Career Strategies

Let’s say you’ve targeted a company that you’d really like to work for. You’ve gone through the process of sending your resume to both the hiring manager and the Human Resources department. Now, after all your work you are told that there are no positions available but they’ll keep your resume on file. What do you do? You’ve heard through your network that XYZ Corporation is a really great company to work for yet you just can’t get your foot in the door. One strategy that you might want to try is the Back Door approach. Contact the Human Resources department at XYZ and ask them what temp agencies they have accounts with. They should have no problem providing you with that information. Then call those agencies and ask them if you can go in and sign up with them. Once you get there and get registered, tell the recruiter that you are only interested in working for XYZ Corporation. Ask them if they can set you up with a temp position there. Most of the time the recruiter will be happy to accommodate you and if you are patient you might just land a job. Most companies that aren't hiring use temporary employees. Since the permanent staff can often call out sick or go on maternity leave this presents the perfect opportunity for you. And it is not uncommon for a temp to go perm within a few months. This technique has proved very successful on getting people into the door. However, be careful. The recruiter may ask you if you are willing to consider working for other companies besides XYZ Corporation. If you say yes, then you may find yourself working with a company other than the one you intended