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Questions about Liaison...
Are you a staffing company or an advertising agency or what?
Neither. And both. This is our most common question, so you're in good company for asking! Liaison has a unique business model...
We do:
- Staff and manage teams of creative and marketing professionals who work as Liaison employees onsite at our clients' offices, usually alongside their own staff.
- Recruit constantly for creative marketing professionals to fill the various openings we have posted on the Open Jobs section of our website.
- Screen every candidate application thoroughly, but only interview the top candidates for any specific job.
- Try our best to give specific feedback to every candidate so that they know why they weren't selected for the position.
But on the flip side:
- We don't act as your "agent" or talent representative to help you find a job. We build teams of Liaison employees to service our clients.
- We don't interview every candidate who applies with us. We only have the bandwidth to interview the finalists for each open position.
- We don't interview for possible opportunities in the future, like staffing companies do. We recruit from scratch for each open position.
- We don't maintain a database of candidate resumes for matching their skills to future jobs.
- We don't automatically consider prior applicants for new positions. We're happy to consider you again for a future position, but only if you apply again for that position.
Do your recruiters work on a commission, like temp agency recruiters often do?
No. Our recruiters are motivated to find the best long-term fit between our clients and candidates so that our employees are happy and stay in their jobs for a long time. They love recruiting, but they don't love re-recruiting!
Why do companies use Liaison to build creative marketing teams instead of just doing it themselves or using a staffing company or ad agency?
Because we can do it better. We understand the creative and marketing industries and how to find the right person for the job. The fees we charge for our creative marketing services are far more attractive than what an ad agency charges. Plus, we're not just sending people out to work onsite. We often provide the computer equipment, infrastructure, management and expertise to run the entire operation for our clients. At an overall cost that's lower than if they did it themselves. Plus, we're fun to work with.
Questions about the hiring process...
I'm looking for work, and I'd like Liaison's help. How do I sign up with Liaison?
There's not a "sign-up" or generalized application process, and it wouldn't be accurate to say we "help people find jobs." We recruit only for actual, open positions that we need to fill on our onsite creative marketing teams, and we only interview the top candidates who are best suited to those specific positions.
Can I be considered for more than one job at once?
Absolutely. But you must apply to each and every position that matches your interest, skills and experience so that your application and resume will be routed to the appropriate recruiter for each position.
I don't see anything on your website that fits my skills. What do I do?
If there's nothing currently posted on our site that fits your interests, skills and experience now, then just keep checking back every few days to see if there's anything new. Or better yet, subscribe to our RSS feed for automatic updates delivered directly to your RSS reader every day.
How soon will I know about the status of my application?
We try very hard to respond to each and every candidate within two weeks, but sometimes it may take longer, especially if we have a large volume of applications (we often receive over 100 candidates for a single job). So please give us two weeks and if you haven't heard from us by that point, then follow up with us using the process we describe in the confirmation email you receive right after you apply.
I applied online but I never heard anything back from you!
You should always receive an automated email response from our candidate application system immediately after you submitted your application, letting you know that your application was accepted. If you did not receive this email, then it was most likely caught by your email application's spam filter - and, more importantly, you will most likely never receive any future emails from us about your application! Please set your spam filter to accept emails from the "liaisonresources.com" domain. We've also heard of problems with Yahoo email accounts not receiving emails from Liaison even when the Yahoo spam filter is turned off. Regardless, if you don't get that initial confirmation email, please contact us ASAP at info@liaisonresources.com to confirm that your application was received and we'll help you diagnose the problem.
I applied online and received the automated response email but then I never heard from you again!
Our recruiters are absolutely committed to responding to every candidate within 2 weeks. If you haven't heard from one of us after 2 weeks, then please follow up with us using the process we describe in the confirmation email you receive right after you apply. Some jobs receive more applications than others and it sometimes takes us several weeks to work through all of the candidates, but you can definitely expect to hear from us eventually.
Why don't you keep resumes "on file"?
Resumes can go "stale" quickly. People move, get jobs, change careers. We've found that it is far more efficient to broadcast our job opportunities when they come up and consider those candidates who are actively looking for work.
Can I get a "courtesy interview"?
It would be nice if we could take the time to meet with every talented person who applies with us, but we have a small recruiting team with a good number of jobs and a large number of candidates. It's most productive for us to manage our time wisely so that we can concentrate on filling as many of our open positions as possible in the time available.
How does your company select candidates?
We start with your application, including the cover letter and the resume (and for a creative position, your work samples). The cover letter is critical: it helps us understand how your experience and skills relate to the job we're trying to fill. Based on that, we interview only those candidates who appear to be a strong fit.
Once we've interviewed and identified the top candidates, we discuss each candidate with the hiring manager and decide whether or not to schedule an interview with the hiring manager. If so, we schedule the interview, check professional references and work with the hiring manager to make a final decision on whom to hire.
Why do you not list the company name in the job description?
Our clients have asked us to keep their company name confidential. After all, they're hiring Liaison for our expertise, so they do not want candidates attempting to contact them directly. But to help candidates understand as much about the position before they apply, we try to give hints in the job description regarding what part of town and what type of industry the position is in. And we'll certainly tell you who our client is once you advance to the interview stage in the process.
How do I get a job at Liaison HQ?
Liaison HQ is a relatively small operation and we're fortunate to have very low turn-over. But if and when we do have an opening, we'll post it on our website.
Questions about working with Liaison...
What does Liaison do for me once I'm hired?
When you're hired by Liaison, you join our family. It's our job to support you in your new role working on one of our onsite teams. So we go to great lengths to make sure you are happy and productive in your new role. To that end, we provide a full range of benefits for our employees, including paid sick, vacation. and holiday time, 100% employer-paid medical, dental, life and disability insurance coverage, and a 401(k) retirement program with company matching. We send employee newsletters, and have a few fun parties, lunches and happy hours throughout the year as well.
On a deeper level, a lot of Liaison's value is in "liaising" between corporations and creative talent. Not every corporation understands the needs of creative marketing teams, and vice versa. We help provide a space where the needs of both can thrive and be profitable.
Would applying through or working with Liaison limit my ability to search elsewhere?
Absolutely not. We're competing to find the right talent just as you're competing to find the right employer. Candidates seeking a position with Liaison have no restriction on who they can apply to and which recruiters they engage.
If you hire me at one client and I don't like it, can you move me to another?
We can consider you for other positions only if you put in notice with the first client. Of course there's a risk there to you. You might not get the new job. We do have a duty of loyalty to our clients, and we don't go behind their backs trying to move our employees out of positions with them.
Do you have positions that will allow me to work from home?
Sometimes. If a particular position is work-from-home, it will be clearly indicated in the job description. If the description doesn't specifically say it's a telecommuting opportunity, it's not likely.
Do you offer any training or tutorials?
We do not provide career services to job seekers. We do aspire to be a helpful and responsive employer-of-choice, so we publish a newsletter called SWOOSH. Click here to subscribe to Swoosh or click here to read archived issues. In it, we share all of our secrets about how to promote yourself, how to network and how to find your perfect job.
I'm from out of town. What are my chances?
Depends on what you're applying for, where and what the market is like at the particular time. Austin, Denver, Houston and the Twin Cities tend to attract a lot of talent on their own, so the market doesn't usually demand that we provide relocation benefits or otherwise accommodate out-of-town job seekers for the majority of positions. You will always be more competitive for a position if you live in the same city. We do welcome out-of-town applicants, but it always helps if you provide a little detail about your relocation plans in your cover letter.
Questions about confidentiality...
Where does my resume go and who will see it?
Liaison will only circulate your resume and personal information internally, and occasionally with our client if we select you as a finalist for a position. Liaison does not blast out resumes to large numbers of potential employers, nor do we post candidate resumes on any public forum. For more information, please refer to our privacy policy.
I don't want my current employer to know I'm looking. Can you be discreet?
Absolutely. We understand that when most people are looking for a new position, a certain level of discretion is expected. We won't contact your current employer until you're being considered as a finalist, and then only if we clear it with you in advance. We can't promise you that nobody will ever know, but we can assure you that we make every reasonable effort to keep your candidacy confidential until you're ready to move forward.
Last Updated: October, 2011
