire to work. “Those are the people who will accept any type of employment,” says Jan. They are willing to work in any position offered whether it is temporary or part time. “If someone has taken a few courses to increase their skills - excellent!” Jan exclaims. Taking courses while looking for employment is a sure sign that someone wants to increase their marketable skills.
When asked what tips she could provide to job seekers? Jan suggested that candidates “talk numbers” whenever possible. For example, if the applicant met their project deadlines 100 percent of the time, that is the type of information that they should share. Companies want to know how the applicant will affect their bottom line. “Companies are doing more with less,” Jan observes. It’s important that they have employees that will help them not only with their daily activity, but have a positive effect on the bottom line. Jan also advises temporary workers “to be flexible”. They should be willing to travel a reasonable distance to work. Jan also emphasized the importance of a positive attitude. A positive attitude will get you noticed and employers want that in their work place.
Job search tools have changed dramatically. The introduction of social networking on the Internet has added a whole new dimension to the job search. Express Employment Professionals recognizes the importance of an on-line presence. They have joined the electronic revolution and now keep up by utilizing online networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Jan Patillo is optimistic about the future of the economy and falling unemployment levels. “The market place is already seeing a turn around with more and more jobs becoming available,” Jan observes. The task of Express Employment Professionals is to make sure that there are qualified employees available to meet the needs of DC Metro employers. Jan and her team of experts at Express Employment Professionals are ready to make that happen.
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