You’ve got your eye on a manager position and have done everything right: you’ve tweaked your resume to fit the job, written a killer cover letter, and called the company to follow up on your application. You finally get a callback…for a different position. Now what? There is a lot of debate online regarding whether it’s prudent to accept a job that is below your experience or salary level. From a staffing agency perspective, however, the answer is almost always “Yes; take that job!”
No Job is Beneath You
Staffing agency recruitment and hiring are different than corporate hiring – think of a staffing agency as your matchmaker. If your recruiter contacts you about a job, it’s because they think you may have the right skillset and be successful in this job. But remember, in this day and age, you’re not making a lifelong commitment. Gone are the days of 30+ years at the same company (for the most part). So if you think you may have an interest, approach the job as a “foot in the door”. Can you gain some new skills and help expand your resume? Are you building a relationship with an agency that has multiple clients with different levels of jobs, so that you can go back to them and get placed at a new job when this one ends, or when you’ve gained more experience?
Accepting a lower level job in a new industry will almost always make you more marketable for future positions in the same industry. Let’s look at a real-life example In 2014, Headway hired around 4,000 people to work a one day job doing election results counting. Those people now all have Headway experience, a proven track record of dedication and commitment, and are in our database that gets searched each and every time we have a new job. So while the election counter job may technically have been “beneath them”, the call center supervisor position that opened yesterday may not be, and a Headway recruiter will see in our system a Headway experience candidate, someone who followed through on a commitment, and whatever other experience is provided on their resume, and they’ve automatically got an “in”- 16 months later and for a totally different job.
Be Mindful of Your Opportunities
As we’ve referenced in previous articles, you should NEVER take a job that you flat out don’t want; that will reflect poorly on you for all future jobs as well. But, if you think it may be a potential fit, and you may gain some new skills, go for it! Just remember; follow up with your recruiter and keep checking for new jobs with your dream company. Now that you’ve got the relationship and more relevant experience, you’ll be an even more marketable candidate and you may get a call for that ideal job next time!
Article contributions by Ruth Johnson
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