Have you considered turning to recruitment agencies on your path to career renewal? Or do those of us who have had a career break have little to gain from working with a recruiter?

Simon Burton, Director of knowledge and information management recruitment agency CB Resourcing, agreed to be interviewed about the recruitment business and share this wisdom with library returner readers.

It’s not surprising that Simon is favourably disposed to the work of recruitment agencies. However in this interview he describes exactly how having knowledgeable and supportive people guiding you through your job search can make all the difference when it comes to finding the right role for you. The interview discusses the benefits of using recruitment agencies for return to work candidates.

Simon Burton, Director, CB Resourcing

What is a recruitment agency and what does it do?

A recruitment agency is a business paid by employers to find, help advertise and fill their vacancies. There are a wide range of recruitment agencies out there with different focuses and expertise ranging from generalists to specialist boutiques dedicated to a specific market.

When should someone thinking of returning to the workplace use a recruitment agency to help with their job search?

I would recommend talking to recruiters from the beginning of any job search. The advice you get will be influenced by the specific market that recruiter is in as not all recruiters are representative of the entire market. Regardless of what vacancies they are working on, it’s a very good way for you to get used to interviewing again and articulating your experience. You may also find CV styles have changed or we may be able to offer tips in interviewing techniques.

What are the benefits of using a recruitment agency for library returners?

You will gain general interview practice when you register with a recruitment agency. If you have not had a job interview for a long time then getting familiar with talking about your experience and answering questions about yourself can be very helpful. Recruiters are often aware of relevant networks and emerging skills that will help you when planning your search. A recruiter wants to find you a job if they can. Therefore, if the right opportunity arises they will work with you to manage the process and guide you with their knowledge of the hiring organisation’s procedures and culture.

Are the skills and experience of return to work candidates (who may have been out of the workplace for two years or more) consistent with the type of library jobs being advertised by your recruitment agency?

This really depends on what sector we’re talking about. In the legal library sector, for instance, we are always busy with new roles whereas public libraries do not tend to use recruitment agencies as much.

Do applicants apply directly to advertised positions or do they send in speculative CVs to you?

Candidates apply via both methods and we will register them including any suitable vacancies we may currently be dealing with or get them set up on our database for future roles. The library community is close knit and we invest large amounts of time with organisations like CILIP, BIALL, CLSIG, SLA Europe etc. We present at these events offering career and job seeking advice, we conduct research and network at industry events so there are many ways we come across candidates beyond applications.

Does the agency provide practical help to candidates as part of the service e.g. recommend improvements to CVs, performance in interviews and so on?

Yes absolutely, this is very much a core service that we offer. Even candidates who are in work very often have not looked for a position for a long time so we are supporting job seekers with this sort of advice every day. We help candidates prepare for interviews as we have often had briefings with the clients and can offer tailored advice.

What key mistakes should a career break candidate try to avoid making while seeking a new role?

I think it is important to be open to ideas and not too fixed in your requirements. For instance, whilst seeking permanent work it might be a good idea to consider a temporary or contract position if that is what is available and can you get you back at work.

Do you have one piece of advice that you would give to a career break candidate?

Whilst I know that it can be very difficult getting knock backs, I think it is important not to take any rejections too personally but to treat feedback as constructive and an opportunity to learn what you can do differently next time. Searching for a position can take a lot of time and effort and it is important to keep yourself going. Equally,it is good to be realistic about what types of positions you are aiming for, a sector change into a senior role for instance might be difficult to make whilst also returning to work.

How can we contact you?

hello@cbresourcing.com goes to the entire recruitment team

About the interviewee

Simon Burton is the President of SLA Europe as well as the Managing Director and Co-Founder of CB Resourcing. You can contact Simon at hello@cbresourcing.com

 

 

 

Libraryreturners.com would like to express thanks and appreciation to Simon for agreeing to take part in this interview.