The Truth About Robert Half International

I agree. All good points. But, keep in mind...I found jobs on my own before joining Robert Half, I saw their sleazy tactics while I was with Robert Half, and I landed another job on my own after leaving Robert Half. I've seen what works and what doesn't. RHI isn't the answer for everyone and, from what I saw, there are some candidates who aren't going to get placed by any other agency and would be lucky to find anything on their own. But, that is no excuse for Half's tactics -- most are unethical (lying about job openings, etc.) and some are illegal (age discrimination, etc.). But, they're currently getting what they deserve -- increasingly horrible reputation (we just let 5 RHI contracts go last week because of poor performance) and a stock price in free-fall. Again, that's what happens when you piss off "former" candidates, clients, and employees...all of which are "current" investors.

I agree that Robert Half is not for everyone. The same is true for 30 openings for police officers paying 50K. I spent one year with RHI as a recruiter. Never again. I do not mean that in a bad way. It just was not for me. Now I work at Apple as a Business Consultant. I love it! Before moving into that position, I was a Mac specialist. All that means is that you spend 98% of your time on the floor helping customers pick the right iMac or iPod. I love doing that too. One of my fellow Apple employees also started out working as a Mac specialist. She spends most of her time behind the scene of the retail floor. Why? The retail floor is just not for her.

My whole point: I noticed most people on this blog site like to blast RHI. Very few have positive comments. The bottom line is that we all have to deal with an employer that we like/dislike or just deal with until we find something better.

I am a 6 year veteran of the recruiting business and I thought that Robert Half could be a good place to be as a perm recruiter.....boy was I wrong. You get no training, no proactive involvement from management other than "tell me if you have a question." Robert half expects you to do the following:
? Interview 3 (45 min interview on average) people every day with everything that this entails
? Conduct client visits
? 50-80 mpc calls per day
? Conduct references
? Search adds and do add calls
? Present candidates to other open job orders
? Get 2 job orders per week (real job orders)
? Manage all the communication with incoming candidates

The truth is they get you in with a higher base salary. What they do not tell you is that this is a very Darwinist environment where several recruiters a tasked to all the same information in a shared database where there a few rules other the watch your back!! Your fellow recruiters will back stab you in a hart beat if they feel they can profit from it. You spend half your time wondering if the resume you forwarded to your coworker ever made to the client because the person who had the job order also sent their candidates to the same client.

The problem with Robert Half is a gigantic conflict of interest between their environment, where they want you working 12 hrs per day, and the ability to actually function as a team. Each man is out for themselves in a team environment. For the most part it is very weak management at the branch level and all decisions are made by corporate with little regard for others.

This is a terrible place to work where everyone will smile to your face while they are sticking a knife in your back.

As a person (one of many) who briefly worked at RHI as a recruiter..I can say that there is a lack of scruples in the company. With its well known name, they could be more successful if they treated candidates with respect. I could not bring job seekers in, to interview them and preview how they would represent me and RHI, when I was unable to tell them that I do not have a position right now but after meeting with them, will seek one that fits them.

It isn't just RHI though.....it is all of sales and other recruiters too. I have found a solid position in accounting, on my own and will never contact a recruiter again. I know of people (my brother) who have been recruited from their jobs and placed higher in another company but I would not take the time to meet with them again. There were 2 in Center City Philadelphia that wasted my time too, with false job ads. When I met with them, the "recruiters" at both agencies were about 12 years old. (okay, 22 - 25) I am sure they had tons of industry contacts. And for that, I paid $29 of parking for each.

I worked for Robert Half Intl for about a month and it had to be the worst job in my entire career. I was initially made to feel I was part of an incredible team but it was really a sweat shop with baracudas! I had about five days of self-study training and I was thrown into the wilderness. RHI puts out marketing for their clients like "how to keep your best people" and they can't exercise this concept in their organization. If you are out of industry and are talented, you can forget it because they are intimidated by an educated, experienced and skilled player! By the way most of them aren't degreed yet they place highly skilled professionals...what a joke!

Sad to hear your experiences as there are many good employees inside RHI and the company is founded upon a good and honorable mission to serve job seekers and companies in the most ethical and customer-centric ways possible. Unfortunately, corporations, driven by net profit and revenue growth month-over-month, quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year can take on some ugly characteristics that actually serve to cut against the grains, sentiments and sensibilities of its employees committed to "doing the right thing" and against the corporation's long term interests. To meet committed goals, middle and upper-middle managers can fall under heavy pressures and scrutiny to aggressively go after profit. In doing so, they can and do lose site of the human element so critical to the corporation's intended goals and objectives. In short run, it works for immediate profits wall-street traders and advisers demand. In the long run, resulting bad-will in local communities can be devastating to the corporation's local image and associated financial success. In our collective best interest, helping RHI correct itself is good. It is an American based company that grew up like others its size from a small endeavor, perhaps in someone's home study, garage or at a dining room table. It employs and places workers world-wide providing livelihoods for many individuals and families. Plenty of dedication and hard work by its creators and builders had to go into growing it to its present size and stature. However, the best business understand that serving locally is a privileged extended from ground up. Hopefully RHI finds a way to reconnect with the good concepts upon which it was founded. In face of present economic challenges, local and global, it is in our interest to see companies large and small do well, but only if the company is willing to listen and adjust for the well-being of the communities it intends to serve. A hint to the wise that the individual matters. . .

Well said.

Robert Half is not a leader. I have noticed most of their job postings to be fake - and repeated at times. They tend to post these positions in order to add candidates to their database. None of my friends have ever gotten a job via Robert Half.

You are better off with the small shops - where you will be treated with respect.

I tried a few of the smaller shops in Center City Philadelphia. I was a "qualified" enough candidate that RHI hired me as a recruiter with a starting salary near 70k. At the smaller shops, I requested any longer term temp assignments in accounting, or at least one week. I explained that I did not need a full time job, nor benefits and hoped to work 45 to 48 weeks per year.

I never got one call for any assignments.

I found my own job through USAjobs.com and am now a Revenue Agent for the IRS. It is the most interesting (and challenging) position I have ever had and I intend to never leave. (there are many opportunities to move around within)

I did know of some jobs that went through RHI and there were people placed in temp jobs all the time through accountemps. Good luck to seekers.

HappyPerson,

Were you a recruiter for Robert 1/2? Smaller boutique shops tend to focus on full-time employment - not temp assignments, and fake postings.

Robert 1/2 is not an industry leader, I have found them very unprofessional in terms of meeting with "candidates" if your appointment is at 9:00am they will make you wait till 9:45am. Our time is just as important - I have found smaller out fits more honest and forthcoming.

I hope that Robert 1/2, finds its way like the Dodo bird. It time is gone - they have lost focus on providing service to clients and candidates. I doubt that honour means anything to Robert 1/2. If you have to keep saying you are an industry leader are you really a leader?

Isn't Robert Half a franchise?

I worked very briefly for them. I am not a person who wants to sell bs to anyone for any reason. As a Revenue Agent for the IRS, there is no bs. It is what it is. You wrote it, you support it. I find it (income), you prove it isn't yours.

The small shops advertised temp assignments too. It is the only reason I found them, or they found me. I had an ailing parent at the time and would have been happy to not commit to 50 weeks and take no benefits. My time and parking ($29 per hour) was wasted by kids in Phila doing the same thing as RHI recruiters. Bring em in, build a stable. I have no problem being previewed, checked out in order to be sold but tell me the truth about it. That is why RHI and I would not have worked. I respect people and their time.

I have never posted to a blog in my entire life but having the misfortune of working for Robert Half for 7 months has changed this. Had I not been employed with Robert Half as a Staffing Manager I couldn’t have believed that there was a company as sinister.

If I can offer one piece of advice to candidates – Do not waste your time with interviewing. It is scam. As a staffing manager I had to interview a minimum of 20 candidates a week, even if there were no jobs available. The reason why? Because candidates are nothing but leads to Robert Half. The purpose of the interview is not to assess good candidates; it is to extract as much information about the hiring managers and internal workings of their previous employers. I was told to bring candidates in that had worked for companies that I was targeting for no other reason than to extract information on the who their managers were and what they paid so I had more information when I called the company. I interviewed hundreds of candidates for jobs that didn’t exist.

There is one other reason we had to interview so many candidates even when there were no jobs. We had to find the one sucker who would work for nothing. It is no secret that Robert Half charges the highest mark up in the industry. To remain competitive we still had to bill the client a low rate. How did we do this? You guessed it – we paid our candidates next to nothing. I can’t tell you how many times I had to explain this (lie) to candidates when they realized temporaries from other staffing agencies were being paid several dollars more an hour for the same job. I remember several conference calls and training sessions where we were trained to knock off 10 cents from every candidate’s hourly rate. If we did this Robert half would make $9,000,000 more per year.

Please don’t take my word for this. Feel free to explore Robert Half yourself. I have a feeling though that once you do you’ll be posting a blog yourself.

I'm beginning to what their company philosophy is. While their sister company, Accountemps, was at least able to get back with me, conduct the tests & interview, and provide at least 1 job lead in this terrible job market, Robert Half has yet to take the first step - get back in touch with me. One of the Chicago offices was contacted, and I asked specifically for the lady whose card I was given. Messages have been left, e-mails have been sent (to her and the general office e-mail), and contact has been made with others in that office. It's been over 6 months since my original attempt and I have yet to hear from them. I've not been able to find contact information on a corporate office, just their regional office and media correspondant - and he hasn't responded yet either (or passed my information on to someone who cares). Does this representative exist? I suspect not, because no one has returned any correspondence to me - her name is Katherine Radinovic. Those who I was able to speak with, were in regions much further away - as much as 700 miles. They told me the interview with the regional office would need to be complete before they would be able to help me job hunt in their region.

I'm beginning to wonder what their company philosophy is. While their sister company, Accountemps, was at least able to get back with me, conduct the tests & interview, and provide at least 1 job lead in this terrible job market, Robert Half has yet to take the first step - get back in touch with me. One of the Chicago offices was contacted, and I asked specifically for the lady whose card I was given. Messages have been left, e-mails have been sent (to her and the general office e-mail), and contact has been made with others in that office. It's been over 6 months since my original attempt and I have yet to hear from them. I've not been able to find contact information on a corporate office, just their regional office and media correspondant - and he hasn't responded yet either (or passed my information on to someone who cares). Does this representative exist? I suspect not, because no one has returned any correspondence to me - her name is Katherine Radinovic. Those who I was able to speak with, were in regions much further away - as much as 700 miles. They told me the interview with the regional office would need to be complete before they would be able to help me job hunt in their region.

Robert Half blacklists with other agencies. Any loop hole for blacklisting is blacklisting even if it can be proven or not. I am NOT talking about doing a bad job and getting a bad report. I am talking about doing at least an average job or great job and blacklisting with recruiters in the area. This has happen to me because of a personal conflict (not professional) with a recruiter. I can not get any local agencies to respond to emails or calls after the conflict started, but out-of-state agencies contact me at least once a month when local agencies will not even contact me once a year. The biggest red flag is that the local office's story CHANGES which has no contact now. I have reported this to the FBI and US Department of Labor, but have no response. Needless to say, I reported this to corporate and got one shady turn of events with a job application and FILLED OUT NEW PAPER WORK that I should have known better to sign. After that, no reponse from corporate even with all the evidence collected with expert level investigation anaysis involved. I have contacted them many times. I have been told constantly from RETURNING out-of-state agencies and professional acquaintances that this does not make any sense and this includes anti-fraud professionals.

The foundation of Robert Half’s business model is to destroy your career. Any of the analysis to prove the value of Robert Half is, at best, misguided. You have been warned.

What is a a dd or bm?

This is shameful and disgusting. Thanks for posting this. I didn't know there were people that could stoop soooooooooooooo low. This is lower than a snake in the grass withering into oblivion.

I believe RH is running a scam to secure stimulus funds. Correct me if I'm wrong but I recently tried registering with them online and their website would not accept my telephone number. The recruiter I spoke to asked if I was registered with any other RH agencies ever so I said no which was true. She then asked me to come into their NYC office to register from in person. The receptionist was extremely nasty, asked all of my personal information, i.e. SSI card, Driver's LIC, etc. She insisted on registering online for me as I proceeded to take the tests they set up for me to take. Don't you know a survey asking personal questions about income, etc had to be completed first which had to do with Job Recovery or something to that effect. Once completed, you must hand the completed ticket number to the receptionist then the interview is moved forward. I am willing to bet they found a way to get stimulus monies in an effort to hire when they have no intentions of hiring anybody. They will ask your preferred hourly rate then offer you half so they can say you turned it down which protects them from not HIRING YOU. This company should be under investigation and more people should interview, make note of EVERYTHING they do then report it to the government. Something is very very sinister here and we all have to work together to stop them from taking our freedom of shopping around for work. This is America and one agency should not determine your future employment. That is way too much power!!!

Agencies should be strictly regulated with "just following orders" not as a cop out. Anyone involved in illegal activity should be held personally accountable.

Blackballed??? in Brooklyn, New York said: I believe RH is running a scam to secure stimulus funds. Correct me if I'm wrong but I recently tried registering with them online and their website would not accept my telephone number. The recruiter I spoke to asked if I was registered with any other RH agencies ever so I said no which was true. She then asked me to come into their NYC office to register from in person. The receptionist was extremely nasty, asked all of my personal information, i.e. SSI card, Driver's LIC, etc. She insisted on registering online for me as I proceeded to take the tests they set up for me to take. Don't you know a survey asking personal questions about income, etc had to be completed first which had to do with Job Recovery or something to that effect. Once completed, you must hand the completed ticket number to the receptionist then the interview is moved forward. I am willing to bet they found a way to get stimulus monies in an effort to hire when they have no intentions of hiring anybody. They will ask your preferred hourly rate then offer you half so they can say you turned it down which protects them from not HIRING YOU. This company should be under investigation and more people should interview, make note of EVERYTHING they do then report it to the government. Something is very very sinister here and we all have to work together to stop them from taking our freedom of shopping around for work. This is America and one agency should not determine your future employment. That is way too much power!!!

You couldn't put it in better words. They are trying to control the job market. They advertise they will aliviate the employer hiring process to the employer when in fact, the employer loose the chance to evaluate the employees by thenselves and the employees can not get thru the employer ever..... Getting worst by the minute. The wouldn't even pay for your parking expenses !

This I believe happened to me as well in the Boston area -- blackballing. I was 'invited' in to register with Robert Half --interviewed with one person then interrogated by another recruiter who accused me of registering in different offices under different 'social security numbers'. They mentioned one location that I never lived, worked or registered. I have spoken to robert half several times in the past few years and did register but used my Correct SS#. They never sent me on one interview nor did their temp division (accountemps) even have one hour of work for me.
What I also find disturbing is that RH would even require SS#, Drivers License when registering even if they never get you any work

This I believe happened to me as well in the Boston area -- blackballing. I was 'invited' in to register with Robert Half --interviewed with one person then interrogated by another recruiter who accused me of registering in different offices under different 'social security numbers'. They mentioned one location that I never lived, worked or registered. I have spoken to robert half several times in the past few years and did register but used my Correct SS#. They never sent me on one interview nor did their temp division (accountemps) even have one hour of work for me.
What I also find disturbing is that RH would even require SS#, Drivers License when registering even if they never get you any work

This is a real scumbag company. Their self-righteous CEO actually BELIEVES his company does "nothing wrong" when they reverse discriminate. There is no one to complain to when they lie, they'll fire you for the fun of it.

Now that I have my own small business, if I want good temp help, I'll post an ad at a community college. Those people have the training, and are HUNGRY for a job.

As to the "vaunted" Robert Half and AccounTemps, they can sit and twirl. Given that the economy is going to get worse (I give it until October until the collapse), I think these jerks will.

Customer Service to whom? in Hollywood, Florida said: You couldn't put it in better words. They are trying to control the job market. They advertise they will aliviate the employer hiring process to the employer when in fact, the employer loose the chance to evaluate the employees by thenselves and the employees can not get thru the employer ever..... Getting worst by the minute. The wouldn't even pay for your parking expenses !

Ain't that the truth! On temp assignments with a really GOOD temp agency (Volt), I had to clean up RHI's messes. Companies get shafted twice: by accepting RHI people, and by losing out on quality people.

Wow as I read all the comments above about Robert Half & Account Temps, I am not surprised at all.

During the beginning of the US's bad economical times I was laid off. I having a vast amount of accounting experience A/R, A/P, P&L's, and more will never again try using an employment agency. As a matter of fact no agency has ever put me into any position. I obtained them by myself. They are a waste of time.
I just got a call from Robert Half. They saw my resume again on MONSTER. The recruiter asked me to come in for an interview and also acknowledged that I was in their system as being interviewed and registered with them. So I said, "Well then I don't have to come in. I was already interviewed & took your computer tests." The recruiter said, "Well Mrs. H, we need you to come in and fill out paperwork again and see where you are now with your experience." I asked where my paperwork from the last time was. "Well we shred it after 6 months for security reasons." I said, "For a Fortune 500 Company you don't have an imagining system for your files?" "I also know that if I am in your computer you just don't have my name, I am sure there is much more." "Also you have my updated resume from Monster.com and references. So, Dana don't give me a run around just send me out on an assignment!" "They never told me Dana, in my last interview that my paperwork would be shredded after 6 months. You mean I was waiting around for nothing with a timecard and Robert Half booklet?!"
Sweetheart, I said, "I am a little to experienced for this BS!"

Agencies are only concerned with what they want and how they are going to do it, you need them, YEA RIGHT!

According to what Fair Employment & Housing told me, RHI and other "employment" agencies are supposed to keep your records, whether employed by them or not, for THREE YEARS.

RHI is in clear violation of employment laws. If you can see an attorney, even if its just Lawyer's Referral, then by all means do so.

Sam in Snoqualmie, Washington said: According to what Fair Employment & Housing told me, RHI and other "employment" agencies are supposed to keep your records, whether employed by them or not, for THREE YEARS.

RHI is in clear violation of employment laws. If you can see an attorney, even if its just Lawyer's Referral, then by all means do so.

Robert Half (or any other employment agency) should not be collecting your personal info (Drivers License, SS#, W-4 & I9 info) until you are sent out on an actual assignment or position.

Sam in Snoqualmie, Washington said: According to what Fair Employment & Housing told me, RHI and other "employment" agencies are supposed to keep your records, whether employed by them or not, for THREE YEARS.

RHI is in clear violation of employment laws. If you can see an attorney, even if its just Lawyer's Referral, then by all means do so.

Your absolutely correct Sam & Nick. As having worked in HR and even if I didn't most of us know this. It's just another way of trying to get you in the office and waste your time. I guess when your a Fortune 500 Corporation you don't have to worry about doing the right thing. They figure they can get away with it and most likely have for a long time.
The way our country is going I don't even have faith in our judicial system. I worked doing payroll for a company that had me cheating employees out of hours. I twice reported the company to Wages & Hours in the State of NJ. I never heard anything from NJ.
I am starting to think a job at McDonald's might suffice lol.

I don't think that RH is the only recruiter that plays games with people. After my experience with them, where instead of placing me, they hired me to work for them (lasted 4.5 days - hated it) I tried a couple others. Same routine, fill out the forms, meet with 1 or 2 kids around 22 and never hear. They have to show their contacts and have quotas.

The best recruiters are the independents.

I have since began a career with the IRS as an agent. Toughest job I have ever had, too much duplication in our paperwork (writing the same observations in several places) pay is adequate but will never be great nor will there be bonuses, but the work is interesting and I will NEVER need to network again. :)

Well, after reading everyone's post, I'm wondering what I JUST signed up for! I just left the San Diego branch office and it seemed pretty positive. The only red flag I ran into was I had applied for a school receptionist position but "it just got filled Tuesday". After submitting my resume 2 weeks ago, I finally decided to call since I hadn't heard from them. I call yesterday & went in this morning. The interview & testing took only an hour & a 1/2. I haven't had much luck in the way of jobs period, even with a work history as strong as I do. The only thing wasted so far is the $3 I put into the meter.

I wonder how many people also realize that temp agencies are not there to help you secure permanent employment - they have three types of employment:

Contract - something that has a finite start and end date. At the end of the assignment, you go back to being unemployed.

Temp to Perm - It will start out as something temporary; if the client likes you, they will attempt to 'buy you' from the agency. If they do, you become an employee of that client (their payroll, not the agency); otherwise, when the client specifies, you are 'laid off', for the reason of "end of contract".

Permanent - Same as T2P, only your resume is forwarded to the client, an interview is arranged for you, and you interview for the position, as if you arranged the interview yourself. If you get the job, you become an employee of the client and your relationship with the agency is 'severed'.

At no time, does a temp agency guarantee that they will find you work, nor do they guarantee that they have work that you are looking for. It's like a nurse going to an IT staffing company to look for work.

Needless to say, if you're looking for a sustainable career, or something 'more permanent', your best bet is networking through colleagues, friends, or family. If it's a company that has a store (Apple, Verizon, Wal-Mart), go into the store, strike up a friendly conversation with an employee, and see if they would act as a 'professional' referral to you. Bonus points, if you give that employee your card and mention that you will use them as a referral. If you do, the hiring manager, might look to that employee and ask them of their impression of you; you may get a callback out of it.

Also, just think: That employee may get a referral bonus, if you are hired; it's a win-win, either way!

Obviously, the above poster is an RH employee, here to whitewash the legal and moral crimes of their company.

RH excels in lying to, and excluding, White males from ANY and ALL work. When I talked to RH's CEO regarding RH's lack of morals, I was told that RH "did nothing wrong."

When I worked temp for other agencies, I frequently had to clean up RH employees' messes. RH does not recruit the best, like many other agencies, they hire "date bait." In all the tests I took for RH, each one received a perfect score. One recruiter, just for grins, gave me the accountant's test, in which I received a perfect score. But as far a hiring by RH, I received lie after lie.

Just to recap: I have an MBA with undergraduate work in IT. I have my own small business, which I built the hard way. If I want a temp, I'll hire students from the local community college, people who are desperate for experience. I'll never use the failures associated with RH.

Actually, Sam, I'm not an RHI employee. I just have a decent amount of knowledge and some experience with temp agencies (I know people in the business, as well). I was just giving a general overview of how temp agencies work.

"RH excels in lying to, and excluding, White males from ANY and ALL work. When I talked to RH's CEO regarding RH's lack of morals, I was told that RH "did nothing wrong." - I'm a white male and I have been placed in quite a few assignments by them. Sorry that you haven't had such luck.

"Just to recap: I have an MBA with undergraduate work in IT. I have my own small business, which I built the hard way. If I want a temp, I'll hire students from the local community college, people who are desperate for experience. I'll never use the failures associated with RH." - I don't care if you have three college degrees, an MBA, and you own a corporation; you're an example of the type of managers that need to be fired or retrained; such a crappy attitude on "us white folk".

By the way, thank you for labeling me as a failure, since hiring people 'desperate for experience' is an indication of your caliber as a manager.

Sam I side with you! I have over 30+yrs experience of dealing with agencies.

MR as far as your experience with the agencies ways of doing business we are aware of what they are supposed to do in each aspect of hiring. Also, yes your best possibility of getting positions is through friends, family, and business friends. Did your ever think what RH employees are doing? Getting jobs for their friends and family first!

I am now back running my husbands trucking company. I would never hire inexperience as it is detrimental to the productiveness of the company in dollars & cents.So do you really take the chance especially in these economic times? For example: the damm college student in the local McDonald's that still can't get my double "Fish Filet Sandwich" right, LOL. If he can't get that at 23 yrs old he is in deep trouble, or this one, "Sir what kind of engine do you have under the hood of your truck?" Trucker replies, "A red one!" Not a Caterpiller, not a Cummins, not a Detroit engine, a red one! Now you don't want this guy on the road with a federal CDL.

@ jennschargers that is typial of the agency ways. You apply for a position they call you thinking you will be going for an interview. Then you get, "Oh that position was filled" If any of them call, as this is what I have done, I ask do you have a position for me to go out on ASAP? There is a pattern in what they do. Watch them stutter! Now I just blast agencies when they call on the phone for fun! They know what they are doing and are hoping that you are ignorant enough not to see.

Good luck in all your job hunts!

Oh, buy the way, yes I could of worked for my husband for years, why I don't, is because we bump heads. I am not a stay home person as your brain goes dead if not productive. It is also a selfworth issue especially when you get older.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to post their experiences with RH, I now know I am not the only one who wasted time with these people. About a year ago, I went to their office here in Toronto and met with some highly unprofessional "headhunter" of theirs called Mary-Anne McKenzie, she was unprofessional in all possible aspects of the "interview", afterwards, she would never call or even reply to emails to at least acknowledge them, wouldn't even respond to numerous voicemails left. Ladies and Gentlemen, I switched to Adecco and the difference was unbelievable, thanks Adecco!

cagueda in Toronto, Ontario said: Thanks to everyone who took the time to post their experiences with RH, I now know I am not the only one who wasted time with these people. About a year ago, I went to their office here in Toronto and met with some highly unprofessional "headhunter" of theirs called Mary-Anne McKenzie, she was unprofessional in all possible aspects of the "interview", afterwards, she would never call or even reply to emails to at least acknowledge them, wouldn't even respond to numerous voicemails left. Ladies and Gentlemen, I switched to Adecco and the difference was unbelievable, thanks Adecco!

Good for you cagueda in Toronto! I am so glad someone found a agency that will work for them instead of their quota, or what ever it is that they do, LOL. I am starting to think that an agency that might take the opposite approach to the RH way, might just give them a run for their money. That is unless you a starry eyed 20 something that is gullible.

Robert Half International, the company is a totally fraud company. With making you give them detail info about a person (even with you birth date), they told you to go to an interview without saying anything about the job, then they try to set up with you with a $10 an hour uncertain jobs (they even don'd have the low pay jobs for you indeed)... they tell you go to the interview is an insult to you, plus waste your time...

Robert Half International, a bad company by cheating people! go to Hell, RHI!!

I have read all of your comments and while I am not disputing your findings and opinions of the Robert Half International staffing agencies I find it interesting that if you take the next obvious step in finding out more about the company via the BBB or Better Business Bureau they are time and time again given an A or A+ and specifically in a number of offices in North Carolina and Florida from which some of these comments originated. So it begs the question that if you are so upset and concerned with a wrong doing on the part of this agency, if you could take the time to vent on a blog about them, whey then could you not make a report to the BBB. Perhaps you have and it was just drowned out by all the people that were happy with the agency I can not tell, but I would suggest that if you have not, that you go immediately to the site maine.bbb.org/find-business-reviews/name/robert+half+international/ and make your complaints known, in this way you will help a lot more people and it will impact them favorably. Otherwise, this blog just seems like a bunch of complainers with nothing better to do. However, if you have made a complaint I commend you and prompt you to advise others to do the same. Me, well I am withholding judgement until I have had more experience with my particular branch of the agency and will take actions accordingly, through professional venues to make any complaint or commendation. Good luck to all of the fellow job seekers and remember, ultimately is up to your own efforts on your behalf to obtain a job, put your best foot forward, be confident in yourself and network, network, network.

Robert Half has been pulled into several Federal Government meeting about their practices. They are under scrutiny. They also are no longer a "Fourtune 500 Company" The BBB, well let me tell you about the BBB, my sister does work for one. They are very lame in getting things done especially now that the economy is having difficult times. It costs tons of money for the lawyers they would need along with ample evidence & documentaton from 52 states where they do business in. Robert Half is to big to take on for them. My information is from a reliable source.
Good luck with your job search.

Roxy in Plainfield in Plainfield, New Jersey said: Robert Half has been pulled into several Federal Government meeting about their practices. They are under scrutiny. They also are no longer a "Fourtune 500 Company" The BBB, well let me tell you about the BBB, my sister does work for one. They are very lame in getting things done especially now that the economy is having difficult times. It costs tons of money for the lawyers they would need along with ample evidence & documentaton from 52 states where they do business in. Robert Half is to big to take on for them. My information is from a reliable source.
Good luck with your job search.

So let me get this straight if you are not a fortune 500 company you must be a fraud and you have a sister in the BBB which is another lame company, she must be hard up for a job to work in such a terrible place, my sympathies and then there is your reliable source, care to name it, I think not. I remain with my first assertion that I will wait and see before I pass judgement and because I don't have a lawyer, it will not keep me from making a complaint if I feel that a crime or shady business practice is being committed, even if it is not acted on by your sisters employee, I at least can say I did the right thing, instead of using a blog to vent my grievances.

Now I know why you don't have a position. Sorry you feel that way:(

Still my best to you :)

hoapres in San Jose, California said: Robert Half

aka

Robert Half the Pay

aka

Robert Half Wit

aka

Robert Had a Job

We need more jobs

We don't need more recruiters.

Robert Half will bring you in for a useless "meet and greet" interview even though no jobs exist. Robert Half will waste a LOT of time on outdated and useless "skill tests" along with calling up your references in a vain attempt to generate more business.

We just have way too many recruiters competing for way too few jobs. Companies will often "broadcast" a single job to 10+ agencies resulting in everybody getting the runaround with nobody getting the job.

OMG! You got it. It is a very big joke. I have recruiters calling me from CA to ME for suppose jobs. They are grasping for straws. Yep meet and greet. Filling a quota. RH is the worst. I remember when a agency use to be in the state where they were dealing with employers. No more they are all over the place trying to keep alive with bad practices. You nailed it on the head San Jose! We need more jobs not more recruiters. :)

sshodgdon in Wiscasset, Maine said: So let me get this straight if you are not a fortune 500 company you must be a fraud and you have a sister in the BBB which is another lame company, she must be hard up for a job to work in such a terrible place, my sympathies and then there is your reliable source, care to name it, I think not. I remain with my first assertion that I will wait and see before I pass judgement and because I don't have a lawyer, it will not keep me from making a complaint if I feel that a crime or shady business practice is being committed, even if it is not acted on by your sisters employee, I at least can say I did the right thing, instead of using a blog to vent my grievances.

Regarding the BBB controversy:

The BBB is nothing more than a self-congratulating scam that will protect members from bad press. In some cases, a large company in a locality will be "watchdog" for itself and others in its particular industry.

For example, my mother lived in Sacramento, California. She had some problems with a large plumbing company, that is, sending someone out to troubleshoot a plumbing problem she had. This company did a very poor job. She complained to BBB where it turned out that this large plumbing company handled ALL complaints against all plumbing companies in the area.

Because of this, I don't trust or use the BBB, as it's just a sham and a joke. If you really want to find out about a good temporary office, at the unemployed at your local unemployment office or job club. They'll be more than happy to tell you who is reputable, and who is a waste of time.

Sam in Snoqualmie, Washington said: Regarding the BBB controversy:

The BBB is nothing more than a self-congratulating scam that will protect members from bad press. In some cases, a large company in a locality will be "watchdog" for itself and others in its particular industry.

For example, my mother lived in Sacramento, California. She had some problems with a large plumbing company, that is, sending someone out to troubleshoot a plumbing problem she had. This company did a very poor job. She complained to BBB where it turned out that this large plumbing company handled ALL complaints against all plumbing companies in the area.

Because of this, I don't trust or use the BBB, as it's just a sham and a joke. If you really want to find out about a good temporary office, at the unemployed at your local unemployment office or job club. They'll be more than happy to tell you who is reputable, and who is a waste of time.

Whoops, bungled that one!

Should read: If you really want to find out about a good temporary agency, talk to the unemployed at your local unemployment office or job club.

Sorry about the confusion.

To those that seem to have taken my post incorrectly or personally, my issue with this blog is that it is not reaching enough people and most definitely the right authorities, it just seems like a venting session for therapy purposes, which is fine, but I for one am an individual that if I have an issue, I take it directly to the authorities or the agency that oversees such matters. It seems to me that venting your grievances on this blog doesn't accomplish much expcept, maybe, some verbal therapy for your anger and doesn't really change things. I apologize to those that were offended by this, but it is what it is. I also noted that if you have nothing nice to say about the staff agencies that you have encountered why are you continuing to follow up with them at all. I for one have signed on with RH and if they call with a position, well that's a plus, but I most certainly did not leave thinking that I was going home and wait for their call. If you want a decent position in this tough economy you need to do the work; including sending out resumes and networking. I, too, have too much experience, Roxy, to put up with the BS and will never become so dependent on those types of agencies to get myself into a twist about them. Another thing, you know absolutely nothing about me, however, a clue to your personality came through quite clear to me and I found your sentiments in your reply to me quite humorous, but no hard feelings and I wish you and your husband all the luck and success in the world with your trucking business, oh and by the way, I have a number of degrees also, but I didn't feel the need to flash them to make my point. To everyone else on this site, make your voices heard where it counts and post your comments to the BBB and other authoritative agencies and if necessary your state and federal representatives, this is the best way of getting results if this is really an issue that drives you to distraction and keeps you up at night.

OMG!

Sam in Snoqualmie, Washington said: Whoops, bungled that one!

Should read: If you really want to find out about a good temporary agency, talk to the unemployed at your local unemployment office or job club.

Sorry about the confusion.

Hello Sam;

Love your comment. Want to laugh? My daughter lives in Sacramento. She had her fireplace cleaned. Well even after the expensive acid cleaning it caught fire. BBB did nothing. You know it is the same office.
Yes I also found the State Agency for unemployment to be the best. I have had 2 temporary positions from them. In NJ they even contact you by phone and through email once your resume is put into their website by the NJ State.

They seem to routinely discriminate aginast older workers.