Robert Half is the WORST

Great Comment David. One of the worst experiences I had with them was sending me on a job telling me it was one thing and finding out it was something very different. I was sent on an a/p job and what they needed was a cost accountant! When I expressed this to them they got all pissed off at me for "not being up for a challange!" Hold on there, I could have done lots of damage to their systems had I not been the ethical person I am. The client company was a really nice bunch of people and I was just honest with them.

What neither of us knew was my resume had been "altered". I was furious and so were they. I stayed and helped them out until they hired someone on their own, so it worked out ok for me and them. THE AGENCY LOST A CLIENT.

I have read every post on this site concerning RHI and about contigency staffing firms in general. I won't stoop to name-calling or harsh language because it isn't necessary and it's not my style; straight talk is. NO agency should be your only resource when finding a job. No matter how sincere the agency seems, they will ONLY contact you if their clients want you. Companies seek out the assistance of contingency agencies because we are supposed to find them the BEST candidates possible. It is an all or nothing venture; if we can't find the person and another agency can, they win. PERIOD. I will concede that some companies are worst than others and use deceptive/shady practices to gather resumes. It is YOUR responsibility to find out what type of firm you are dealing with. Simply find out who people you trust are using (and are happy with) and work with them. You would give someone you just met your address and phone number, yet job-seekers think nothing about turning over their employment history to firms they know nothing about. It is ALL about RELATIONSHIPS and the company that has the most, wins.

Now, we're done.

Art Vandalayin Atlanta, Georgia said: The best employees that are out there working, not trying to find new jobs. The fact that you had the time to post 5 page long comments with your "wisdom" tells me with certainty that you are not in that top 20%. You can always tell when someone has nothing good to say, and how they take out their own incompetencies on others when you see someone start off the post with "idiot" or "moron" which 90% of these posts contain. And then, when one person brings up valid points about why recruiters can be helpful, you simply post over the top to drown statements which you cannot refute.

Obviously you didn't read my comments thoroughly before making your reply. I started by saying I'm happy and successful where I am but I like to keep my finger on the pulse of the job market to keep up to date. What you say may be about being in the top 20% may be true for the majority but in my case, since you don't know me, you have absolutely no idead of what you're talking about.

G P Magaro in Jacksonville, Florida said: I like that kind of talk.

All the people who hate on RH are unqualified and losers who can't find a job on their own

All the people who find betters job and find them faster by themselves dont need RH. People who rely on RH to get them jobs are looser and most likely unqualified.

I am in the Chicago area. I am currently employed but, with changes at my company, I have started looking.

What I noticed about RHT is they have IT jobs. Lots of IT jobs. Not sure how real they are but after reading this list of feedback, it appears many of these posting may be BS. STRIKE 1.

What I have noticed is that any of the IT jobs RHT posts, have extreme salaries. I mean, salaries that make no economical sense. Really, an Excahnge Admin for 110k? Not likely. This also leads me to believe they are bogus. STRIKE 2.

I had actually sent a resume to a job or two from Robert Half. I did get a call back and the person who called was personable but, had no details about the company nor could not elaborate any further because of "confidentiality" reasons. I had worked with some other recruiters and they could usually provide some position information. RHT could give nothing, also leading me to believe it's a BS position. STRIKE 3.

Hey man, ignore them. 3 strikes and they are out. I no longer respond to any of their ads. I am very qualified (double masters degree and many years of experience) and get good response from other recruiting firms. A few have even called me. So far, nothing I would quit my permament position over but RHT definitly appears to be one of the more shady recruiting firms I have interacted with.

anonymus in NJ in Elizabeth, New Jersey said: Wow, most people I've talked to have the same issues with Robert Half as these posters do. Are you telling me that 100% of the people I've spoken to about RH (approx 20 people) all dealing with 2 offices are a small percentage of the population. I've had issues myself with not getting phone calls returned. I have many years of varied accounting exp and you'd think it would be "easy" to place me, yet I don't get responses to job postings on RH sites. I agree it's a FREE service, so I guess we are all getting what we "pay" for... nothing.

And, over the past 5 years, I've personally visited the following offices throughout California, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, San Mateo, Fremont, La Jolla, Carls(REALLY)bad, and have found them to be all consistently REALLY, REALLY bad and non-responsive. I continue to be amazed that they continue to be in business, but take some solice in knowinig that sooner or later their reputation will catch up with them.

I spent over 6 years working for Robert Half and know a lot about their practices (I quit, I wasn't fired, so I'm not bitter, just seeing the light).

If your background isn't perfect, if you don't look good, if there is one typo on your resume, you'll be made fun of by the person you met. Guaranteed.

If you see a job posting on their website chances are it's not a "real" job, it's either a job they've already filled, or a category of candidate they need for their "inventory". Keep in mind all recruiters at RHI are straight commission, all they care about is their paycheck, nothing, or no one else. Management is constantly asking for numbers, where are you for the month, where will you be at the end of the month, how can you make us more money? Robert Half is a glorified telemarketing company.

They claim their recruiters all have worked in the field for which they recruit - that is such crap. There are people in the IT division who have no IT experience who are moved to that division. Ditto with every other division.

Yes, they are the industry leader, they have over 3 billion in revenue, but they are publically traded so all they care about is hitting the numbers for the investors. They do not care about their employees, clients, or candidates. They have been known to pull candidates from clients where they just placed candidates.

Ethics first is funny when you work there.

Ex-Halfer in Denver, Colorado said: I spent over 6 years working for Robert Half and know a lot about their practices (I quit, I wasn't fired, so I'm not bitter, just seeing the light).

If your background isn't perfect, if you don't look good, if there is one typo on your resume, you'll be made fun of by the person you met. Guaranteed.

If you see a job posting on their website chances are it's not a "real" job, it's either a job they've already filled, or a category of candidate they need for their "inventory". Keep in mind all recruiters at RHI are straight commission, all they care about is their paycheck, nothing, or no one else. Management is constantly asking for numbers, where are you for the month, where will you be at the end of the month, how can you make us more money? Robert Half is a glorified telemarketing company.

They claim their recruiters all have worked in the field for which they recruit - that is such crap. There are people in the IT division who have no IT experience who are moved to that division. Ditto with every other division.

Yes, they are the industry leader, they have over 3 billion in revenue, but they are publically traded so all they care about is hitting the numbers for the investors. They do not care about their employees, clients, or candidates. They have been known to pull candidates from clients where they just placed candidates.

Ethics first is funny when you work there.

Great Post......
Oh please post it in Forums>Company>Robert Half Finance & Accounting>From an RHI recruiter's perspective
They would love it!

Your comments are just not factual....in my experience Robert Half has not treated me with respect and professional courtesy...in fact their representatives are rude and arrogant....all that company propoganda sounds great..it just doesn't square with reality.....r/

My friends and I hate them too. And not from the job seeking side either. Using them to fill a position has been a nightmare. Unqualified and lazy are the people they have sent. So now we just let them try to do their jobs and waist their time while we do much better hiring off of craigslist. Way better. Now if every one would just shine them on they would be outta business in no time. LOL

I used to work for RH and I think that there are some unfair comments due to ignorance of how recruiters work, but I also know that not all the positions posted are real jobs. If a recruiter needs people with experience in certain areas, they post a job with specific skills to attract candidates. TIP: these jobs orders start with 3 digits datch the 9. (i.e. 030-912345).

RHI motto is "Ethics first" and like in any place some individuals don't know what ETHICS means, there are good recruiters and bad recruiters. I think RHI should spend more time reinforcing company policies and keeping management accountable for their actions and not overlook bad situations just because they bring a lot of money to the company; if they do things right, money will come naturally.

I have to say that as a Robert Half recruiter I worked with other recruiters who really care for the candidates and clients interest, and were very ethical BUT the majority of them are pushed by the RH managers to increase sales, meet their quotas like certain # of interviews, # of client visits, # of placements, $ per month etc.

This kind of job is not for everyone, that is why RH has a very, very high turnover. If you like to work under pressure, if you can afford to work for 100% commission, if you are willing to put up with some managers who are not ethical or work only for their own benefit and not for the benefit of their team, then this is a job for you.

I don't know about other agencies, but I feel that RH care more for the money and not for the well being of their employees. The Staffing services concept is great, that is why I joined, help people to find the perfect job for them, help companies to find the employee that meets their needs and at the same time make money. IT IS A BUSINESS AND BUSINESS WERE CREATED TO MAKE MONEY, not for nothing RH have been in this business for 60 yrs, but I think that recruiters shouldn't make money by being liars or unethical.

I have used RHI before. I have been able to place myself in a couple of weeks. RHI has never called me back after the office visit. One time they did call back after 2 months and I let the recruiter know that I had placed myself. RHI isn't the only one. I have been able to find jobs for myself fairly quickly compaired to any recruiter. The best person to place a job seeker is the job seeker.

I agree. You can't depend solely on recruiters.

Ex-Halfer in Denver, Colorado said: I spent over 6 years working for Robert Half and know a lot about their practices (I quit, I wasn't fired, so I'm not bitter, just seeing the light).

If your background isn't perfect, if you don't look good, if there is one typo on your resume, you'll be made fun of by the person you met. Guaranteed.

If you see a job posting on their website chances are it's not a "real" job, it's either a job they've already filled, or a category of candidate they need for their "inventory". Keep in mind all recruiters at RHI are straight commission, all they care about is their paycheck, nothing, or no one else. Management is constantly asking for numbers, where are you for the month, where will you be at the end of the month, how can you make us more money? Robert Half is a glorified telemarketing company.

They claim their recruiters all have worked in the field for which they recruit - that is such crap. There are people in the IT division who have no IT experience who are moved to that division. Ditto with every other division.

Yes, they are the industry leader, they have over 3 billion in revenue, but they are publically traded so all they care about is hitting the numbers for the investors. They do not care about their employees, clients, or candidates. They have been known to pull candidates from clients where they just placed candidates.

Ethics first is funny when you work there.

You are right, reading "Inventoy" "Where are you for the month gave me goose bumps, I had a flashback. If ROBERTH HALF AND HIS WIFE (Founder or the company 60 yrs ago) were here to see what current management is doing with his company, will die again.

DarwinSuzsoft out of Wakefield Ma always preps you before your interview and also helps coach you and with resume submission.

The best advice for anyone considering using a temp agency. Only use them as a LAST RESORT. They only place a tiny fraction of people in jobs. Most jobs they post are fraudulent, intended only to lure unsuspecting job applicants. They then use YOUR resume to find new clients for themselves. When they DO get a good job in, they have a zillion applicants for it (by their huge database) and will pick the cream of the crop for the least amount of money. If that's what you want, go for it. Otherwise, I would suggest you apply DIRECT. Go to County, State, Federal, and company websites directly. Make sure your resume has all the right key words and its formatted properly. Also some companies (the smaller ones) WILL return your e-mail (if one was supplied) or your phone call. Don't assume they won't return phone calls. Remember, they are getting FEWER AND FEWER phone calls as most people won't even try anymore, so those that DO try, may reap the rewards! The agencies haave many people blindsided into believing you have to go thru them to get a job! Nothing is farther from the truth. In fact, many companies do not want to pay their rates and would rather recruit on their own with their own HR people.

The larger agencies LIE ABOUT THE JOBS THEY ACTUALLY DO NOT HAVE. Contact the FTC. If they get enough complaints, RHI and the likes (Office TEam) will be FINED BIG TIME. :) That will be justice for all the time and resources of people they have wasted.

Dear Anonymous in California who has worked for RHI:

Please, please, please contact the FTC and tell them exactly what you told us here about the fake job ads. It is against the law and they will be fined big time. That's the only way to stop them from wasting people's time.

I don't think people are just complaining about not getting a job thru RHI. Obviously, they can't place everyone!

What people DO have issues with is:

1. Deceit -- they give the impression they CAN find everyone jobs and set up expectations.

2. They post BOGUS ADS for jobs that simply DO NOT EXIST***********************************************************

3. They are arrogant and condescening, unprofessional and rude!

agreed. recruiter wanted to send me to an interview, without ever sending me a word of the job description, even after i asked for it THREE times!! i eventually found the posting at the hiring company's website and it's totally unrelated to what i'm looking for. i will NEVER use RH again.

anonymous in Ashaway, RI said: Do yourself a favor & don't waste your time, liars, cheats, and very un-professional. All branches of RH treat their clients very poorly. If you want to get abused and ignored then they are for you...

SAME IN TEXAS - Most of them won't even talk to you and the phone and if you are lucky enough to contact a live person, they won't discuss specifics of a job opportunity, just ask for a resume and you never hear from them again. The only jobs they could tell me about were the ones advertised in the local paper/ direct hires.

Stay away from this place they will never find you a job!

Why don't we all start filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau as well as the FTC.

Good idea -- I have already contacted the state atty. general and the FTC and I'm going to contact my reps as well!

Anonymous in Pleasanton, California said: Hilarious! When I first saw some of these comments from the Robert HATERS out there I was genuinely concerned how the company is being perceived by those who utilize our services. After seeing how it's evolved and some of the ridiculous assertions that have been made, I have to laugh. According to this forum, all Robert Half does is post fake job postings, waste everyone's time and has absolutely no clue about what their doing since they are all incompetent and ex-used car salesmen (who couldn't make it in that industry so they went to RH). Hmmm, So I guess it's just blind/dumb luck that the company has thrived for 60 YEARS and survived every major economic recession. You wan't proof that we know how to handle talent? Go take a look at the NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE and you can see the company's growth for yourself.

Also - I promised myself I wasn't going to sink to your level but since the insults have devolved into "bait & switch" type comments I will retort with this..

Do you know why there are more negative comments than positive comments about RH on this post? I'll tell you why, it's because all the candidates we've placed HAVE JOBS and don't need to spend all their free time on INDEED.COM bashing the hands that feed. They're too busy WORKING.

THAT'S FINE. BUT YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO SINK REAL FAST AS YOU ARE DOING ILLEGAL THINGS BY FALSELY ADVERTISING JOBS THAT DO NOT EXIST!!! IT IS AGAINST THE LAW. PERHAPS YOU'RE CLUELESS ABOUT THAT.

RHI and Office Team SPAM the job boards like Monster and Careerbuilder with FAKE JOB ADS. That many jobs simply do not exist! You get people excited about great sounding jobs (most of which don't exist at that time), collect resumes, THEN USE THOSE RESUMES in a bait and switch fraud tactic to call the employers on their resumes!

We're on to you sleaze bags! You're going down! Just wait. What goes around comes around and you have it coming!

Contact your senators & representatives! in Littleton, Colorado said: THAT'S FINE. BUT YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO SINK REAL FAST AS YOU ARE DOING ILLEGAL THINGS BY FALSELY ADVERTISING JOBS THAT DO NOT EXIST!!! IT IS AGAINST THE LAW. PERHAPS YOU'RE CLUELESS ABOUT THAT.

How many candidates do you ACTUALLY PLACE that send resumes? About .0001%???????????????????

I've been asking this question over and over and no one seems to have an answer!

STOP SPAMMING THE JOB BOARDS WITH YOUR FAKE ADS LOSERS! WE'RE TEACHING PEOPLE TO IGNORE THEM!!!

Not everyone can get placed. Probably only a few can. Think abou the math here. If they have 100 jobs available in a given month (like in say a major city like chicago), what will their ratio look like?

Given that their services are free to potential employees, everyone who is unemployed will probably toss their resume into the pile. In a major city that could mean literally thousands of candidates (lets say 5,000 in a metro area of 10 million people, which is probably a gross underestimating of the number of resumes they have on file). That means that the ratio of jobs to candidates is 1 to 50.

So for every 50 resumes they get there is 1 job available, in other words 2%.

The chances of you getting placed in a given month by these numbers is 2%.

So guys, quit freaking out about not getting called even though you have "great resumes and qualifications" because chances are there are 49 other guys who applied for the same spot who also have the same if not better qualifications.

Going through a temp agency isn't a guarantee of a job and anyone who is relying on them 100% to find a job is not taking their job hunt seriously enough.

In addition to the fake jobs accusation, which, in my experience is somewhat accurate, I make the following accusations:

RH personnel have called me as an employer and told me that one of my employees had registered with them. So much for confidentiality. They did, indeed, try to sell me their services and send me applicants for the position held by that employee.

They did, indeed, list a job as being their opening that I had advertised without ever contacting me.

I have to admit that what makes me chuckle the most though is the constant reference to being publicly traded etc. as a sign of their reputation/success.

Seems to me an organization by the name of Enron was publicly traded a few years ago. Should I draw an inference from that?

As an employeer, I have used RHI to find a SQL database administrator. What I got was a C# developer who didnt know C# very well. I ended up finding my own admin. Then there were complications that this person was using RHI but became tired of waiting around, so he became proactive and found us. RHI some how got wind of this and tried to make a stink. At that point we pulled the rest of the jobs from them (about 22) and claimed that it was taking to long to get some one from them and that it was hurting our business. Well they settled down with no incedent and we have never used them since. When I had a talk with the new employee, he said that he had waited 2 months with a single word from them. Good thing he found us, he is one of our best employees. My $0.02

You should tell the employee who Robert Half ratted on! That employee would have a lawsuit against this company for "intentionally interfering." UNBELIEVABLE!!!

A class action law suite could be fun.

I have an interesting story for all of you RHI haters. This may add fuel to your fire, but it is worth mentioning. I worked at RHI as one of their accounting consultants. I was fired because I wouldn't cancel an important dental appointment and start a project that following Monday. The recruiter made a promise to the client and rather than admit she made a mistake, I was fired. Mind you, I told the recruiter about the appointment 2 weeks prior including the details of the appointment. Anyhow, I was added to their do not rehire list. I think RHI should take a long hard look at their staff here in Atlanta.

Ya know I had the same thing happen to me. But it was becasue I started posting fake resumes for them just to see what happened. I had this one lady thinking I was like 8 different people. What if all of us posted fake resumes. Just to see who the best recruiter is. I think we would all find out theyu all are not so good. They would go outta business real fast I think...

Same old, Same old in Mountain View, California said: Ya know I had the same thing happen to me. But it was becasue I started posting fake resumes for them just to see what happened. I had this one lady thinking I was like 8 different people. What if all of us posted fake resumes. Just to see who the best recruiter is. I think we would all find out theyu all are not so good. They would go outta business real fast I think...

Oh my gosh -- what A GREAT IDEA! You'd need several different e-mail addresses too but they're FREE! They wouldn't be able to call you, right? Unless they're so DUMB they don't realize they're calling the same number! If I had time to do it, I'd post FAKE RESUMES TOO!!! It would serve them right for posting FAKE JOBS! I LOVE IT!!! LOL

Wow, there seems to be a lot of "suggestions" flying back and forth.

First, I do not work for Robert Half in case anyone might be wondering.

Next, the way most agencies work is pretty simple. The salespeople go out and secure the job listings - if any are "false" it can be because the client is just fishing, the salesperson has to meet numbers or a myriad of other reasons.

Next, yes there are probably some recruiters out there who should not be recruiters and some agencies that probably should shut their doors, however recruiters do serve a purpose and many are trying to earn an honest living by doing the best they possibly can. Of course there are some who may not do well, who may not understand the relationship between client, (you), end-client, (the company with the job posting), and their own internal procedures.

Most recruiters work on some combination of base, (can be quite small with some companies or can be reasonable with others), commission and bonus. It is in the best interest of the recruiter and the candidate, (you), to find a position for the candidate that the candidate can do, can do well, and can be paid fairly for doing - this creates a referral basis for the recruiter which is huge to them.

The agencies frequently work on a margin basis. To explain this, the end-client has a position to fill. They use their internal recruiting team as well as sometimes using an outside source. The end-client knows how much they want to pay per hour - for arguement sake let us say that it is $30 per hour, and they put this in their job order to the recruiting firm. The recruiting firm looks at the $30 per hour rate and then looks at their cost basis - commission to sales, commission to recruiting, overhead, benefit costs - if any, training costs they may offer to candidates to improve their skill sets, profit, etc - and again for arguement sake let us say this comes to $20 per hour. The $10 per hour left is offered to the candidate.

Next, if there is a suitable candidate who is willing to accept the $10 per hour to do the job, the candidate is submitted to the end-client for evaluation and then the follow up and negotiation begins.

If the end-client had allocated $30 per hour, (including benefits, training, etc), and can get a suitable candidate on their own then the candidate may get more than the remaining $10 per hour.

The best advice for the candidate is to determine what you believe your value is, and stick to that value. If the recruiter is a good recruiter they will respect the rate you are worth and may even present you to the end-client as a superior solution to the end-client needs - albeit at a higher than expected cost. The recruiting firm might negotiate some of their costs and the end-client might raise the rate to get the best candidate.

Remember also, that you can interview the recruiter as much as they interview you. If a recruiter cannot or will not answers your questions or will not keep you informed, then it is time to find another recruiter. I would also suggest that anyone on this board who has done business with a recruiter they are happy with - publish it, giving the recruiter name and the company name.

I hope this helps.

Agreed. Robert Half advertises plenty of job leads and when you call to inquire they claim that the leads no longer exist and were supposed to be removed from their website. By far, this is the most unprofessional, highly unethical, recruiting agencies I've ever dealt with.

FYI: The one UI'm referring to is located in Denver, Colorado.

Hello,

I am a recruiter and have been for almost 10 years. I totally agree with you about Robert Half. They are very underhanded, but nothing they are doing is illegal though unfortunately. The problem is with our industry is that there is very few legal pull we have with the few who are actually certified. The big boy companies like Robert Half gross over 5 billion a year in revenues and command only about 4% of the total market. Your best bet is to go with a smaller firm that only works with a specific industry or just a couple industries in a niche area. Most decent firms gross around 50 million a year out of 2 offices and that is good enough. Robert Half is known as the Wal-Mart of the industry, but they will keep going due to their long standing roots in the area.

One note for perspective candidates to not get discouraged. Remember that a good professional baseball player only hate the ball 1 out of 3 times. It is the same in recruiting, but a good recruiter will not give up on you and will let you know if you did not get the job...

Enjoy!

John in Auburn, New Hampshire said: Hello,

I am a recruiter and have been for almost 10 years. I totally agree with you about Robert Half. They are very underhanded, but nothing they are doing is illegal though unfortunately. The problem is with our industry is that there is very few legal pull we have with the few who are actually certified. The big boy companies like Robert Half gross over 5 billion a year in revenues and command only about 4% of the total market. Your best bet is to go with a smaller firm that only works with a specific industry or just a couple industries in a niche area. Most decent firms gross around 50 million a year out of 2 offices and that is good enough. Robert Half is known as the Wal-Mart of the industry, but they will keep going due to their long standing roots in the area.

One note for perspective candidates to not get discouraged. Remember that a good professional baseball player only hate the ball 1 out of 3 times. It is the same in recruiting, but a good recruiter will not give up on you and will let you know if you did not get the job...

Enjoy!

ACTUALLY POSTING FAKE ADS FOR JOBS THAT DO NOT EXIST IS ILLEGAL.

IT IS ILLEGEAL - which laws are you referring to state such a thing? I agree it is underhanded, but to say it is illegal is a stretch. I understand your resentment towards Robert Half; I have never liked them myself. However, there are no laws based on neither consumer protection nor human resource legality that cover open ended (or as you say fake) jobs.

Also to my post above, I made a typo "Remember that a good professional baseball player only hate the ball” should be hit the ball, my bad...

You have to remember that the staffing industry did a little over 125 billion in revenues last year. Robert Half has deep pockets to keep what little laws there are in their favor.

My suggestion as stated before is to find a niche firm and go with them. You can try and sue Robert Half, but you most likely will not get very far as I am sure they have dealt with issues like this for decades...

Good luck!

I went in for my "interview" in April and was told that they had a position in mind for me and it would be available in 2 weeks. Two weeks passed and nothing so I followed up and the recruiter didn't remember me or the position! He later said that the postion fell through. He's called me twice since then but only to asked if I'd gone on any good interviews and with whom.

It's definitely true that some agencies such as Accountemps/Roberthalf are on monster, careerbuilder, and other job boards place bogus ads for positions they do not have. Why do they do it? To build a database of available resumes to pitch to potential clients.

Roberthalf/Accoutemps doesn't care if they waste the job seeker's time with testing and interviews. They invite you in to tell you how great you did on the tests, how good your resume looks, and more importantly to get the names and numbers of your previous supervisors to solicit business from them. Once they have that info, your just another name in the database.

anonymous in Ashaway, RI said: Do yourself a favor & don't waste your time, liars, cheats, and very un-professional. All branches of RH treat their clients very poorly. If you want to get abused and ignored then they are for you...

YOU are not a Robert Half client. Robert Half's clients are the employers dummy.

I just can back from Robert Half in Providence RI. What a waste of time and gas, they are all idiots in that office, the left hand does not know what the right is doing. The idiot who spoke to me was in and out of the room and kept asking about contacts at prior companies. Showed no interest in my background or experience (which is excellent) it seemed all about the past and current contacts. They were very nice on the phone asking me to come in for a perfect job, I dressed in a very nice business suit, I make a great presentation. Very little time was spent on me, it was all about them. I do not care what jobs they have I will never speak to them again, I left there very upset and in my hour commute back home I became even more ticked off. I feel used - and like I have been taken advantage of. I will never put myself in a situation like that again. STAY AWAY - VERY BAD COMPANY - VERY BAD EMPLOYEES - PROVIDENCE RI....

I applied to Robert Half at least 6 months ago. I thought they haven't called yet because of my lack of experience. But when you don't have a lot of experience, even with a ton of education, it's tough to get a position in legal admin/paralegal world. I had a Robert Half rep ask me to send her all of my job leads so that she doesn't sign me up for the same job twice. I saw right through that. If I did report all my leads, wouldn't I be doing her job for her? I did do well on the testing, and they were good about giving me tips on my resume, so they're not all bad. A funny story...My dad said he remembers going to a placement agency in NYC when starting out back in the 50's. It was the original Robert Half himself...who just picked up a phone book and my dad just 'bout faced and headed for the door! My advice...don't take the temp agency so seriously and maybe you won't be so disappointed.

Debbie in Westerly, you wrote:

I dressed in a very nice business suit, I make a great presentation. Very little time was spent on me, it was all about them. I do not care what jobs they have I will never speak to them again, I left there very upset and in my hour commute back home I became even more ticked off. I feel used - and like I have been taken advantage of. I will never put myself in a situation like that again. STAY AWAY - VERY BAD COMPANY - VERY BAD EMPLOYEES - PROVIDENCE RI....

I had the same kind of experience when I visted RH. I dressed up in my suit, drove more than an hr to RH office and paid $15 in parking.

During the interview, the RH associate who interviewed me focused most of her attention on getting the lead. She kept saying, 1) I need your reference, 2) How can I get in touch with your previous supervisor, 3) I need the reference to recomend you to the potential employer, etc. She did not mention anything about the job she called me in for. I still see the same want-ad on Careerbuilder and Monsterjobs.

When I left the RH office, I felt, like you did, disguisted, angry, felt taken advantaged of, and just pissed-off. So when you say other should keep away from RH, I agree with you 100%.

This firm is an unprofessional clueless joke of the industry. Do not waste your time and engery. Do not respond of any of their positions. Let run them out of business.

anonymous in Ashaway, RI said: Do yourself a favor & don't waste your time, liars, cheats, and very un-professional. All branches of RH treat their clients very poorly. If you want to get abused and ignored then they are for you...

Question for everyone with a complaint. What exactly to you expect from a recruiter. If you expect them to get you a job, then your expectation is wrong. All you can or should expect from a recruiter is that they will return your calls in a timely fashion and that they will work along with you on looking for opportunities. Not everyone is suited for every job. If you are not getting any response from a recruiter, call their boss. Trust me when I tell you....no one gets paid unless people get placed. There is no compensation for interviewing people. If you have the education, experience and most importantly a sharp presentation....you will get placed. If you dont, it will be tougher. And some of you are so dillusional that no amount of help will make a difference.