Are there any good agencies out there?

Since we all know that Robert Half sucks, are there any agencies that you would suggest? I am in Ohio if that helps with ideas.

www.Google.com
www.thomasnet.com/
www.macraesbluebook.com/
www.kellysearch.com/
www.ect.ect

:O

B said: Since we all know that Robert Half sucks, are there any agencies that you would suggest? I am in Ohio if that helps with ideas.

It depends on your field, but check out Nesco. It's a privately-held organization that really focuses on candidate and client satisfaction and retention. www.nescodirect.com and www.nescoresource.com/.

B said: Since we all know that Robert Half sucks, are there any agencies that you would suggest? I am in Ohio if that helps with ideas.

Nope. If there is a Snelling Staffing Services, you can try them. Good Luck!

DNC said: www.Google.com
www.thomasnet.com/
www.macraesbluebook.com/
www.kellysearch.com/
www.ect.ect
:O

In Fact there is only 1 other agency that has gone and above and beyond - VOLT Services Group www.volt.com/home/home.cfm

As a hiring manager, I REFUSE to interview anyone sent by any division of RHI.

Ajilon and Spherion seemsto have managers in the local offices who try to understand the needs of the organizations paying for their services.

B said: Since we all know that Robert Half sucks, are there any agencies that you would suggest? I am in Ohio if that helps with ideas.

I know the feeling. I have applied for jobs three times with them, all three times I had to come in and talk to the same person who didn't remember who I was and that she didn't call and give me info about the jobs she swore she was looking into.
After this last time where I called three times to get an update about the interview I did with a company. No reply - none.

I just wanted to post in the Robert Half Technology sucks thread. They do suck and I'd add Omni One to the list if one is created.

As a recruiter, I hear the frustration of job seekers when agency recruiters don't call them back. And now my daughter has supposedly had two jobs fall thru with Accounttemps, one because the recruiter forgot she could only work part time and the second she attempted to interview twice at--one time the school was closed (yes this job that is posted right here!) and then today the hiring manager told her he filled the spot, had told her recruiter to call her and cancel the interview and then told her not to work with that recruiter anymore!

Nicole said:
It depends on your field, but check out Nesco. It's a privately-held organization that really focuses on candidate and client satisfaction and retention. www.nescodirect.com and www.nescoresource.com/.

Hmmmm, I'll look into that one (I am from TN)

Neicey said:
I know the feeling. I have applied for jobs three times with them, all three times I had to come in and talk to the same person who didn't remember who I was and that she didn't call and give me info about the jobs she swore she was looking into.
After this last time where I called three times to get an update about the interview I did with a company. No reply - none.

I looked on Monster, which is primarily 'temp' and now RHI is going with "anonymous" company as they know that if people see them, they'll back off. (when you click on the job desc though, you see its RHI). ARRRRRGH!
Frustrating. You look for work and then see a school principal in FL buying crack cocaine on school grounds. What is wrong with this picture????????

Neicey said:
I know the feeling. I have applied for jobs three times with them, all three times I had to come in and talk to the same person who didn't remember who I was and that she didn't call and give me info about the jobs she swore she was looking into.
After this last time where I called three times to get an update about the interview I did with a company. No reply - none.

I can tell you that I worked as a Recruiter for Robert Half and the poor recruiters over there are so worked to death by their greedy and money hungry management. It's all a high volume numbers game to them. Bring people in...it doesn't matter what they do, just bring them in, code them and put them in the data base. If they come up in a key word search later for a job, then we place them! That is how they work. I left that unethical organization a while ago, and there are good service providers out there. I promise there are! Work with the smaller companies, you will get better pay and more personal attention from your recruiter.

As a recruiter for RHI, I work very hard with all of my candidates to find them work. If you have never worked in staffing, you have no idea how hard it is to find and fill these jobs in this self rewarding industry.

B said: Since we all know that Robert Half sucks, are there any agencies that you would suggest? I am in Ohio if that helps with ideas.

Yes, Spherion. It is a shame! This used to be a top notch operation.

me said:
I looked on Monster, which is primarily 'temp' and now RHI is going with "anonymous" company as they know that if people see them, they'll back off. (when you click on the job desc though, you see its RHI). ARRRRRGH!
Frustrating. You look for work and then see a school principal in FL buying crack cocaine on school grounds. What is wrong with this picture????????

Yes, I noted that as well. My experience w/them recently was awful! They were a top notch reputable firm years ago. From the comments I'm seeing on this site I'm wondering how they stay in business.

Anonymous said:
I can tell you that I worked as a Recruiter for Robert Half and the poor recruiters over there are so worked to death by their greedy and money hungry management. It's all a high volume numbers game to them. Bring people in...it doesn't matter what they do, just bring them in, code them and put them in the data base. If they come up in a key word search later for a job, then we place them! That is how they work. I left that unethical organization a while ago, and there are good service providers out there. I promise there are! Work with the smaller companies, you will get better pay and more personal attention from your recruiter.

Yes, I found their practices horrible. They were a great firm years ago.

Of all the things that Half/Accountemps does, the posting of jobs that DO NOT exist is the most annoying--if you are unemployed, it's like showing a man lost in the desert pictures of happy people drinking icewater. I can accept that they can't place me in a particular job, I've gotten that response from other recruiters and feel no rancor towards them. But Half now has the feel of a used car dealership, really sleazy. I never even try to post for anything with their name on it (btw,I'm in Tampa).

I think the problem for Half, and a lot of big recruiting firms, is that the internet has changed their business, too. Now a company doesn't have to hire a recruiter to screen candidates for a new position. They can put an anonymous ad on a job board and run all the resumes through a commercially available screening program looking for keywords, just as Half does. So why pay the recruiter the fee? Many big companies have their own websites and never post on job boards (or wait until a job has been open a while before they do).

BTW, there is one thing that Half gets by drawing resumes and that is that you are telling them that you are considering leaving your current job, you tell them your salary, your manager, what you do every day, everything they need to know to pitch a candidate to your boss when YOU leave. It's a business about competitive intelligence, and the jobseeker will give the unscrupulous recruiter all that info and not even realize he's helping the recruiter who may not help him.

I expect the Half drones will show up on this list and diss this post. Like all disreputable scum, they despise it when people see them for what they are and they are all over the internet looking for angry posts and trashing the posters. I say "Lie in your own filth!"

Hey Semi Bob, that last part of your post was interesting. I didn't realize why staffing agencies interview people and do nothing after.... Its to get information about the applicant's employers so that they can sell their services to companies on the applicants resume.....DAM Sleazebags!

I registered with both Half, A.temps, and other agencies in the Tampa area and have found that they are pretty much useless. I have found that agencies where initially friendly enough to invite me in for an interview only to do nothing from that point on.

It must really suck to work for a staffing agency. I mean after all the're just sale people. And sales is a lousy field with a lot of turnover.

Good post.

You read my mind exactly! What I mean is that I have had the same experience as you "come on in...!" and then "you are?". I am glad I am not the only one who feels this way!

Richard, there are two reasons why they bring candidates in. First, to see if you ARE, in fact, presentable. If a company is willing to pay them a nice fee for screening applicants, and they send out a guy who bathes once a week "whether he needs it or not," then you know that's a blown relationship. The second reason is to have you fill out all sorts of forms by hand, thereby establishing a paper trail of having met you, all that in case they have a dispute with the hiring company over the fee if they do hire you. They know that companies these days don't just use one recruiter and they want to make sure they have a good claim for the fee. I have some unique qualities on my resume, and when a major company posted a job on MONSTER that fit those qualities, I got called by three different recruiters within a few days (yeah, and HALF was one of them).

Which reminds me, one standard question of recruiters is "Where else have you been presented, so we don't embarrass you by trying to place you there as well?" Ummm, how is being picked by two different recruiters as a good candidate for the same job embarrassing for ME? Answer: it isn't. But the recruiter who submits you for a job that another agency has already presented you for will not get the fee if you are hired, which means they will submit someone else, thereby increasing your competition for the job. Oh yeah, they're really looking out for your interests there, Sparky! Not to mention the fact that if you tell them where you've interviewed, you'll be telling them which employers are in the market for a new hire and the kind of individual they are looking to hire. As I said, it's about competitive intelligence and they are tuned into the little clues you drop about your job search. When they ask you that, just tell them "I've just started looking, really,no interviews yet" or mention some company that never (or rarely) uses recruiters, such as Raymond James, etc. Watch them make a sour face.

Semi Bob said: ...BTW, there is one thing that Half gets by drawing resumes and that is that you are telling them that you are considering leaving your current job, you tell them your salary, your manager, what you do every day, everything they need to know to pitch a candidate to your boss when YOU leave...

This is true not only of Half, but of all the agencies. PLUS, if you're working for one of their clients they won't touch you with a ten-foot pole. There's no way they'll present you to a different client and risk your current employer finding out they're involved in you leaving. Since employers usually use multiple staffing agencies, that means NONE of the agencies will place consider placing you anywhere if you currently work for a company that uses staffing agencies.

This also presents a problem for the companies who primarily use staffing agencies to screen applicants: Many of the best candidates are intentionally NOT presented to them to protect the agencies, their other contracts and customers. Anyone currently employed and more experienced is actually NOT available to them BECAUSE they use the agencies who don't want to be the bad guy.

Staffing agencies, all of them, are walking a tight rope to protect and promote themselves, while ultimately they withhold opportunity from jobseekers, withhold qualified applicants from employers, AND put their own placement people through a wringer with the quidelines they impose on them.

To their credit, the placement personnel I've worked with (on both ends of that food chain) have most often been quite overwhelmed, but competent and hard working at the start.

As a recruiter with more than 15 years of experience, I can tell you that no recruiter will withhold a candidate from a client! Making placements is writing our paychecks. No, I will not recruit a candidate that I placed within a client. I stay bought. But if an employee is looking to leave and contacts me on their own, I feel I can work with that employee as they are going to leave anyway. The only time I interview a candidate and don't present them to the client is if the candidate doesn't have a chance at getting hired.

Anonymous In California said: As a recruiter for RHI, I work very hard with all of my candidates to find them work. If you have never worked in staffing, you have no idea how hard it is to find and fill these jobs in this self rewarding industry.

California RHI is good but Ohio... I am surprised they are not out of business - very impersonal.

Laura Henry said: As a recruiter with more than 15 years of experience, I can tell you that no recruiter will withhold a candidate from a client! Making placements is writing our paychecks. No, I will not recruit a candidate that I placed within a client. I stay bought. But if an employee is looking to leave and contacts me on their own, I feel I can work with that employee as they are going to leave anyway. The only time I interview a candidate and don't present them to the client is if the candidate doesn't have a chance at getting hired.

Laura,
Do you place IT professionals?

I am a placement manager for Tech Pros Group in Irvine CA. Our company has hundreds of IT Professionals located all through out the United States.

I work with several staffing and consulting agencies to efficiently match qualified IT Professionals for specific job orders. It is my job to help build relationships with select companies that have a great reputation in placing Information Technology professionals.
We do NOT charge any fees for this placement assistance. My cost is included as part of a contractual agreement with our members.

All of our members are not only certified in Microsoft as well as Cisco. They also have college degrees and different levels of IT work experience.
We also have members with security clearance (secret and top secret).
All have gone through an extreme learning environment (14 hour days 6 days a week 4-6 weeks) of Intensive hands on training with real world Cisco routers and switches.
Interviewing workshops, resume help, placement assistance are just a few of the other services we provide them. They are not only certified but they can back it up.

I would like to talk with you further about this potential informal relationship between companies.
Please feel free to contact me <Edited by Host: Contact info removed> Patrick

Hello Patrick,

Sorry--no IT; I got out of that back in the 90's! Can I recommend you check out the sourcers and recruiters group at yahoo groups? Good networking forum. Best of luck!

Laura

Laura,
Thank you for that information.
Best of luck to you.
I hope you have a great year.
Patrick

Anyone in the healthcare field should try A&D Professional Staffing out of Southfield, MI. Very family friendly and professional atmosphere without the corporate upity.

any words on "VOLT" are they any good?I am checking them out thanks Frank

VOLT is probably the best way to go about your business - I gave them a try and I think everyone should at some point. They have been terrific!

I don't know about IT or Healthcare, but for high level Accounting/Finance positions, Adecco in San Jose has placed 6 of my collegues in higher paying, more rewarding positions. Heck I got a 30k raise and promotion because they identified my skills that another company needed. I love recruiters!

Good for you buddy!

Laura Henry said: ... I can tell you that no recruiter will withhold a candidate from a client! ...

NOT true. I was told specifically by the recruiters at RH and another large agency that because I worked for one of their clients, and in RH's case they had placed me there, that they couldn't place me anywhere else and would never consider me as long as I still work for one of their clients. They were both very clear about it, and it's been proven to be true. I'm sure they'd both work with me, but only after I left my current employer.

Laura,
I dont know if it is true for everyone but the majority will not cross that line.
Good point.

As an agency recruiter it is my responsibility to locate and secure qualified candidates for my clients. I follow up with both candidate and client after a placement for the specified guarantee period but after that I consider it the client/employer's responsibility to retain their employees. Again, I would not take a candidate I placed from a client and replace them unless they were no longer employed by my client.

B in Cleveland, Ohio said: Since we all know that Robert Half sucks, are there any agencies that you would suggest? I am in Ohio if that helps with ideas.

Don't go to Area Temps they are just as bad if not more so.

I know this discussion is a couple months old but there is a new company that I contacted as an employer in Ohio (I think they are national though). Ebookkeeper is the name www.ebookkeeper.org They were helpful in finding me a full charge bookkeeper. They dont advertise their job placement service but it was only $50. I gave them the info I was looking for and they gave me 4 good candidates resumes. I interviewed 3 of them and hired one.

Also try www.crowechizek.com, they have been pretty good to me in the past and I assume candidates. They are a little pricy but a decent service.

Roger, thanks for the websites to check out. The question might be a few months old, but I still get a message whenever there is a new post and I welcome any feedback that someone gives.

On the ebooking one, there was nothing in the Cleveland/Akron area and the second site unfortunately had senior positions, which I am not qualified.

Are you a CPA? Being a hiring manager, what do you look for in a candidate?

Dave, you need to work through your issues. One day something is going to happen in your life where you will need assitance and I hope people aren't there for you because you sure have no compassion for anyone else.

I've had some good experiences with Kelly Services. Again, NONE of the agencies CARE about the employee. They're just filling assignments.

A disgruntled employer in Jersey City, New Jersey said: As a hiring manager, I REFUSE to interview anyone sent by any division of RHI.

Ajilon and Spherion seemsto have managers in the local offices who try to understand the needs of the organizations paying for their services.

In the Mpls/St. Paul area , they both have put me on the back burner. I call in 3 times a week and at Spherion, the accounting person is either out of the office or unavailable. So I call her just to bug her and fill up her voicemail.

As for Ajilon, they have sent me out on 2 interviews (temp only) and because I mentioned I am looking for a full-time job a younger person got the temp job.

BN in Orange, California said: In Fact there is only 1 other agency that has gone and above and beyond - VOLT Services Group www.volt.com/home/home.cfm

In Minnesota Volt is an also-ran in the employment field. Also they have never sent me out on any jobs.

I am with over 15 temp agencies with a variety of Accounting Clerk work and have not worked since May 15.

Spring in Berkley, Michigan said: I would suggest Kelly Services. ( www.kellyservices.com ) They have positions all over the world in every type of job you could imagine.

Kelly Services has told me not to bother them anymore.

Richard in Saint Paul, Minnesota said: In Minnesota Volt is an also-ran in the employment field. Also they have never sent me out on any jobs.

I am with over 15 temp agencies with a variety of Accounting Clerk work and have not worked since May 15.

Have you ever thought that maybe it's not the agencies and it's you? If no companies, OR staffing firms want to hire you it could be that because instead of polishing your skills and/or resume you are online crying about not having a job.

Its jerks like you that make it harder for those of us who want a real job.

Its jerks like you that make it harder for those of us who want a real job.

I did better with Accountemps, they sent me out on 2-3 assignments. Haven't heard from them since April. I just got a contract job with AmerenUE through Manpower.

Shutup!!! If one or two people were complaining your argument might make since. But when 99% of the people are saying the same thing, then you have to at least consider that!!!

Shutup!!! If one or two people were complaining your argument might make sense. But when 99% of the people are saying the same thing, then you have to at least consider that!!!

Listen this is a forum for information not name calling.
I understand your frustration.
Companies-agencies look for more than job qualifications.They also look for presentation,personality and culture fit.If a recreuiter does not like you he wont submit you.Agencies get paid good money to find the perfect person for the job.Companies that pay for this service will generally be much more picky.
Try direct solicitation of companies.They are usually easier and faster to get.
If people like you, they will be more likely to hire you.
Good luck in your search.

P.S.Most good recreuiters work for smaller firms.They work harder for you, more direct attention to your search and if its a temp job they will usually pay more because the overhead is less.

I have had the same experience with Office Team, Manpower, Stivers and Kelly....unprofessional and no work. I chose a small professional agency and they value my skills, experience and have gotten me work as a contractor for the past 8 months. Ask other contractors who they work for also, this is a great way to find work.