Union jobs are highly desirable. If you are someone who hasn’t gone to college and are looking to enter the workplace, then there are not many jobs that can compete with a union job.
Unions pay great wages and they offer job protection and health benefits. People who work for unions never have to negotiate their salary, the union handles it. People who are in unions never have to worry about asking for time off, the union handles it. Basically anything that the average employee has to worry about is handled by the union.
And there are many different types of union jobs. The tricky question is how exactly does one go about getting into a union. Can a recruiter get you a union job or is there some other way to get a union job?
Let’s take this one step at a time.
What Type of Union Job Do You Want?
Alright, the first question you have to ask is what type of union job you want to get. There are many different types of union jobs. Some most definitely don’t involve any sort of recruiting effort, some have very specific recruiting procedures.
Here are some of the more common union jobs:
- Government Union Jobs
- Hospital Union Jobs
- Trade Union Jobs
These are three of the main types of union jobs out there. For instance, when it comes to a government union job, that includes Police, Fireman, Federal Employees, all City and State employees. There are thousands upon thousands of jobs that fall under this header. Everyone from a local city file clerk to a federal inspector.
Hospital union jobs are exactly as they sound. Anyone who works for a major hospital tends to work in a union. For instance, the SEIU union is one of the most powerful unions in the country. Without their endorsement, many politicians realize that they will stand no chance at election. So, in cities like New York and Los Angeles, local mayors and government officials realize that they need to get the endorsement of healthcare unions.
Trade unions are unions such as Pipefighters, Welders, Carpenters, and other skilled workers. These unions do not have as much political sway as healthcare unions or government unions such as UFT (public school unions) but they do provide amazing benefits and pay for their members.
Do Unions Need Recruiters To Fill Jobs?
No. Absolutely not. Unions are amazing to work for and there are almost no unions that require recruiters. In fact, there are often waitlists years long to get into a trade union.
Government unions also do not require recruiters. In fact, the entire process for finding work in the government is entirely different than working in the for profit sector.
As an example, when you want to work for the government at any level, you simply take a test and then your name is added to a list. Then they begin calling names from that list. You simply have to wait your turn and then you will have a job. The process is designed to allow people who are low skilled or lack advanced education an opportunity at a stable job.
Finally, let’s discuss hospitals. This is the only union role where recruiters are sometimes used. Hospitals have a special department for use with their nurse recruiting office. The reason is that nurses are incredibly hard to secure. Once someone has a nursing license, they can find work anywhere at any time. When you combine this with the lure of travel nursing, hospitals are all vying for nurses.
If you are looking for a union spot at a hospital, however, realize that only nurses use recruiters. All other roles in hospitals, especially large city hospitals, tend to be hired through “friend and family” connections. The union jobs in city hospitals (especially in places like NYC, LA, Chicago, and Boston) are so well paid, have such great benefits, and require so little work that there are hundreds of people vying for every opening. As such, once someone is in a role they tend to save openings for their friends and family because of how great the jobs are.
How Recruiters Work
If you’re still wondering how recruiters work and why recruiters won’t help with a union job, then I suggest you read up on the field.
I have few good articles that explain just exactly how a recruiter works and how the recruiting industry works.
- How do Nurse Recrutiers Make Money?
- Can a Recruiter Find Me a Job?
- What Do Recrutiers Look For?
- What Do Recrutiers Look for in a Resume?
Basially, it is helpful to understand how recrutiers work and how they don’t work. In this case, recruiters have nothing to do with union jobs. In the rare instance where a recrutier is going to work on a union job, it is likely a hospital recrutier who is staffing union nurses. Those nurses will have to be hired in house and undergo a lenghty probationary period before they are allowed into the union.
Why Recruiters Don’t Work with Union Jobs
Simple, companies don’t hire recruiting agencies for jobs where there are ample applicants and low qualifications.
Recruiters work on jobs where the job is extremely difficult and thereby there are few applicants who can fit the description, or jobs that are simply hard to fill.
Most union jobs are extremely easy to fill. There are millions of people who are skilled and qualified to be police, nurses, plumbers, laborers, clerks, grade school teachers and the like. Therefore there is no need for a company or government to spend money recruiting them. All they need are lists and tests and then they hire the person.
When a union posts an application–hundreds of people if not thousands will show up in person and wait for days. The allure of being in a union is that well known.
There is no need to use a recrutier for these roles.
Hey I’m Chris . 20+ years in the industry. I’ve worked every role from Executive recrutier to Agency founder and consultant. If you want to learn more or reach me,vist the about page or use my contact form.