APPLY DIRECTLY TO COMPANIES; DO NOT USE LARGE AGENCIES!

Wow... wish I knew about this site before I registared with "several" placement agencies...Appleone,Robert Half, Ledgent..RCS... I found my job that I start tomarrow..the best sourse to look at for a job search is the agency of "ME,MYSELF & I" they will find you what you need! I was so sure that someone would help me find something fast when I was laid off due to an office downsize, I mean I have an excellent history and skills, my employer even gave me a letter of reference! but nope, nada, nuttin from any of the "Top Notch" places out there seemed to give me the time of day once I came in and did the dance with them...I would apply to a job they had listed, they would call me, I go in and registar and all of a sudden nothing...I do belive they are just leaches. never again will I registar with them...I sent a mass email to all the recruiters I spoke to, to let them know I no longer required there services, of which they provided none, as I had secured employment on my own. Yeah ME. I am sure they place some people, but not as many as they would love you to think. As an additional resourse,maybe, just dont leave your job search up to them...your one of hundereds / thousands .. Look for your self.. find where to fax or mail, email your resume to where it is you want to work, they may just like what they see and how resourseful you were in bypassing the crap to get to them and want to see you!

Peter in Denver, Colorado said: I have listed with 4 agencies within Denver and they are all the same. Lazy,unhelpful,uninterested and snooty.

Has anyone else noticed this about denver agencies?

YES, they tend to be arrogant because the Denver job market is down.
BYPASS THE AGENCIES COMPLETELY!

how old do you have to apply?

I don't like staffing agencies such as Addeco, AppleOne, Randstad, Manpower, Kelly Services, Sperion, etc.. The vast majority of their placements are for strictly short-term or long-term temporary positions, not temp-to-hire (which seldom go perm) or direct hire, and all of their positions pay much lower than what you would make if you actually worked for the client, and any benefits are a joke.

If you are looking to obtain a perm position, do your best to apply directly to actual employers. Post your resume to job boards such as CareerBuilder, Monster and local newspaper job websites. Contact companies directly and try to speak with the manager of the department you are interested in. Try attending job fairs, and NETWORK!

If you are contacted by an agency recruiter, I'd advise you ignore them unless they directly represent the employer. Most agency recruiters are only contacting you to get you to submit your resume and register with their agency so they can fill their resume/registration quota.

I'm not saying it's impossible to get a perm position through an agency, but the odds are heavily against it, I've only obtained one in the many times I have worked through an agency. In the five instances of a temp-to-hire position I've filled, I found out it was never the client's intent to make the job perm as the company was relocating, the position was going to be eliminated due to a company merger or reorganization, etc. etc.. The "temp-to-hire" was just bait to get someone to fill the position for the short time it was still needed. I may be naive, but I don't think the staffing agency knew it, but it didn't make me less upset.

Unless an agency offers from the date you register, free access to online training so you can improve or add to your skills don't waste your time registering with them.

Thank Beth. I have been in banking for 15 years and the job I do is specialized. I don't want to work for a large bank (you are just a number) and the position I found through Accountemps was for a new bank in a nearby town which I did not know about. They don't even have phones yet.

I appreciate the info. Have a great day.

Wendy

Addecco is crap. I worked for them in a temp to perm spot for two weeks. They knew I was interviewing. I got a call for a permanent spot and they were very upset that I took the position. Needless to say, I didn't give a crap! I had every right to decide to take a permanet offer over the temp to perm assignment.

ablest is crap too told me temp to hire and said airconditioned and moving big chunks of plastiwith forklift well that evening i rode by so i woud know where it was at an saw doc door open if air condtioned why door open and no truck in it and if pallets of big plastic chuks why small shelfs and went to website small stuff mainly and als i emailed and faxed a letter asking about this and they open at 7:30 and never called me but when i called them they said compnay backed out and if the case why not call me after the copany callls i think they were mad i found out they lied and i stuck resume in the companies door i was to work for cause since never got a check from temp service never legally worked for them so can't do crap and i have been on a temp job where the principal asked me if i wanted a job before i worked my hours fo the them to do that i was going to do that and not say crap to temp service

V in Rochester Hills, Michigan said: I always enjoy logging on and coming to this site just to see what the unemployed of the world have to say about agencies who were smart enough NOT to hire them. It's very comical. I found my job through an agency and it's awesome! If you're not getting hired, you may want to check your attitude, your attire and maybe your breath! Seriously! People who aren't getting hired aren't seeing the whole picture. It's more than a resume or experience, it's presentation of yourself. Just be neat, clean, and POSITIVE. Good luck

I AM employed, you maybe you shouldn't assume. I like to come on here, because I recently left my job as a recruiter for this lovely company and like to confirm that I wasn't crazy leaving the position. They are greedy and they do NOT care about candidates. It's all about #'s and $$ in the staff pocket. Simply stated.

I am currently on assignment with Adecco. I have a question. Have any of you heard that you are required to give a full 2 week notice to the client?

In my case it was the client, not the temp agency. The client thinks they can do a better job in finding someone that the temp agency eventhough the temp agency had the position posted for 2 months & only had 2 applicants and it was posted on just about every job board on the net!

Denise in Charlotte, North Carolina said: I am currently on assignment with Adecco. I have a question. Have any of you heard that you are required to give a full 2 week notice to the client?

If that's required it's ridiculous as the client would never give YOU two weeks notice!

RANT:
NEVER WORK FOR AN EMPLOYMENT AGENCY!

In any dispute between you, the agency and the Blue Chip Client Company, do YOU think you will ever get a fair hearing?

WRONG! However friendly the agency is to you, however many gratis cups of coffee you'll get while registering and demonstrating your skills, have no false hopes. YOU are there because employers want to bypass all that pesky red tape and employment legislation, like job security, tenure, perks and conditions that can sometimes make regular employment worthwhile. They want serfs, working units, that they can hire and fire on a whim and with the minimum of ceremony. If the working unit proves defective - throw it out with the trash and get the provider to find you a new one, there are plenty out there. Forget all the legal protection that trade unions and progressive political parties fought to win for workers. Like a due procedure having to be applied before they fire you. Like getting the same wage the client company's own directly employed worker is on for doing exactly the same job. That doesn't apply to you, you're just a temp.

There are thousands like you out there but there is only one Blue Chip Client Company paying the agency to provide them with flexible and compliant working units, ie ones that won't answer back and will do all the dirt work in crappy conditions. the agency, which skims YOUR wage to pay itself, will of course do as it is bidden and ring you at the end of the day to say there's been a problem, don't turn up tomorrow, sorry about that. So that wage you were depending on to pay bills and buy a little breathing space and make you feel fully human again suddenly dematerialises, with no compensation nor explanation, not unless you fight for it and get a rep as a troublemaker.

And you only need to mess up ONCE and suddenly all those bookings where you did what was expected of you and did it well don't matter any more. You f***ed up. We can't use you any more. You are a l

And you only need to mess up ONCE and suddenly all those bookings where you did what was expected of you and did it well don't matter any more. You messed up. We can't use you any more. You are a liability. We can no longer take the risk. Goodbye.

It doesn't matter that were you a regular employee, your boss might take the point of view that everyone has one off day. Regrettable, warn them, but give them another chance. They might even ask if anything contributed to your poor performance that day, and take it into account.

But no, you're a temp. A disposable working unit. You proved defective. Just climb into the skip with the rest of the crap. Goodbye.

And in this case, the bad day was way back in March. The agency involved did not tell me then it was not prepared to use me again. So like a complete idiot I've been ringing them and checking in with them every so often and I kept getting fobbed off. Until this morning when I went into the office on the off-chance – there was a job in the window that was well within my competence and I wanted to make a case for my getting it. I then had a bad interview with a senior consultant who told me exactly why I was off their books and it would be pointless for me to keep trying.

It hurt and it humiliated and I was angry and I said exactly what I thought and why I should be given another chance but no, I was still shown the door.

The guilty party who kept me hanging on for so long are Adecco of Piccadilly Plaza Manchester, and the client company who disposed of me way back in March were the so-wonderful caring and considerate National Health Service. Let's name the guilty parties!

I even asked Adeco sometime around May if I'd done anything wrong and if the reason they weren't offering work was because of the NHS fiasco, and they said "no, keep in contact, something's bound to come up".

And by the way, the client company was Salford Royal Infirmary's records division, who struck me as such a bunchC

And by the way, the client company was Salford Royal Infirmary's records division, who struck me as such a bunch of clueless ill-managed cowboys that I would not be surprised if a scandal erupted soon over the wrong records going to, say, an operating theatre and some poor sod getting the wrong surgery... we were not welcomed, nor made to feel welcome, we were not adequately shown the job, we were not given adequate space to work in, there was no air-conditioning, we were not even shown where we could eat our lunch, and at the end of it, on an afternoon where I really felt ill, I asked "same time tomorrow?" and was told yes - only to discover when I was rung at home by the agency they'd already decided to off me, but the craven pieces of faecal matter had not said it to me personally, they'd told the agency!

Oh, and a great big bonus prize for caring to the really lovely ------- at Adecco. full marks, girl, for inducing a mood of utter loathing in me at the degree of sympathy you showed. Enjoy your life.

And when I was working for them they fouled up my pay too, and could not get it into my bank account on time - it arrived substantially late and in arrears...

NEVER WORK FOR THE ADDECO AGENCY - THEY HAVE THE SAME DUTY OF CARE TO THEIR TEMPS AS KING HEROD HAD FOR THE FIRSTBORN OF BETHLEHEM!

Anne in Littleton, Colorado said: If that's required it's ridiculous as the client would never give YOU two weeks notice!

You won't get any notice when working thru a temp agency. You will just get a call after work telling you not to return to the assignment. It has happened to many people when they least expected it and when they were told they were doing well.

The only site that works is applydirectlyforjobs.com

Beth in Willisburg, Kentucky said: You find out about unadvertised openings by applying directly to employers. Your Chamber of Commerce has a list of the main employers in your city . Or review your phone book's yellow pages to identify & create a list of businesses you want to work for. The 1st step is making a list of all companies that you want to work for. The 2nd step is gathering list of names of those who have the power to offer you a job. You call each company & ask for name & title of the Hiring Manager in your area of expertise. Don’t let them give you the HR Manager ’s name (unless that’s the dept. where you want to work), because your 1st contact should be with the hiring manager in your field. The 3rd step is to mail your resume with a cover letter addressed to that Hiring Manager. The 4th step is to call & contact this Hiring Manager & ask for an interview.
I highly recommend this website: www.quintcareers.com/cold_calling.html

Some companies will no longer accept resumes unless they are submitted electronically. This is the result of allowing technology to override essential human contact. I recently brought a resume--physically--to a nationwide company that is HQd here in Minneapolis for a marketing position, and do you know what they said? "Oh we don't accept resumes in person or through the mail anymore. They have to be submitted electronically. When I get an actual resume, as an HR employee, the first thought that comes into my head is 'how am I going to code this?'"

Beth in Willisburg, Kentucky said: You find out about unadvertised openings by applying directly to employers. Your Chamber of Commerce has a list of the main employers in your city . Or review your phone book's yellow pages to identify & create a list of businesses you want to work for. The 1st step is making a list of all companies that you want to work for. The 2nd step is gathering list of names of those who have the power to offer you a job. You call each company & ask for name & title of the Hiring Manager in your area of expertise. Don’t let them give you the HR Manager ’s name (unless that’s the dept. where you want to work), because your 1st contact should be with the hiring manager in your field. The 3rd step is to mail your resume with a cover letter addressed to that Hiring Manager. The 4th step is to call & contact this Hiring Manager & ask for an interview.
I highly recommend this website: www.quintcareers.com/cold_calling.html

Some companies will no longer accept resumes unless they are submitted electronically. This is the result of allowing technology to override essential human contact. I recently brought a resume--physically--to a nationwide company that is HQd here in Minneapolis for a marketing position, and do you know what they said? "Oh we don't accept resumes in person or through the mail anymore. They have to be submitted electronically. When I get an actual resume, as an HR employee, the first thought that comes into my head is 'how am I going to code this?'"

Beth in Willisburg, Kentucky said: You find out about unadvertised openings by applying directly to employers. Your Chamber of Commerce has a list of the main employers in your city . Or review your phone book's yellow pages to identify & create a list of businesses you want to work for. The 1st step is making a list of all companies that you want to work for. The 2nd step is gathering list of names of those who have the power to offer you a job. You call each company & ask for name & title of the Hiring Manager in your area of expertise. Don’t let them give you the HR Manager ’s name (unless that’s the dept. where you want to work), because your 1st contact should be with the hiring manager in your field. The 3rd step is to mail your resume with a cover letter addressed to that Hiring Manager. The 4th step is to call & contact this Hiring Manager & ask for an interview.
I highly recommend this website: www.quintcareers.com/cold_calling.html

Some companies will no longer accept resumes unless they are submitted electronically. This is the result of allowing technology to override essential human contact. I recently brought a resume--physically--to a nationwide company that is HQd here in Minneapolis for a marketing position, and do you know what they said? "Oh we don't accept resumes in person or through the mail anymore. They have to be submitted electronically. When I get an actual resume, as an HR employee, the first thought that comes into my head is 'how am I going to code this?'"

I'm tired of applying through online agencies/employment services. All they are is middle men. I don't get anywhere.
I got a job last month after 5 months of online searches (mostly through middle-man agencies online, some direct applications online and a few in-persons). I got that job due to God's grace and due to word of mouth. NONE of the online agencies helped.
Randstad, Kelly Services and also sites like Careebuilder, Snagajob are useless or for me. I waste hours and months applying!
The job that I did get last month as an e-commerce lister for North Florida-Jacksonville Goodwill (the job I got only through word of mouth from another Goodwill employee)...well, I was fired by an over-bearing manager. She harrased me from my 2nd day there, made assumptions and treated me & other co-workers terribly (she is very nit-picky, overly suspicious and selfish). Even other employees noticed her negative treatment of me. If you are improving in your numbers or improving away from any error, she will overlook it and try to sabotage you.
Now I am reporting them for firing me before an improvement deadline (also bogus). They fired me before that deadline. Now because of their stupidity and selfishness, I am stuck having to search jobs again and trying to avoid these crappy job sites/online agencies that do not work.

By the way, can anyone tell me what are the BEST sites that will link you directly to companies in order to apply to them (NO middle man sites like Careerbuilder or Monster, please). Thanks.

Wow, your comment is astonishing, I am a female Aerospace engineer working in leading aircraft technology. The company I work for is making 450 workers redundant within the next few weeks. Since this news I have applied for over 200 jobs most I am over qualified for and willing to take a pay cut as I have a family to look after so happy to have a job if made redundant. When you get continuous rejection emails and told your qualification exceed or do not apply to the position it's is disheartening and can shatter your self esteem, if your lucky to get a reply at all. Please be a little more considerate to people's circumstances as you can not judge a person on their qualities from a post.