Before my recent experience with my staffing firm, I had some preconceived notions about the industry. I assumed most staffing firms would be more interested in their return on investment than my growth as an individual. I thought there would be little personal interaction — that recruiters would just place people in open positions based strictly on the candidates’ current experience with little to no thought to their ambitions.
I was a young mom with compliance experience who aspired to move into a learning and development role but didn’t know how. With the help of my staffing provider, though, I found just the right position! I’ve now been in my current role for two and a half years, and to this day, I know I can still lean on my staffing provider for further support at any time. I have confidence that even after five or 10 years, I can turn to them to help me tune up my résumé or do mock interviews.
Before this experience, I didn’t think a staffing firm could help me in my career. Sure, I could find a job through one, but had professional goals and aspirations to move into an HR role, and I didn’t think a staffing firm would take the time to help me reach them. Fortunately, I was wrong. I learned there are staffing firms that get to know their candidates on a more personal level, learn their goals and work with them to position them for success. This attention to my professional development has kept me — and many other job seekers like me — loyal to my firm.
Incredible Support
I had heard about my staffing firm, Yupro Placement, over five years ago during my internship through its parent organization, Year Up. I was told that if I didn’t land a job after my internship was finished — or if I ever needed job support down the line — Yupro Placement would be a resource for me. So, when I was laid off, I didn’t hesitate to reach out.
I was first surprised by the immediate response I received after sending my first email to them. The process, too, was not what I expected. I thought I’d send my résumé, they’d match me with roles, I’d interview and eventually I would be offered a job. Instead, I received an incredible amount of support, knowledge and coaching throughout my employment search.
The Yupro Placement team guided me on how to enhance my résumé and LinkedIn profile. The staff set up mock interviews and then provided feedback and ways to improve. The best part of this experience was how they helped me shift the focus of my résumé from compliance analysis to HR analysis. I finally felt like the skills I had matched my career interest.
Professional Growth Through Apprenticeship
The professional guidance didn’t stop at the placement. My current role started as a six-month professional apprenticeship, throughout which a Yupro Placement coach provided professional development tips such as how to build a personal brand and time management. We were even measured by our performance on our teams to ensure we were on the right track.
I believe all staffing firms can take a page from Yupro Placement’s handbook when helping individuals with their career goals. Staffing firms should think about how they can provide ongoing support even after placing the candidate in a role. Recruiters should be enabled to support the retention of the people they hire and help them grow in their role over time. And when a candidate is ready to move on to another role or company, their firm should be ready to support that transition.
Yupro Placement is not just a staffing firm; it’s a community and a family. I encourage all staffing firms to think about their business the way Yupro Placement does — focusing less on just making the placement and more on helping their talent grow within their fields.
