Robert Half Technology - Should I accept recruiter job offer?

So I've read some awful things about Robert Half Technology and am growing concerned especially with an upcoming interview with them for an in-house recruiting position. With the job market what it is and being unemployed for a year, those who have or currently are a recruiter with Robert Half, would you recommend working there? I'd appreciate any helpful feedback. I feel like we can all say something negative about our employers or job position, but comments about RHI seem to be very negative...

Thanks in advance,
Future potential recruiter

I worked for RHT for a fairly long period of time (a few years). That is about 20 years in real human years. The "system" at RHT is very rigid. Fall in line or you will be shown the door in no time flat. There is a joke that is all too true that there are 3 month people, 3 year people and lifers at RH in general. The 3 month people either run out the door with their hair on fire when they realize how exhausting the place can be or they get fired. The 3 year people get the RH system training and grin and bear it, then they move on. The lifers are the ones who can numb themselves to the constant beatdowns in the name of making money.

In the time I was there (a few years), 27 people came and went in a technology group that normally maintained a staff of 4-5 people. Thats over 100% turnover.

RH's rules are so rigid it drove me crazy. There is very little flexibility when it comes to thinking for yourself. Maintain your call volume, hourly billings...and god forbid you walk into the office one minute past eight AM in the morning. 8am to 6pm every day in a suit and tie.

The good news is you can prosper at Half if you can deal with the system. Since there is so much turnover you can advance since people quit and get fired constantly. If you can survive, you can advance.

The local office (Fayetteville, AR) is awful. I've dealt with them twice and my experience both times was highly negative. First time, ~ seven years ago, I went in for some testing and an interview. They then tried to get me to interview for a position in Little Rock, which is about three hours away. Turned out the local job they'd posted was nonexistent, they were desperate for applicants and willing to lie about the job.

Then just a few weeks ago I got an email out of the blue from them about a tech job. I called them up, mostly as a lark, the the account person was rude and dismissive. Wouldn't quote a rate and wanted to know my "lowest acceptable offer", ending with the comment "I need to know if this is worth my time". Maybe a minute into the phone call!

I hung up on her. Avoid rachal.snider@accountemps.com at all costs. Probably desiree.harbit@rhi.com as well as I think she's a mangaer. Totally useless company, like everyone else I have no frickin' clue as to how they stay in business.

fortwayne in fort wayne, Indiana said: So I've read some awful things about Robert Half Technology and am growing concerned ...

My advice is to run, don't walk, to the nearest exit. That is if you want to keep your pride and not use up all your personal contacts for the benefit of a company whose business model is to "burn and churn" sales staff. Trust me you will either be fired or leave in disgust. Former halfer 007 is spot on with the three rule! Unless of course you enjoy seeing management drunk at all the company events, you enjoy being treated like an idiot who has no original thoughts, and you can stomach ignoring desperate candidates and driving up bill rates to meet company markup standards. Did I mention I made 6 figures? So, why did I leave? A self respecting professional can not stomach this organization. And the "lifers" would leave if they could.

You get out of it what you put into it. I don't believe in the rule of 3 or whatever you guys are calling it. It is a sales environment so yes there will be people that can't hack in in 3 months and there will be natural turnover in 3-5 years as with any other sales organization. I've been with Robert Half for several years and have provided a lot of good opportunities to people both as sales professionals and to thousands of contractors. I don't understand all this talk of agencies/recruiters being evil on these forums. There are good and bad recruiters, there are good and bad offices just like in every company in every industry. There are some people who are unethical and give us a bad name but for the rest of us we are trying to provide for our families, provide jobs so our contractors can put food on the table and win more business with our clients. I am able to get people interviews where they can't on their own because the jobs are not being posted but called out to select firms who continue to provide good talent to them. By the way if you are posting specific names on here careful, there have been lawsuits won for defamation of character.

"You get out of it what you put into it" is a load of crap and a very dismissive comment, pretty typical. Since you've been there for a while, you have seen numerous hard working, professional, and successful recruiters fired or pushed out by this company, especially when times get tough. Search LinkedIn and you will find thousands of former employees. Based on these forums it's pretty clear what the general consensus is. Sure, sales brings with it a certain level of expected turnover, but it is what the person can say about the company after leaving that tells you the true story. Funny, I haven't seen any former Halfers come to the company's defense on any of these forums. It's always current employees. One can understand a company that must reduce staff in hard times, but to start treating slightly marginal or even successful employees as if they are complete slackers and morons is disgusting. It's not that there are a few bad offices or a few bad recruiters. It's the fact that RHI doesn't lose very well and in a down economy they become very ugly from the top down. When you send out memos detailing how to take a quarter from some poor temp's hourly rate or how to go from the bill rate a company will pay and back into a pay rate so you can maintain markups in tough economic times, you simply have a character flaw. Why should the candidates shoulder the burden? Now, I understand they aren't a non profit, but there are some core values that make one a respectable organization. I do hope you continue providing opportunities for job seekers. Lord knows they need all the help they can get. Do yourself a favor though and give up your high horse for one more MPC call on your best candidate!

I don't agree with you Nolongeraslave, Robert Half is one of the more ethical agencies out there. I've worked for some other staffing firms in my 11 years in the industry and most companies will just pull resumes off of the web, make a 5 minute skills check and then fling the resume to 50 different companies, some without even talking to the candidate. Most agencies never meet the candidates working for them and most of the smaller ones have issues paying their candidates on time. Yes it is a bigger corporate environment so with that there is not a whole lot of options on how to determine who is a good employee and who is not so they choose to evaluate by performance. Those not performing do not last as long as the ones that do. There are other firms out there that charge well over 100% markup without blinking an eye and not providing any benefits, training, etc... Most firms that I've worked for don't even have the appropriate insurances to cover a candidate if they break something major at a client site. As far as taking money away from a candidate in a down economy, it was an option for the candidates, either take a little bit of a pay hit (like most employees did across the country) or not have a job at all. you forget that this is "at will" employment, nothing is forcing them to take the jobs, contract work through any agency is a good alternative to unemployment... not an alternative for perm employment. I see plenty of people leave Robert Half and have a very positive attitude toward their former company, they are usually working and don't have time to post crap up here. All I know is before going into RHI I was an average sales person in the industry, since leaving I have been one step above everyone else I work with because RHI pushed me to work harder, work smarter and not take the easy way out.

First let me say, I don't disagree about RHI's training, benefits, etc and you are the first I've seen come to their defense. So, if you are legit, I applaud you for sharing. But are you freakin' kidding me?? "Either take a bit of a pay hit or don't have a job at all"???? You made my point perfectly with the mightier than thou attitude RHI is now known for (in my opinion). Market adjustments should be taken on both sides, not on the backs of the candidate or shutting down a desperate client who needs a temporary break on rates with the "we can get more because we have better candidates" routine!!!! We all have the same candidates in a down economy and if you've been in the business as long as you claim, you know that.

However, when you direct that a candidate's pay rate 1) be worked backwards so markup is maintained or 2) take X amount across the board regardless of position, you put the burden of tough economic times on the candidate and that is disgusting! And, when you know you need to reduce internal staff because the market tanked but don't want to call it a layoff (maybe due to legal notification mandates, unemployment, etc??) and you treat employees like it's their fault the economy tanked, that is also disgusting!

I don't give a rip about other agencies. This is a forum about Robert Half. I consider each company to stand on their own brand. I don't go shopping at the Yugo store for a Mercedes and neither do staffing clients. I'm speaking specifically about how ugly I believe RHI becomes in a down economy to both internal staff, candidates and clients. To me, all must share in the good AND bad times. That is the "Ethics First" that built RHI. And that is what will sustain it!

By the way, we both posted here so are you unemployed because I'm not...

You have no idea what you are talking about do you, the only one making out when the candidate is paid less is the client. Temporary work is another option to unemployment not an option to full time work so yes unfortunately it was a situation in an economic depression for candidates and recruiters to take a little hit. I took 30% hit for the last year and a half, a 30% direct hit so no I didn't take from the candidate to keep the same money. It is not a holier than thou attitude, it is a company that was offering options to clients or candidates alike. I have never forced anyone to take a job so if the jobs I was offering were so bad then why did people take them? If they had better options than what I was offering wouldn't it stand to reason that they wouldn't have accepted my potions?

aformerhalfer in Hudson, New Hampshire said: You have no idea what you are talking about do you, the only one making out when the candidate is paid less is the client.

Obviously, you didn't work in accounting or this would all make more sense to you. I'm not talking bottom line and really don't care how your salary was affected. You personally didn't make as much because you didn't place as many people because jobs were scarce, i.e. a DOWN ECONOMY, same reason why RHI's bottom line was less - so sell your BS somewhere else. If you believe you are doing the right thing and can look in the mirror - kudos to you. I know what I saw and I know what I was directed to do with pay rates and markups. Maybe your experience was different.

again, not always the case. I'm sure there are some offices or some managers that run their individual operations that way but I had people working for closer to 35 or 50%. When I ran my office we based the pay rates off of what the average person in that role gets paid... so for an entry level help desk person with one year of experience with one year of experience would be in the $13-16/hr range. I do have to say that you are right about having to in most situations having to back into the pay rate because at the end of the day the client will only pay what they can afford. you can't seem to get your head around the fact that robert half is a big bad company so no matter what they do you will have a negative comment to say about them. They are my direct competition now and i still respect them, i hate to tell you a good recruiter or a sales person in ANY agency will make more money than someone actually in IT. Since it is pay based off of how many people you put to work if you have a lot of people working for you, you will make a lot of money which unless we live in a socialist republic is okay if some people make more than others.

you either worked neither camp krystal lake or you worked at kelly services and was told it was rhi.

(ps, they lied to you)

35%
50%

rhi charges those fees to pick up the phone