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.

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Comments

Bokeh

I answered one of their openings a year ago. Did the online questionaire, and one of their reps were going to meet me for lunch. Never a word after that. Ive talked to others, and all have had bad dealings with them.

skrpune

I see a LOT of ads for jobs through Robert Half. They seem to have a high volume of positions, but they do mostly seem to be mid- to upper-level positions. In cruising job sites, I rarely see something from them that's entry level.

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...

Andretii

Red Flags? That would be never say NO. If they ask you about availability or for how much you would work never pout a limit etc. Always use, I can think about it, maybe, could be.

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

...

genXrcist

I've worked for Robert Half Technology, good company. The rep I had was very good to me, bought me lunch, brought in donuts to my employer on my behalf, etc etc. The pay was very good relative to where I was at in my career at the time ($18/hr) and I even got a weeks worth of vacation (paid out to you annually). They do tend to look for the reps that have advanced knowledge but they do occasionally have entry level postions open as well. You won't get paid the best but you'll be a far cry from the worst as far as averages go.

All in al, RHT is a far superior recruiting company than any other I've come in contact with.

briangl

Thank you all for your advice / comments. This gives me something to work with.

I’m glad to hear someone has had a positive experience with them.

pwjohnston

skrpune wrote: »

I see a LOT of ads for jobs through Robert Half. They seem to have a high volume of positions

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.

sdyess

When I used RHT, they did get me the position I am currently at, which by the way, I am being laid off next month, it took them a year to get me this position. They told me I had to be a right fit, or they won't bother. That bothered me, immensely. Luckily, the company I am working at hired me 6 months after RHT got me this position, so I don't have to deal with them again. When I called them and told me I was being laid off, again the same thing, they have to find me a position that I am a "right fit for". I informed them I needed to pay bills, and eat, they reiterated the same thing. I won't be using their services again.

I have found a position on my own that I will be transitioning into once I my lay off begins.

hypnotoad

RH blows.

Love,
HT.

networker050184

sdyess wrote: »

When I used RHT, they did get me the position I am currently at, which by the way, I am being laid off next month, it took them a year to get me this position. They told me I had to be a right fit, or they won't bother. That bothered me, immensely. Luckily, the company I am working at hired me 6 months after RHT got me this position, so I don't have to deal with them again. When I called them and told me I was being laid off, again the same thing, they have to find me a position that I am a "right fit for". I informed them I needed to pay bills, and eat, they reiterated the same thing. I won't be using their services again.

I have found a position on my own that I will be transitioning into once I my lay off begins.

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.....

skrpune

networker050184 wrote: »

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.....

I have to agree. Many many moons ago, I did temp administrative work during summers off college. I was very clear about what my skills were and what I could & couldn't do, but I'd sometimes get tossed into jobs where I was clearly not a fit. It's a blow to the psyche when you walk in the door and this happens:
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.

sdyess

Because they didnt call me for a year, at the time, I really needed a position, and they stated they could not get me anything, even a help desk job. I was a field service tech with an A+ cert. I also did some server installations at the time.

I just really could not figure out why they could not find me a position.

I needed to work.

networker050184

sdyess wrote: »

Because they didnt call me for a year, at the time, I really needed a position, and they stated they could not get me anything, even a help desk job. I was a field service tech with an A+ cert. I also did some server installations at the time.

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.

sdyess

Understandable. I do agree it is a business, and hold no animosity towards them or the company that is laying me off. Never asked for charity, just a chance.

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".