What Do They Do?
These names are interchangeable. They recruit on behalf of employers who do not have the time, or the resources to recruit and select staff. When recruiting new staff, some employers choose to utilise the expertise of recruitment consultants from personnel agencies to provide them with a short-list of candidates for interview. By utilising an agency, the employer does not need to get involved with the legwork of recruitment. That is, the personnel agency places the ad, takes initial responses, conducts interviews, checks references and prepares reports for the employer on the candidates they short-list. Within the first three months they will also offer to replace an unsuitable candidate at no cost. The services of Personnel Agencies are free to clients, as they gain their income from payments made by employers for successful placements.
While some Personnel Agencies may assist people with a disability to obtain employment, they are not a disability-specific service like Disability Employment Network Providers. Therefore, it is very important that you accurately identify your strengths and present them effectively to the agency so that the agency can, in turn, present them positively to prospective employers. The most important thing to remember is you don't present your abilities effectively to the personnel agency, they will have difficulty promoting your abilities to an employer. Present a positive image and talk to many different agencies to find one that is seeking your skills.
Recruitment agencies specialise their services to specific career areas, including TAFE trained areas, such as accounting, construction and design, customer services, information technology, hospitality, sales and retail.
Are There Jobs for TAFE Graduates with Disabilities Through Personnel Agencies?
Yes! However it must be stressed again that you need to accurately identify your strengths and present them effectively. Since many personnel agencies specialise, you may need to talk with a number of them before you find an agency that is interested in your particular area.
A recruitment consultant is a good source of information. They know their industry and can usually tell you a great deal about companies in their area of specialisation. While you may be applying for a specific job initially, recruitment consultants may have other similar jobs they can tell you about.
Personnel agencies also keep databases of previous applicants they can continue to call upon, so you may also be considered in the future for a range of jobs in your area of interest.
More and more personnel agencies are being asked by companies to recruit people from diverse backgrounds, including people with disabilities. As a result, they are becoming more aware of the abilities and skills of graduates with disabilities.
To obtain further information about personnel agencies, contact your TAFE Careers and Counselling Service or do an Internet search under 'Recruitment Agencies'. An example of a website that lists Recruitment Agencies by employment area and region:
