An OA survey provides insights into job seeking trends.

Job searches are difficult for everyone – from first-time IT job seekers to those who want to take on a new career challenge – and it’s easy to get discouraged when the right opportunities or interviews have been scarce. It’s also easy to blame a lack of success on a poor job market or some other extenuating circumstances, but sometimes the problem is that you’re not fully exploring your options. If you are not finding the types of opportunities you’re looking for in the market, it’s time to consider working with a professional staffing agency.

According to a recent survey conducted by OpenArc, it turns out that many job seekers are turning a blind eye to staffing agencies when it comes to finding their fit in the IT world. In fact, over 87% of respondents reported that they had never worked with a professional recruiting agency. While the survey may indicate that it’s an undiscovered asset to most, seeking out the aid of an IT staffing agency may be just what your job search was missing.

Though the survey results do seem to skew against the use of IT staffing agencies, a closer look at the numbers reveals an interesting fact: out of the survey respondents who said they have worked with a staffing agency, the two age groups leading the way actually represent the majority of today’s workforce. Nearly one in five respondents between the ages of 25 and 44 have worked with a professional staffing agency in the past – a generational shift that reflects new realities in the technology job market.

Why IT Staffing Agencies are a Good Fit
Technology remains one of the most competitive fields in the job market, with IT-related college majors on an upward trend due to their outstanding promise and potential. In fact, a recent Kiplinger study found that the top three “best college majors for a lucrative career” were all in IT.

This is where a staffing agency can be a huge benefit to a job search. While your degree, resume, and experience definitely come into play, the backing of a professional IT staffing agency vastly increases your ability to be connected with new opportunities as they arise.
When you align yourself with a top technology staffing firm, trained career strategists will help you examine your skills and experience, helping you highlight your brightest achievements while offering you advice and opportunities for significant professional improvement.

Choosing the Right IT Staffing Agency
When choosing the right IT staffing agency for your needs, choose one that has a history of placing qualified candidates in the right position. A quality firm should help you build and grow your personal brand, defining who you are to potential employers to showcase how your skills can be an asset to their company. When you build out a brand that is authentic to your experience, skills and expertise, you’ll attract opportunities that match your goals.

The bottom line is that you should never wait to step up a job search. Yes, it is easy to get discouraged if you experience more rejections than job offers, but you can’t give up. You can use every tool you have at your disposal, from resume workshops to contacts within your industry of choice, but the best job search solution may just be right under your nose: working with the right people.

Get in touch with the placement pros at OpenArc, and get started on a career search. At OpenArc, we deliver permanent, contract and contract-to-hire placements to help find you a position on the front lines of the technology industry. No matter if you’re trying to find your first job or looking to accelerate your career path, the IT career strategists at OpenArc will work with you to find the perfect fit.