questions for recruiting companies

I was contacted by email by a recruiter from Robert Half and need to call him. I would like to know what questions to ask him and what to look out for, “red flags”. I have read about a lot of negative experiences with recruiting companies, very few positive ones.
I have answered ads with recruiting companies and they have called me about jobs that I did not reply to, needing a lot more qualifications. At that point they have told me that they get entry level jobs all the time and that they would email me. I never hear from them again. That exact scenario has happened at least two times. That’s about all of the experience I have with them. I read reviews about Robert Half on a company review site and most of them are horrible. I am still willing to consider them, I just want to be very careful.
I need to maintain a certain level of income to support a family and house, etc., need health insurance… the usual stuff. Is this even possible with an IT staffing company with an entry level job?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I have answered ads with recruiting companies and they have called me about jobs that I did not reply to, needing a lot more qualifications. At that point they have told me that they get entry level jobs all the time and that they would email me. I never hear from them again. That exact scenario has happened at least two times. That’s about all of the experience I have with them. I read reviews about Robert Half on a company review site and most of them are horrible. I am still willing to consider them, I just want to be very careful.
I need to maintain a certain level of income to support a family and house, etc., need health insurance… the usual stuff. Is this even possible with an IT staffing company with an entry level job?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Comments
In general, what you need to know is how this process works logistically, i.e.:
- if you get/accept a position, are you employed through Robert Half (or any staffing company for that matter) or do you get paid by the client/employer directly?
- are there contracts to sign when accepting a contract/term length position?
- if getting paid through/by the staffing company, what is their policy for benefits, sick time, etc.?
- do they typically have the type of job you're looking for within your desired travel radius?
- what type of clients/jobs do they usually have that might mesh with your skillset?
How and when you ask these questions depends on you. Some people prefer to get these out of the way ahead of time, and some prefer to wait. I'd vote for earlier rather than later, because you don't want to get your heart set on an awesome contract position through them and then find out that the logistics don't work for you. When talking in generals with a staffing company, it's less of an issue and less taboo to bring up pay rates & benefits, or at least I think so. I'm usually really shy about bringing up stuff like that, but for some reason I have no issue with doing it when talking to new recruiters.
I think most people have bad dealings with staffing companies. It's the nature of the business. They're basically pimps and they get a cut of your action. The more they can pimp you out, the better, and they prefer to take as much of a cut as they can for themselves. If the proposed client goes away or if another candidate takes that spot, then you won't hear back from the recruiter until/unless there's a new position that they want you to take. These folks work MAD crazy hours (most I've talked to get in 7-8am and don't leave until 6pm or so) and are busy trying to track down candidates for their clients, and if they're calling you to chat or going out to lunch with you instead of finding people to fill spots, then they're losing money. They get paid to place people, not to schmooze. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a semi-sleazy business and I'm not a huge fan of recruiters/staffing companies in general (even though I'll be working through one now, HA!)...just trying to explain a little bit of what I've seen & why I think it is the way it is...
Next Up: Security+, 291?
Enrolled in Masters program: CS 2011 expected completion
Same about your experience. If they ask if you have experience with xxxxxxxxxx, say that you know what it is and for what it's used. Let them know that you'll learn fast etc...
That's how I go about it
"I have 16 Millions different ways of pinging myself. Sounded kind of dirty but that's not how I meant it." J. Conrad
Working on:
VCP4 » 0%
LPIC-1 » 0%
All in al, RHT is a far superior recruiting company than any other I've come in contact with.
I’m glad to hear someone has had a positive experience with them.
I had a guy from RHT tell me flat out that many of the positions don't exist and they post them to make sure they have a pool of candidates to call when someone needs a position filled.
I have found a position on my own that I will be transitioning into once I my lay off begins.
Love,
HT.
Why would you get angry over a company trying to find a position you would be a good fit for? I don't see how this is a negative. I'd be mad if they just threw me at any position that was vaguely related to my resume. I'm sure you are aware of this, but you are probably not their only client and they do make money off of putting the "right" person in the "right" position. Not just anyone who submits a resume. Sounds like a good recruiter to me.....
me: hi, I'm your temp for this week.
them: so, do you take shorthand?
me: um, no.
them: so, you know how to use a dictation machine, right?
me: um, no.
them: so you've got experience working in a law office, riiiight?
me: um, no....
Yes, I got paid for my time there & in other places where I wasn't a "good fit" but it sucked. Big time. Then and now, I'd rather wait a while for a job that I was a good fit for rather than go for something I am totally wrong for. It's a waste of everyone's time (yours included) to be placed in a job where you're not a good fit.
Next Up: Security+, 291?
Enrolled in Masters program: CS 2011 expected completion
I just really could not figure out why they could not find me a position.
I needed to work.
Maybe they had more qualified individuals getting the positions. This isn't charity after all, its business.
I am very happy that RHT did find me the job I currently hold.
I used another temp agency to find a job in the year that it took RHT to find me that "perfect" position".