Searching for jobs can be exhausting. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of job postings, resume submissions, calendar invites, and follow up emails. Partnering with a specialized consulting firm can help take the pressure off. That’s why it is important to find the right consulting firm for your job search.

Consulting firms are built to make your life easier. With industry expertise and company-specific knowledge, they can get your specialized resume in front of the hiring manager.
Consulting firms come in all shapes and sizes. Finding the right one for you can be similar to finding a new doctor. If you’re looking to get an antibiotic for a cold, you might go to your General Practitioner for a prescription. However, you wouldn’t go to your GP for a brain scan, you’d seek out the help of a specialist.

Finding the right consulting agency, or doctor, will help you get the results that you want.

We want to offer our tips for finding an agency to fit your needs, and also make the most of your time spent working with them:

Check out online reviews

Honest consulting firms will have a Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and Yelp page. Read their reviews and visit their website to view testimonials. ERG recently became an OpenCompany on Glassdoor in order to increase transparency for job seekers.

Companies that actively work to share information about their organization are often the ones that you can depend on for honesty in regards to payment, job assignment and open positions. For example, ERG is proud to have paid their consultants on time every pay period in the history of the company. We value honesty, commitment to our consultants and trust. ERG encourages our consultants to research us and ask questions. We welcome the opportunity to answer any concerns that they have.

[Check out ERG’s Testimonials here and ERG’s Linkedin Here]

Target your niche

There are a huge number of firms to choose from in the Silicon Valley. Many companies try to staff for every position under the sun. Truthfully, you may not achieve the results that you want when working with these companies. If a Senior Embedded Software Engineer submits their resume to a company that places customer service representatives, dentists, and basketball coaches, they may never receive a call for a job.

Finding a niche-specific agency can open many more doors and increase your chances of finding a job. Over the course of ten years, ERG has carved our niche in the Silicon Valley technical industry placing engineers at premiere tech companies. We’ve found that working locally, and within our engineering niche, we’ve been able to better serve both clients and candidates.

Revise your resume

One of the first things you’ll be asked for is an updated resume. This means your most recent job is listed, relevant experience for the job you’re looking for, and any certificates you hold.

A clean resume is a good resume. A huge perk of working with a technical recruiter is that they can give you honest feedback on your resume and show you where to improve.

Update your references

Having current information from your references will earn you bonus points from the hiring manager. Keeping this information at hand is your golden ticket to expediting the hiring process. Many other candidates might get hung up searching for updated reference information.

References should be people who can vouch for your work ethic and quality. It’s infinitely more valuable to put your manager’s information instead of your boss’s manager’s boss that you bumped into in the kitchen one time.

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Be honest

Be up front with your recruiter about your needs. What is your hourly bill rate? Are benefits a factor in your decision? Are you willing to relocate for a position?

It’s important to remember that your recruiter is on your side. Honest answers will help them determine what roles may work for you.

Build a relationship

Keep in contact with your recruiter regularly. Engage in honest and open conversations about what your career goals are. They can get you there. See 5 benefits of working with a consulting firm for more information on how consulting firms can get you where you want to be.

The keys to a successful relationship between you and your consulting firm is finding the right fit, and keeping open communication.

If you’re interested in learning more about working with ERG, contact us at 408-260-2600 or email your resume to quickapply@erginc.com

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