I hear stories all the time and receive testimonials from people that the recruiters at P&A have helped find jobs.  There are lots of recruiters out there calling you, wanting to work with you, acting like they have your best interest at heart. There are recruiters that tell you they are the best. There are recruiters that say you should only use them because they have some sort of recruiter certificate.

What should you really look for in a recruiter? The bottom line is simple – you want someone that cares. They don’t need to be slick and a certificate is just a piece of paper. What they need to do is care about YOU. Care about how looking for a job is one of the most stressful times of your life. Care about how your job, or lack of a job, impacts your entire family.  Cares that their actions could determine whether or not your job search is successful.

What prompted me to write this blog is an email I received from someone that just got a job through Taylor Clark at P&A - whose blog testimonial coincidentally is the post below.  What happened to this candidate is pretty scary and sad. When you work with a recruiter you should interview THEM. You should develop a bond with them and feel that you are partners in your job search.  You should get a sense that they truly want to help you find the best job possible.  If you do not feel that they are working with you because they want to help you not because you are a paycheck – RUN. There are many great recruiters out there. Do not let your chances be ruined because a recruiter does not do their job.

Below is the letter I received that prompted me to write this blog:

I just wanted to thank your establishment for the recent assistance I was provided.  I recently had my resume on line and it fell into the hands of another recruiter.  Initially I was excited to know that there was someone out there that was willing to assist me with my career advancement.  Shortly thereafter, I was left with the impression that I was inevitably, still on my own.       

 Basically after our initial consultation what I got was a go between.  We had a brief discussion, this recruiter ran through a few different companies who were looking for staffing.  He asked me if I was interested in any of them. I chose three.  He told me that I should expect to start hearing  from them in the next few days.  Two or three days later I got a call from Cracker Barrel.  Awesome!…  Kinda. I totally bombed the phone interview.  Same deal with Boudreaux’s Cajun Kitchen.  I could feel the exasperation in the recruiters tone when I recounted the situation with him.  By the time I heard from Fox & Hound, I was so discouraged that I had pretty much resigned myself to staying where I have been for the last three years.  Although I did get a scheduled face to face interview with them, I was petrified.  What are they looking for? What do they need to hear?  Will they be a good fit?  It was pitch black! 

     I can’t describe his assistance as anything less than a God Send!  Taylor was constantly asking questions and giving answers to anything I was concerned about.  He re-wrote my resume with me!  He sent me no less than 10 pages of E-mails describing what I needed to know about the company I was interested in. What the company was looking for, What not to say. What to say.  You name it, he did it, and then some.  By the time he was done with me, I WAS THE KING!  I knew everything I needed to know. Every contact I had through-out my next four interviews was a slam dunk.  I have been in the restaurant industry for about 20 years. Alot of that time spinning my wheels. Finally with Taylor’s help,  I’ve been able to hook up and put the rubber to the road! 

We often receive testimonials from candidates when we help them find a job.  Taylor Clark has received numerous testimonials because he truly cares about helping people. Taylor’s industry expertise and devotion to helping others in their career path truly make him an outstanding recruiter.  Below is one of the most recent testimonials. 

To Whom It May Concern:

I have had the pleasure of being able to work with Taylor Clark of Patrice and Associates for the past 2 months while seeking out new positions with new companies.  He was absolutely a phenomenal recruiter and assisted me in landing a position with a Company thru his diligent urgency and professional approach to negotiation and research.  I have never worked with someone that truly knows and cares about the individuals in which he is working for.  I felt thru the entire process that he not only educated me on the changes in a competitive workplace but gave me the guidance to accept the best possible situation for myself.  I have encountered many in his line of work but truly believe that he is the best hospitality recruiter I have seen in over 17 years.  His expertise and passion for the industry is truly evident in his quality of work and results that he delivers.  Those who work with him will be impressed and completely fulfilled with what he is able to provide on a day to day basis.  His organization and follow up are impeccable and his attention to detail is sensational as well.  He truly encompasses great leadership and the ability to do the best for his clients.  I wish him the very best in the future and look forward to having peers thru relationships I have built have the opportunity to work with him as well should the situation arise. 

Sincerely,

Trey Welch (Hired by TGI Fridays)

This is so smart for the chains to start offering.  I have always loved the Sliders at Fridays.

Thinking small is the watchword for an increasing number of operators who offer downsized sandwiches and bburgersurgers. They play a variety of roles, ranging from easy-to-eat bar munchie, shareable nosh for groups and affordable meal option for wallet-watching patrons.

At Patrice & Associates, we have several women who have combined their business development with being a Mom.  These women are an inspiration and testimony to what can be accomplished when one  puts their mind to it. 

Lynda’s story.

I am proud and thankful to be the mother of two fantastic kids.  I have an 11-year-old daughter, Donna, who just might be the next iCarly with her musical and computer talents. My 13-year-old son, Dominic, is just as creative, but he gravitates to the world of fantasy through computer games and books about dragons.  

Dominic is joyful and loving but he doesn’t express the full range of emotions that other kids his age are able to show.  I knew from the time he was 1 year old that he was different.  I felt that he viewed the world differently. 

Yet I did not know until he entered school that he has Asperger’s Syndrome, a high functioning form of Autism. He was originally diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. Today, Dominic is progressing through regular classes in middle school and learning how to make new friends…thanks in part to a wonderful therapist who’s helped us teach Dominic how to engage in two-way communication. 

This challenging personal situation only increased my need — and desire — to work for myself from home. I’d taken a year off from my previous job of running a local marketing agency in Orlando, and I admit that once I was ready to return to work I briefly entertained the idea of working for someone else. It would be a dependable job, I thought, and I’d be around other people. 

But once I realized that I needed the flexibility of a home-based business, and that I had to be available for Dominic when he needed me, my decision was made. I opened an office in my basement and began work as a recruiter of top management positions for local restaurant chains. 

What I’ve learned to do is structure my day around the times when my kids are at school. After they have both left for school, I grab my coffee and my laptop and I start my work day.  I continue working steadily until they come home. 

Afternoons are spent wrapping up projects I’ve been involved in during the day. I rarely start a new project once the kids are home, but I do check my e-mails and make follow-up phone calls to clients. By following this routine, I have steadily added new clients since I opened my business. 

Some working moms who choose to have home-based businesses for the first time soon realize that they don’t have that “line of demarcation” that draws a clear distinction between being an employee at an away-from-home workplace and a mom/businesswoman who runs a home-based business. Away from home, they don’t have a son running up to them asking for help with his math homework, or a daughter arriving home in tears from school who needs immediate attention. At home, you have to be both businesswoman and mom at the same time. 

My computer and phone are on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but when my kids need me I can shift from work mode to mom mode and tend to their needs. When I’m on the phone with a client and Dominic needs attention, the person I’m talking to often is a parent and has no problem with resuming our conversation after I resolve a home issue.  

The biggest challenge to overcome is the “availability factor.” The perception among your family and friends is that since you work at home you’re available to swing over to a car mechanic and get the oil changed or run an errand for a neighbor. 

The best way to ensure that you have a productive workday is to follow a few simple guidelines: 

• Prioritize your day. You have to know when your kids will need you, so structure your tasks to make yourself available to your children on the days or times when their needs are greatest.

• Establish a clear line of communication with your family. Let your husband, kids or live-in mother-in-law know what your work hours are and that you need to be left alone to do your job.

• Adhere to a defined work schedule. Designate which days are workdays and which are days off and stick to the schedule to create a productive routine.

One last bit of advice: If you wake up on a designated workday, but you just can’t get it together and you feel guilty, you’ve just got to forgive yourself.

Lynda Gail Alfano is a Regional Recruiting Manager for Patrice & Associates, the nation’s leading employment search firm for the hospitality industry. Based in Orlando, Lynda’s clients include several well-known brands such as Smokey Bones, Freebirds World Burrito, Cracker Barrel and Ruby Tuesdays, which have hired her to find top talent for their management positions. Lynda can be reached at (407) 351-JOBS (5627) or lyndaa@patriceandassociates.com.