Creative Staffing Firms--Overrated?

Creative applicants should be aware that agencies like this maintain a strategic advantage over you and their competitors when you remain "active" in their database, but are not getting you work. The reason for this is that you cannot compete against them for work to a client that they have [or have allegedly] submitted you to, and the same goes for other agencies in the same market, regardless of job title.

Once they submit you, you belong to them until whenever you quit working with them, and then whatever the time period that remains after that, sometimes 6-12 months. Read the fine print, and pass this on to other creatives. Employment agencies can be a big help, but they can also hurt you as well. If they are not getting you work within 3 months, tell them you wish to deactivate yourself with them. If they have something later, they will find you on Monster or HotJobs and probably call you again if they can't find someone else. Hope this helps.