Robert Half bad experience? Not sure what they think of themselves

One time I had been contacted by RH recruiter. She not also asked me come and see her..she also asked me to get 10 different references. Plus explain in a sheet seperately on what your acheivements,etc. I thought it was too much wasting my time so I had to cancel it. This is a bit too much of screening even prior to the customer interview. Who know what more steps you have to go thru when you go the client?

I also ran into the same problem with Robert Half. I wasted hours of time. She contacted my references, only to ask them about their current employment status. In my opinion, she was looking for more clients. I tried to look past that, and when I followed up (10 days later), she told me that I was not her only client! Never again.

I talked with Robert Half about a contract and also had to go through screening interviews given by young, inexperienced people with no knowledge of my information technology field. The screeners are basically looking for keywords they associate with doing well in a contract. Then they called references and inquired as to whether my references might need any help with IT projects. What got me though was a close reading of their legal terms which gives them ownership of the material (your resume) you give them. And it allows them to do just about whatever they want with your information-sending your resume around for example. I'm concluding it's better for me to look for work the old fashioned way, through people I've worked with in the past.

What a waste of time, and sadly most "jobs" in South Florida go through these "staffing" firms.

I went there and spent around an hour, filled out forms and had a talk with the recruiter, they make you pay for parking an all.

Anyhow, the meeting went well enough... but then I kept noticing jobs being posted by RHI on Dice and other sites... so I emailed the recruiter, and he never responded.
I eventually called him up, and he acts as if he never saw emails from me (come on), I know they don't go to his spam as he at the beginning responded to one.

When I asked him about the job he says "what? the one that's taken?". hmmm, it was only advertised a couple days back.
"You're on my radar" he says... no doubt, how else would he know to ignore my emails (3 in total).

I don't know what their deal is, but something doesn't seem right. Don't they get paid a pretty penny if we fill a position through them?

I was an IT Support Manager for 5 years and a PM for another 5 before going over to that side of the fence. I understand and agree with many of your comments, but hope I can add some value from a different point of view.

Any good agency will bring you in to the office. Right or wrong, it is visual thing. Clients give some brutal feedback and some of it is based on first impression...we need to 'see' everyone. Additionally, the way you carry yourself, sit, and present is huge when putting you before a client. I spoke with someone today that did not once look me in the eye....I had another guy that had a bluetooth phone in his ear and answer in mid-sentence while I was interviewing him. Are these the people I want to put my professional reputation on the line for? These kind of people will kill my client base. I am sorry, but it is not just a resume.

As for the skill set and knowledge of RHI's people, I know for fact that everyone in my office has a minimum of 5 years in their line of business. I am in technology - 10 years in some of Wall Streets largest firms. My colleague has 12 years as a sys engineer with his CCIE and Masters in Project Manager. On the Finance side...not one member of the team does not have both their MBA and CPA. Our office staff is made up of Executive Assistance and Office Managers. SO I am not sure if what office you are dealing with, but I know this is the RHI business model.

Yes, we make some good money off of placing people. Keep that in mind when dealing with us...don't be so guarded. I get paid according to your salary - stop thinking we are ripping you off. We want to place all of you - the more we place the more we make. If we are spending 11 hours a day making contacts, recruiting candidates, taking clients and some of you to lunch, etc - is so badthat we ask each of you for a few contact names? By one of you giving us info - that may be giving us the lead to give one of the others on this board a job.

WAH I have to interview someone. WAH he has on a bluetooth. WAH I have a reputation. A reputation you have but professional, now thats funny. Just what exactly is your profession? I don't care what you say anyone associated with RH is a cheat, crook, and liar hows that? Oh I left out your a professional at each trait. Keep lookng in the mirror and keep telling yourself.. I am impressive... I am impressive... I am impressive...

Why bother with these people. I went for an interview. It took close to 3 hours. Only to follow up with them to find out they LOST all of my information. My "test" scores and my resume. I like an idiot go back and redo all the tests etc. (yes another 3 hours) THEY THEN TELL ME AFTER BURNING 6 HOURS TOTAL OF MY TIME.....THEY HAVE NO JOBS. YET THEY ADVERTISE AND ADVERTISE. Don't bother with these people. There are no jobs with them. they are LIARS. I say everyone should get together and sent them a bill for the hours we spent in their office for them to do nothing.

Sarah in Cleveland, Ohio said: Why bother with these people. I went for an interview. It took close to 3 hours. Only to follow up with them to find out they LOST all of my information. My "test" scores and my resume. I like an idiot go back and redo all the tests etc. (yes another 3 hours) THEY THEN TELL ME AFTER BURNING 6 HOURS TOTAL OF MY TIME.....THEY HAVE NO JOBS. YET THEY ADVERTISE AND ADVERTISE. Don't bother with these people. There are no jobs with them. they are LIARS. I say everyone should get together and sent them a bill for the hours we spent in their office for them to do nothing.

Exactly right- and why is there so much turnover with their staff? It seems like there is always new recruiters when I call the Sacramento offices and the old recruiters are "no longer there".

Every experience I have had with Robert Half in Vegas, California and Georgia have been horrible. They seem to be trained to lie and do whatever it takes to get a job.

My experience with Robert Half has not been impressive. I contacted an office in Denver, because I was considering relocating and the recruiter was useless. Basically, wasted my time, acted like he could help and blew me off after talking to me on the phone and I e-mailed my resume and signed up online. I contacted the office in Tampa where I live and the guy was all hell bent on helping and apologized for the experience I had elsewhere. I had an interview, he boasted about how he could help and he "ALWAYS" follows up after interviews, etc. and I never heard from him. So, I e-mailed him to touch base a week later and that was May 24th! I e-mailed him again today to touch base. Very unprofessional.

Dont waste your time speaking with Jason (Robert Half Finance & Accounting) in the Orlando, FL branch unless you are looking to be insulted. He did not listen at all to what I was looking for and then after 3 months of no communication he called me with a job interview for a position that I was not at all interested in. After turning down the interview I received an insulting email.

wellwisher in Dallas, Texas said: One time I had been contacted by RH recruiter. She not also asked me come and see her..she also asked me to get 10 different references. Plus explain in a sheet seperately on what your acheivements,etc. I thought it was too much wasting my time so I had to cancel it. This is a bit too much of screening even prior to the customer interview. Who know what more steps you have to go thru when you go the client?

I have made the mistake of contacting RH in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. I have great audit experience with a Big 4, currently employed in my field, and am currently looking for a more challenging position. I would advise you not to work with RH. First, the endless questionaires asking precise details about as many people you know in your previous and current employers. They use this information for solicitation purposes...I know, a couple of the names I listed called me to complain. Also I found that they do not have the positions they advertise. I asked them specifics about the postings and they did not have any adequate answers. I spent about five hours between the questionares and the interview. They called back offering temporary project work that did not even match my skill sets. Even if they had called about a serious position, I would have declined to proceed. My experience to date in job searching has been successfull through these channels, networking, professional associations (their conferences, events, job boards), direct contact, and a couple of select recruiters that I have known for years.

Recently I went into a job interview for a Sales Position at RHI. I filled out a couple of applications and got interviewed by three different people. After being interviewed, I was asked to go inside the sales room in order to observe "the action." In total, I spent 3 1/2 hours and $8.00 in parking. The environment felt very professional and the people were busy.

After asking a question about what a typical day in the office is like, they explained to me the Marketing, Marketing, Marketing, Desk, and Marketing schedule and that they supply leads and I have to find leads.

The part that bothered me is the fact that THEY LITERALLY TOLD ME that after they were done with the interview, they were going to call my employer to ask if they could use the services! Unbelievable. I hope they don't tell me that I am hired because I will not accept the position.

Enough Said

wellwisher in Dallas, Texas said: One time I had been contacted by RH recruiter. She not also asked me come and see her..she also asked me to get 10 different references. Plus explain in a sheet seperately on what your acheivements,etc. I thought it was too much wasting my time so I had to cancel it. This is a bit too much of screening even prior to the customer interview. Who know what more steps you have to go thru when you go the client?

RHMR recruiters are goaled on what they term "connects": get a candidate in their office (whether or not a real job is in the offing), get references, etc. They need so many connects a week. The stratagems they use to induce you to come to their offices are humorous at times. But not funny at all to people who actually go in for nothing. The references (well in advance of any job offer) actually become targets for RHMR to sell their services to!

Ti Ti in Westerly, Rhode Island said: WAH I have to interview someone. WAH he has on a bluetooth. WAH I have a reputation. A reputation you have but professional, now thats funny. Just what exactly is your profession? I don't care what you say anyone associated with RH is a cheat, crook, and liar hows that? Oh I left out your a professional at each trait. Keep lookng in the mirror and keep telling yourself.. I am impressive... I am impressive... I am impressive...

Grammar check

wellwisher in Dallas, Texas said: One time I had been contacted by RH recruiter. She not also asked me come and see her..she also asked me to get 10 different references. Plus explain in a sheet seperately on what your acheivements,etc. I thought it was too much wasting my time so I had to cancel it. This is a bit too much of screening even prior to the customer interview. Who know what more steps you have to go thru when you go the client?

Grammar and spelling check

About Robert Half...

While they DO seem to have positions, and seem to stay in touch with candidates, they are very very lax when it comes to placing you in adequate assignments. I've worked for them since Dec. 2007 and they only place me on short term assignments that pay under $12.00 an hour! I have a B.A., have worked since the 1990's (marketing, communications, project management) and Robert Half places me as a receptionist ($10 hr), an office clerk ($11 hr) and a PART TIME data entry person ($11.75 hr). They tell me, "this is all we have available"...not appreciating that I am skilled at higher level jobs, and that I have bills to pay (working for less than $17.00 an hour does not pay my rent, groceries, utilities, and transportation costs!)
How can they have as many corporate clients as they claim to have and yet, have no worthy assignments for qualified workers??? They treat us like glorified slaves and THEY reap the rewards (pocketing the extra money their clients pay while doling out sub-wage earnings to the workers.

I loved how they presented me with W-4 and other employment forms when they didn't even have any official offer on the table. I wasn't there to fill out paperwork...period! What really pissed me off even more was when I was asked to take that stupid brainbench computer exam to assess my skills as an MCSE. I told them I didn't have the time for it, threw their W-4 form back in their faces, and left. Robert Halfass is forever on my craplist of agencies to avoid, which also includes Atlantis Partners and Remington Intl, which are sister agencies. At Atlantis and Remington, they'll annoy you to death with questions about where else you are interviewing and their justification is the most asinine and pathetic one I've heard yet. They claim their clients are paying good money for this information and that they want to ensure that candidates are serious about pursuing the position. Well, if company A represented by them offers me X amount and company B represented by another agency offers me X+$10K, do I still deal with company A represented by Remington because they expect me to be exclusive with them...LOL? I told them I don't disclose such info and they responded by stating that they can't work with me otherwise. Oh well, screw them and goodbye and good riddens because I won't give them leads at my expense, especially when I'm out of work and looking for a job in a weak IT market in the NY area.

I must say that I feel that Robert Half was a waste of my time. They are not truthful nor do they care about you. I do not recommend them.

Sick of the bullcrap in Hartsdale, New York said: I loved how they presented me with W-4 and other employment forms when they didn't even have any official offer on the table. I wasn't there to fill out paperwork...period! What really pissed me off even more was when I was asked to take that stupid brainbench computer exam to assess my skills as an MCSE. I told them I didn't have the time for it, threw their W-4 form back in their faces, and left. Robert Halfass is forever on my craplist of agencies to avoid, which also includes Atlantis Partners and Remington Intl, which are sister agencies. At Atlantis and Remington, they'll annoy you to death with questions about where else you are interviewing and their justification is the most asinine and pathetic one I've heard yet. They claim their clients are paying good money for this information and that they want to ensure that candidates are serious about pursuing the position. Well, if company A represented by them offers me X amount and company B represented by another agency offers me X+$10K, do I still deal with company A represented by Remington because they expect me to be exclusive with them...LOL? I told them I don't disclose such info and they responded by stating that they can't work with me otherwise. Oh well, screw them and goodbye and good riddens because I won't give them leads at my expense, especially when I'm out of work and looking for a job in a weak IT market in the NY area.

Good going. They certainly are sleazeballs!

RHI. I was placed with an employer who's books were pure fiction. When I reported it to RHI, all I got was attitude. I've been black balled from Robert Half ever since.

madori001 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida said: RHI. I was placed with an employer who's books were pure fiction. When I reported it to RHI, all I got was attitude. I've been black balled from Robert Half ever since.

You should have reported both the employer and RH to the IRS, as I'm sure the IRS would love to hear how they're cooking their books or most likely paying people off the books or misclassifying employees as contractors and such to avoid taxation. I would have done it if they were to screw with me by trying to blacklist me. Don't get mad...get even with these scumbags.

I realize that most forums or blogs tend to be voiced by those motivated or angry to vent their personal experiences etc...With that said, those applicants or clients of RH that do not have an issue are not very likely to get on this forum and simply say, "Ah, they were OK." RH is in the business to get people employment. Without that, they would be out of business. Now, if you did not gain employment through them, you may want to see what it is about your resume, appearance, or overall qualifications. As with all head hunters, they are reluctant to send those less than desirable to an account of theirs. They are extremely thorough upfront to week out any undesirables. Yes, I am sure they use the references for future clients. It is a very smart marketing tool. Most if not all of my references would not be offended by RH marketing them (not in this job market). It never hurts to network even while employed. Most supervisors are aware of this. I also normally call my past employers to let them know that I applied through RH or whomever and that they should expect a call. It helps to open the door, and it also may lead to another job within an old company etc...Get smart out there. If RH doesn't find a job for you, move on and see how far you get on your own. They are just one piece of many that can get you a job. You are the biggest piece of all. Work on yourself before throwing a head hunter under the bus because you did not make the team. I have been declined for jobs, and its not fun. But, I accept it as part of the process. Move on. You will find something. It also depends on how far you are willing to go to gain employment. I was washing windows before I got a call to work for a financial institution. Anything to put food on the table.

We need more jobs.

We don't need more recruiters.

Start pounding the pavement and market yourself. Tale to prospective employers directly.

When you have 20+ agencies all competing for the same nonjob then ethics goes out the window. Robert Half is among the worst as the first thing it does with your references is to try to sell Robert Half and not check you out.

You mean we don't need more agency recruiters, right? I see a number of agencies went out of business or the big ones closed some offices over the years. L i n k e d i n certainly takes business away from the agencies in a big way with their low fees when it comes to hiring regular employees.

However, temp recruiting is a different animal, companies still rely on agencies to fill them. RHI is notorious for making big money (their CEO is one of the highest CEO in America) because of their low cost inventory (!) -- as some of their recruiters describe the workers-especially the temps who are lowballed big time!

Years ago, after the initial required tests and lengthy interviews with RHI recruiters, a colleague of mine made some sharp response and walked out their office after being told the insulting pay rate for her line of work.

Due to my line of work, I have access to all agency billing info and RHI's the highest, it's appalling to see the large portion they keep for themselves. On a final note, as much as we despise their recruiters, as some wrote in this forum, they are treated pretty bad also. Try to imagine you lose all your future commission on the temps you placed as they're still working with your clients, you're told you're no longer needed at RHI, so RHI gets to keep those poor guys' earnings!

Should read: RHI's CEO is one of the highest paid CEO in American.

As to the question of why some companies choose RHI, it's simple, RHI 'builds relationship with their clients' by means of wine and dine their clients' management and hosting events such as CFO meetings etc. However, there're some companies that I worked for do comparison shopping and RHI is never on their list of agencies to use due to, that's right .... RHI's huge markup!

RHI is not used by many companies in Silicon Valley because it is pretty widely know that contractors won't waste their time. The Silicon Valley job market is extremely competitive and realistically everyone who wants a job goes out and pounds the pavement. 9 times out of 10 by the time an agency has gotten a job order the potential employer already has "exhausted the applicant pool" already having the resume of every applicant that the agency sends over.

The tendancy is to do a "runaround" with simply bypassing the recruiter and go directly to the potential employer.

RHI reported $1 Billion revenue for its first quarter ending April, 2012. Yes, RHI is doing very well, they know how to build cozy business relationships with the (hiring) decision makers of many companies.

Here's the excerpt of its latest robust quarterly earnings:

"Robert Half is one of the world's largest providers of temporary staffing, project professionals, and permanent placement services to the finance and accounting industries.

The company delivered first quarter 2012 earnings of 34 cents per share which outperformed the prior-year earnings by 16 cents and the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 28 cents per share driven by solid top line growth. During the quarter, Robert Half's total revenue increased 15.3% to $1.02 billion compared with $880.9 million in the year-ago period driven by strong revenue growth in each of the business segments. The results also exceeded the Zacks Consensus Revenue Estimate of $990 million.

(Read full report at: Robert Half Beats on Topline )

We are optimistic on the stock owing to the improving global economic conditions and better job markets in U.S. which has heightened demand for the company's temporary and permanent staffing services and risk consulting and internal audit services. The strong demand for these services has led to growth in revenues, margins and earnings.

Robert Half has been generating accelerating year-over-year revenue growth since the past two years, primarily driven by broad-based, improving demand for the company's staffing services; both in North America and abroad. Revenue increased 4.5% to $3.18 billion in 2010, while it soared 19% to $3.78 billion in 2011. Foreign operations contributed 30% of total revenues generated in 2011 as compared to 29% of total revenues generated in 2010."

With the continuing tight job market and the over-supply of experienced accounting and IT staffs who are still out of work, I can only imagine RHI gets to keep even more profit at the expense of their poor contractors. It is sickening!

That doesn't seem to be the case in Silicon Valley.

Rates have dropped so much that when the recruiter calls up offering less than $20 an hour then most people simply hang up the phone. Unemployment pays $450 a week.

RHI is pretty much nonexistent in IT employment in Silicon Valley as most companies broadcast their jobs to 20+ agencies and more often than not someone is hired without using an agency.