Behind the scenes of a K-12 staffing company (with Ryan Cleaveland)

Many clinicians start their careers feeling unprepared to navigate the job market. In a lot of professional groups, I’ve noticed a skepticism towards contract companies, recruiters, and staffing agencies simply because many people working in school settings don’t know who they can trust.If you’ve ever had a recruiter awkwardly slide into your DMs or advertise in your online group without permission, you might be feeling some of that skepticism yourself. There is an art and a science to navigating career placements, job searching, and working with recruiters and staffing agencies. Having this skill set can be a game changer when it comes to finding fulfilling work. Recruiters can be a huge asset if you know how to work with them and if you can spot a good one. That’s why I invited Ryan Cleaveland to episode 126 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to give you a peek behind the curtain of staffing and recruiting. Ryan is the CEO of Spotter Staffing (https://www.spotterstaffing.com/), a company that helps connect schools with highly qualified therapists and special education teachers. After over two decades in corporate staffing across multiple industries, he started Spotter Staffing with his best friend, Ryan Allen, COO. They wanted to provide staffing for an ethical and selfless industry, so that’s what inspired them to focus on connecting special education professionals with school districts. In this conversation, we discuss:✅How does staffing and recruiting work? What are the different types of contracts and employment options? ✅How can you tell if you’re working with a qualified recruiter, and how do you advocate for yourself during the hiring process? ✅What are the benefits of working with a recruiter who has also been a therapist? Are there benefits to working with a recruiter or job coach who doesn’t have a clinical background?✅How to avoid “the grass is greener” thinking when approaching your career; and how to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of being an employee vs a contractor vs self-employed.In this episode, I mentioned the School of Clinical Leadership, my course that helps school clinicians take the executive functioning lead in their building. To learn more about the program, go to drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadershipYou can learn more about Spotter Staffing at: https://www.spotterstaffing.com/Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn here (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-cleaveland-2aa5a87/) or on Twitter @ryan_cleaveland (https://twitter.com/Ryan_Cleaveland).