Experience With Robert Half

I am a recent college graduate, but I am a non traditional college student who is well over 30. Can some of you fellow job seekers please post your experience with the RH Accounting/Finance Dept.? I would like to know what their placement and satisfaction is like. I just completed my masters in accounting/taxation and am having trouble finding a job in the Chicago area. All of the listings in my paper are with staffing companies, notably Robert Half. Frankly, I am tired of seeing their name connected with >50% of all job listings. I don't want to waste my time driving an hour and then going through a two hour interview if it will result in no job. Has anyone landed a great job with them? If so, please tell me about your experience.

Thanks

I have registered with RHI for senior financial/budget/operational opportunities, and I have heard NOTHING from my assigned recruiter. And I also see their name associated with positions. The only communication I receive is when I email to check if the recruiter has any opportunities for me. Other than that, my opinion is that they are a complete waste of time and energy. They have done absolutely nothing for me.

OMG I was glad to find this post. I really hate RHI for the practices! I have been registered candidate for several years and have never even had an opportunity to interview...EVER. What others are syaing is true, this comapny does not have all the jobs posted online, its a ploy to add you to their rolls...and they are all over the place. I went to their website to unregister my account and found that I couldn't. So I sent them email requesting that the remove me immediately. The only thing that happen was the recruiter I met with 6 month prior sends me an email to check in. I say Screw them. I dont know hoew thaey have remained in business for so long. I do not reccommend anyone subit to their postings. They are all BOGUS! I wish we could sue them just to close there doors. UGH!...One more thing I have discovered about the staffing agencies...They sell our information to companies for money, SO BE CAREFUL using ANY recruiter. This is how my company I currently work for get some of their sales leads! There should be a law I tell you

John in Plano, Illinois said: I am a recent college graduate, but I am a non traditional college student who is well over 30. Can some of you fellow job seekers please post your experience with the RH Accounting/Finance Dept.? I would like to know what their placement and satisfaction is like. I just completed my masters in accounting/taxation and am having trouble finding a job in the Chicago area. All of the listings in my paper are with staffing companies, notably Robert Half. Frankly, I am tired of seeing their name connected with >50% of all job listings. I don't want to waste my time driving an hour and then going through a two hour interview if it will result in no job. Has anyone landed a great job with them? If so, please tell me about your experience.

Thanks

Yes Im in your shoes...wishing for a better position but stay away from Robert Half...they do ot have YOUR interest in mind

I am not sure what jedonkey is trying to emphasize. So let's say staffing firms are primarily in the sales business, which I think we all can agree on. That is fine. Business is business and money is found wherever you can make it. More power to them if they can turn over a nice profit in this economy. My main point is how can someone who doesn't wish to use a staffing firm find a job when 85% of jobs on job sites and in the newspaper are listed through them? What happened to the days when you could sumbit an application or resume directly with the employer? Or is it because there simply aren't any job openings to begin with and staffing firms latch on to those precious few with their persistence? I am college educated with an MBA, but I don't want to use a staffing firm to search for employment. In addition, I don't bounce from job to job. I have had two jobs in the past 10 years, but I am over 40. I simply lost my job because I worked for a smaller company that just couldn't survive in this economy.

jedonkey in USA, Pennsylvania said: john
you are not fee eligible. rhi is a sale organization. rhi will not hunt for a job for someone a company can find on their own. like you.

dont think rhi is calling around every day trying to find you a job.

rhi markets candidates companies will pay fees for.

understand the business

people call in and say i can do that or i can do this job. youre right. but a staffing firm can always find someone better and someone a firm will pay for.

understand the business

rhi is a sales organization which is publically traded.

after you realize this, you will understand the business

30 years old recent grad. a company is going to pay 15000 dollars for you. sure. sure.

I am not sure how age really matters when it comes to a deskjob. Many people change careers when they are over 40. That is part of living your life. What if I was 50 and just graduated college? Being 50 does not make a person senile.

To: jedonkey in USA, Pennsylvania

You are very wrong in your assertion here that selling info is a myth. I know for a fact that some of these companies sell information because I pay the invoices for theses "lists"

If the only type of candidate that is sellable is someone with a CPA/MBA..Then thats who these agencies should target. Instead they call or email anyone who has a resume posted on these job boards. No offense to the MBAs out there but having that credential does not make you a good accountant. Neither does a CPA for that manner because they are more focused on the outcome of information and how it was compiled...A lot of people with these credentials would have a hard time with the day to day activities of an accounting department unless they came from the bottom up. Ive trained enough people with these creditials to know. (these are the people that these agencies should be helping) If a person has these creditials, they shouldn't need an agency to assist them

soft skills are just as if not more important that the tangile skills because you have to fit in to the company culture no matter what

You must work for an agency based on your comment

JohnLooking in Oswego, Illinois said: I am not sure what jedonkey is trying to emphasize. So let's say staffing firms are primarily in the sales business, which I think we all can agree on. That is fine. Business is business and money is found wherever you can make it. More power to them if they can turn over a nice profit in this economy. My main point is how can someone who doesn't wish to use a staffing firm find a job when 85% of jobs on job sites and in the newspaper are listed through them? What happened to the days when you could sumbit an application or resume directly with the employer? Or is it because there simply aren't any job openings to begin with and staffing firms latch on to those precious few with their persistence? I am college educated with an MBA, but I don't want to use a staffing firm to search for employment. In addition, I don't bounce from job to job. I have had two jobs in the past 10 years, but I am over 40. I simply lost my job because I worked for a smaller company that just couldn't survive in this economy.

What I have found thus far...these agencies, see the same posting as we do (don't know what its like in your neck of the woods but in CO, companies do advertise). Once they see a posting, they create a posting either exactly as the employer wrote it, or similar in description and try reel you in making you think they have an inside track when they don't.

I'm not jus blowing hot air, this is what ive seen and tested to be true. Applied for this job once directly through the employer website, then a couple weeks later, an agency called me regarding same (agency had same job posted on all job boards). Advised, that I had already applied, they still wanted to step in and make commission off MY effort. Two weeks later, two more recruiters frm different agencies contacted me about that same position and again, I refused to work with them

Jedonkey - spelling and grammar are important!! - blog or not.

So I have just been reading through this information above and it is very insightful. Not having been job hunting in over 10+ years I was not familiar with some of these techniques you guys mention. So unfortunately, I had seen a job posting with RHI and sent my resume and salary requirements. they called me to interview with them but I did not go and have postponed it for my uncertainity as to what to do. I had also submitted my resume to a couple of other positions that were also through contractors. So now I am afraid that they will be blasting my resume out to multiple positions and any direct position I will apply for will be double posted. I have signed no agreements with any of these recruiters to my knowledge(does creating a account on their website count) and am wondering how do I get out of this mess?
After reading all of this I am thinking I should not post to any recruiter position? Thanks for your advice in advance.

jedonkey in USA, Pennsylvania said: search for a recruiter first
forget the firm. you want a good recruiter who is respect in town and in their agency. very important.

when you signed up with a recruiter you are their recruit for life. or until termination.

you signed up with a recruiter who is new you will sign up with someone who is not going to find you a job. no networking, no clients no experience to find a job foryou. market is unforgivening to the new person.

also, the core recruiters of the firm freeze the new person out. they wont use their recruits. the core wants the whole deal. the whole commission. twhen he core uses the new recruiters recruit, they have to give up 50 of the commisison.

so the new person cant find you a job and their partners will freeze out you because you are their recruit.

most agencies are putting large amount of sales pressure. if the core can fill a job and use their own recruit they will.

so find a recruiter who has worked for one agency for a long time. is liked and is connected.

or its file city for you and your resume.

recruiters who find a job get to pick who gets presented to the job. ownership. you have ownership of jobs and ownership of recruits.

find a good recruiter or your the search for a job is over before you park your car.

You have some good points in all your posts. I agree that you know a great deal about the current job search methods. But for a minutes, let's forget about how much experience someone has, how much they are worth, and god forbid, their age. Why do job seekers need recruiters to find a job these days? What happended to companies just posting jobs on the internet directly or in the newspaper without anyone's help? Why do you need a middleman to drive up the cost? This only makes the job more expensive for the company. Why pay additional money for an employee you can find yourself?