Agencies should do more than just find jobs

TALLINN - The use of employment agencies, or recruitment agencies, has become a common means of finding employment for many. Many businesses and companies use the services of employment or recruitment agencies to find suitable employees. Because of the global economic crisis more and more people have started to look for a job abroad and for better life conditions elsewhere.
The services of a recruitment agency can be a very useful tool for both companies and jobseekers to find either a permanent or a temporary job.

There are employment agencies in every industry, providing almost every type of job available.
Both future employees and companies successfully use the services of a recruitment agency to find what they are looking for. Using a recruitment agency comes with advantages on both sides.
Many employment agencies are general, which means that they connect with employers across industries and therefore can work with employment seekers from most disciplines. Other agencies may be specialized in one area, for example in financial or medical jobs, and only concentrate on openings in these fields. Still other agencies may be specialized in one location, finding employment opportunities in particular areas or countries.

The employment agency’s major function is to place people into short- or long-term positions.
If you are a business looking to hire, employment agencies can help greatly. They know the strengths, weaknesses and the work ethic of those they have listed for hire. The agency will be able to give you a number of qualified candidates they have interviewed, and have also reviewed the resumes of each individual. An employment agency is not only a great way to find the perfect match for a new full time employee, but also for temporary work as well. Agencies do all the background work and know exactly who would be qualified for the position needing to be filled.

Generally, agencies have access to an increasing number of jobs which one wouldn’t normally hear about. According to Ekaterina Taranenko, an experienced expert and head of J.T. Agentuur, an employment agency in Tallinn working since 2001, the agency does the leg-work for a job seeker. Once the agency gets the CV or resume, it starts finding suitable openings according to one’s skills, sets up job interviews and agrees on the scope of work. It even helps clients to make the right CV.

J.T Agentuur not only helps to find jobs, but also provides consultation as well as carries out different professional training. The agency has many permanent clients thanks to the agency’s high-quality services and experienced employees. According to Taranenko, her clients are sure that they are not going to be cheated, which is quite an important thing in this business. “We have a lot of regular clients who use our services regularly; actually, the most important thing is that people trust us, we have deserved this trust thanks to our hard and qualified work. There are a lot of agencies today who cheat people. It is really hard to find a good agency nowadays that you can trust,” says Taranenko speaking to The Baltic Times.

“We are in this market now for nine years, and we know how to work with our clients, with people who have different life stories and backgrounds. I can say that a recruitment agent should be patient, first of all, to be able to work with people.”
Taranenko said that she hasn’t see a big wave of clients after the economic crisis started. She even considers that because of the critical financial situation there aren’t enough work places, and she sees high competition among jobseekers. “Because of the economic crisis companies became more scrupulous when choosing an employee. There is tough competition today,” said Taranenko.

“I would advise people to invest money in getting an education, some qualifications, getting some training offered by the unemployment board, because the economic crisis has shown that those who’ve survived are those who have better education and experience. It is quite upsetting to see that people do not try to develop, but have very high demands, desires and self-image, which do not coincide with reality. And that is why generally they are having problems in finding a job. It is important to be able to be more realistic.”

According to Taranenko, there are still enough jobs offered in Great Britian, Australia and Cyprus. She noted that students can still use their opportunities to work and travel in Australia and get some work experience and also practice the language. According to her, the advantage of using an employment agency is that they work with all the customers individually, taking into consideration each person’s own needs and requests. “Our agency takes responsibility for its clients, and their safety as much as possible.”

Taranenko also mentioned that Estonians are more eager to find jobs abroad, in comparison with Russian speakers; that’s to say they are more adventurous and are not afraid of new challenges.
She also says that the most relevant positions which have strong demand are in the services sector, positions for butchers, cooks, handy craftsmen and so on.
Taranenko says that she advises those who happen to be in a difficult situation to pull themselves together and find a good employment agency that will help them find a suitable job for themselves. She thinks that one will always find if they search and make an effort.

She also advises those who are unemployed to use their time to get some training in order to more easily find a job.