Best job recruiting agency?

[neurotictim]

Lots of folks from lots of different walks of life - seems like a good place to get some insight.

I separated honorably after 10 years in the US Navy last March, and started working for the Dept of Defense in July, in the same building I left as active duty.

Over the last year or so, I've been getting back in touch with my daughter, and have decided I want to move to be closer to her, and to get back into the mountains I miss so much.

So I want to start looking for a job in the Charleston, WV area. I specialize in aircraft electronics repair/calibration and quality assurance, but can work in virtually any electronics-based field. I don't have a degree, though I am essentially working as an EE here at Oceana, nor do I have any FAA certs or licenses. 10 years in the Navy, the last ~3 of which were as an E6, have given me background in leadership and managing people, as well. I also have an active Secret clearance, which I hear is helpful.

I already have profiles up on Monster, CareerBuilder, and USAJobs (and others) and am actively looking, with a *hopeful* start date sometime in before the end of the year.

That's the long part. The short part is that I'm hearing there is a much higher chance of successfully finding a job if I use recruiting agencies.

So can anyone recommend good ones? On the flip side, can anyone recommend against the bad ones? I've found a few, but reviews (via Google) are mixed, and I can't tell if the positive ones are real or "bought."

Feedback here would be great, and thanks in advance.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I was going to suggest using as many online sources as you can, but you seem to have that one covered.

I would also try approaching some careers advice style places, or if you know anyone who works hiring people, just so you can have someone go over your CV with you (while a simple thing to make, some people do have CV's which aren't exactly up to scratch).

Any option where you could stay within the military and get a transfer to somewhere closer to your daughter?

I'd also try looking into what electronics, aviation etc companies are around that area, try approaching them yourself, even if they aren't advertising for jobs, it doesn't mean they won't try and accommodate you. Infact, it's often seen as quite a good thing, especially with smaller companies, where you are being proactive and making contact yourself etc.

I guess that's about all I have to give to this. I guess I'm lucky in that I've never had trouble finding work (being proactive, going in and asking etc. really helped me).

[MakiSupaStar]

Different recruiting agencies specialize in different fields. Find the agency that specializes in your area and approach them.

[jive1]

I would recommend going to a job fair where you can glad hand and give out resumes.

Based on your skill set, I also recommend contacting the big military contractors like Northrup, SAIC, Bearing Point, etc. They are always hiring people, and even if they don't have an immediate need, they will take your resume and keep it in case they win a bid on a contract.

If you lived in the DC area, I think you could get a job with your skill set pretty quick. Since you have a clearance, then even more so. Having a clearance saves a company thousands.

[MatticusMania]

Have you tried walking? Experience tells that its quite easy to get a job as a chef whilst walking down any major street in downtown.

I was walking somewhere the other day and more than a few people asked me from their car windows how much it would cost for me to make them a grilled cheese. I coulda made bank, some of these gents were offering like $100, but alas, I was no where near a supermarket.

[fdeck]

LOL, when I saw the title of your thread, my first thought was: "The US military is recruiting people right now."