Employment agency from the perspective of candidates

After graduating from college, I accidentally found myself in the sales industry, where I noticed that some of my human, soft skills came to the fore. Establishing, maintaining relationships and contact with key customers, actively listening and recognizing their needs proved to be the most important factors that, according to the results, declared me as a successful trader.

After eight years spent in retail, I decided to look for a job that would give me more freedom and responsibility, and after some time I got a position that required organizational, presentation and analytical skills. I got the new position even easier than I expected, especially because it was an area that was quite unknown to me personally.

At the same time, I must mention that in this step, the consultants of the Manpower employment agency played an almost mentoring role with their detailed description of the potential employer, clear and transparent explanation of work tasks and support throughout the entire selection process, which made it a pleasant, not stressful, experience.

The selection process was never easy in itself, but with the support and coaching I had, I managed to get the job.

Unfortunately, since the pandemic started, the work I was doing involved meetings with clients live, which was not possible under such conditions. For this reason, my business suffered drastically, and therefore sales activities did not produce results. The employer's logic was to close the representative office in Croatia, which also ended my employment.

Under circumstances that were anything but normal, the job search was a great stress for me and my family. Just functioning as a person in the new pandemic conditions, let alone looking for a job, was not the least bit of an easy experience considering that our circumstances and work habits changed from day to day.

Fortunately, and again with the help of Manpower, I found an employer. I would like to mention that the agency's support, guidance and coaching in the selection process again bore fruit.

When I summarize everything from the position of a happily employed person, looking for a job during a pandemic is an extremely stressful process because it represents a time of great uncertainty for companies, and therefore for employees.

It is very difficult for companies to decide on interviews with candidates at a time when the epidemiological situation does not recommend contacts, with an atmosphere that encourages the uncertainty of investing in business development and additional employment.

Fortunately for people like me who were looking for a job at the time, there are agencies that specialize in employment and with their experience and expertise found a way to connect employers and employees and greatly facilitate the employment process in unusual circumstances.

The work I do today requires a lot of organization, planning, learning, as well as conversations with clients of various profiles. It is not easy to manage projects because no two are the same. However, all of the above makes my job dynamic and interesting, which are also some of the most important things I require from the workplace.

I wouldn't know how my professional career would have developed if it hadn't been for mediation. What I do know is that I was lucky to have professionals from Manpower involved in the hiring process.

Conversations with employees are much simpler because they primarily look for the conversation to be as informal as possible, thus enabling you to present yourself in a human and relaxed way, and that means in the best way.