Employment Agencies? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

dawnoffawn · 05-06-2006, 10:02 PM

I've heard of employment agencies that either take a sum of the salary you get when you find a job or they pay you to get a job...where can I find such companies and how do I search for them? I searched online and found no such thing.

For temp agencies...how do I search for those?
Thx

maleficent · 05-07-2006, 04:37 AM

A legitmiate employment agency doesn't charge you... they charge the customer - that is the person that is hiring you -- becuase they've done all the leg work for them.

Check your local phone book or want ads in the newspaper for both employmen agences (also called headhunters) or temporary employment agences.

What part of the country do you live in... if you just did a google search on temporary employment agencies followed by your city and state you should at the very least get back some yahoo entries that woudl have been found in the phonebook.

dawnoffawn · 05-07-2006, 07:53 AM

Thanks for the wonderful help, Maleficient.
I'm in NJ. I'll go do my searches

dawnoffawn · 05-07-2006, 04:00 PM

I've searched the employment agencies and I found that Monster.com was considered one of them and they are similar to careerbuilder.com and such websites, and not better.
What is the difference between those sites and employment agencies? Or are those (careerbuilders.com) considered employment agencies. Are those agencies online only or can I actually go to them and ask for help/advice? What exactly do they do? Do they guarantee a job?
Thanks!
By the way, Maleficent, congrats on being a moderator!!! I just saw your name listed in the home site of TFP and I wasn't surprised!

maleficent · 05-07-2006, 04:16 PM

Monster and careerbulders are just online job search places - they might have some tips on job hunting or resume building but they aren't going to help you specifically get a job unless you are proactive... What I said before holds true - the job is not going to come to you -- you have to go to the job...

Employment agencies do not guarentee a job, they basically act as a pimp for a company... In the paper, you'll often find headhunter agencies listing positions... That may or may not be an actual position, but a way of them getting resumes for positions in the future... A big company will come to the agency (one that doesn't want to deal with getting in 100s of resumes from people) and say I want XXX in an applicant... The agency will then weed thru their resumes... and find something that matches close enough... (generally they've already interviewed you once to make sure sure you aren't crosseyed, don't have any annoying quirks, and send oyu on to the real company for another interview... If you get the job.. the agency gets paid...

The agency might help you with your resume because it makes them look better, they might give you some interviewing tips, because it makes them look better, but otherwise you are pretty much on your own...

Some larger cities might havea career counseling center where you could get advice... a headhunter is not going to dot hat - and that is what the career center of your alma mater could offer you.

StormBerlin · 05-07-2006, 08:22 PM

I tried a temp agency for about twenty minutes. no joke. I got a weird vibe. It just wasn't for me but it might be for you. happy hunting.

Nimetic · 05-08-2006, 03:35 AM

They normally charge the employer, at least that's my experience.

Take care though... these people frequently have little real understanding of the jobs, they are simply commission oriented sales staff. Not all... most.

So take that into account when listening to their advice.. and when trying to convince them of the relevance of your abilities.

Sultana · 05-08-2006, 07:40 AM

Employment agencies can be useful for part-time or temp. work, but I've never found them useful for anything more. For a "job", go with the on-line resources.

dawnoffawn · 05-08-2006, 09:03 AM

Thanks all for the help!
Are those agencies online or offline? I serached online ofr them and found them merely to be websites with the same info and search options as any job site, not more.
Do they havep laces where you can go to them? do you need to make an appointment or just drop by?
Sorry for sounding so dumb..I'm just clueless as how to get a hold of them and get advice from them.

Anexkahn · 05-08-2006, 09:38 AM

most of our local temp agencies around here have an office and you can go in and talk to them.

I've used temp agencies a few times for various purposes and, as a customer, they are quite handy for labor intensive short-term projects. I can get a couple of people on the job in a matter of days and don't have to deal with the HR department getting them on the payroll, advertising the positions, etc. Its a simple payment to the temp agency, like any other vedor.

The people they send are generally between jobs, or just starting out building a resume. Its a good way to get some experience, but i wouldn't think it would be steady enough in terms of hours and pay to count on it as a primary source of income for the long haul.

I've often seen temp agencies used in more perminent fashion in the non-profit sector. If a non-profit group, or volunteer board has a paid "director" or other paid professional staff member acting on the groups behalf, often that person will work for an employment agency and be assigned to the group. Basically, its a ton easier for the volunteer board to make sure they're complying with labor laws, tax deductions, etc, etc, to pay the temp agency for their director and have the agency deal with labor law, payroll, taxes, etc. A lump sum check to the temp agency (which costs 15-18% more than the directors gross pay) is alot cleaner and worth the added cost than doing an actual payroll, and the headaches that go along with it for a volunteer board.

kutulu · 05-08-2006, 01:16 PM

I got my current job through a recruiting agency and there is no way I would have gotten the job without them. I was attempting to change career fields and this job was basically doing the same thing I was already doing.

The recruiting agency set everything up for me, they called and asked if I was interested in the job (I hadn't heard of it) and took care of all of the communications between myself and the company. The process took about a month from contact to offer, starting with me just going to lunch with someone from my company. I didn't get a good impression of the guy I met, I wasn't excited about what he told me about the work, and the office was ugly. If I was on my own I really wouldn't have done much to keep it going but the agency kept pushing things so I figured I'd show up for the interviews, etc. just for good experience in interviewing and such. When offer time came around, I asked for 35% more than I was making at the time. I figured, what the hell, I don't care if I get the job...

I ended up getting 26% more instead of the 35%, but it still kicked ass. Once I started working I found out that although the work was pretty similar to what I was doing, I was much more involved in the work, making it more interesting overall, and a month after starting we moved into a MUCH nicer office.

The situation with the agency was great. I worked as a contract employee for 7 months. During that time I was paid on an hourly basis so if I worked more than 40 hours I got overtime (I usually put in about 2 extra hours). On top of that, the agency paid for all my health insurance premiums and was given 5 vacation days and paid for all of the major holidays during that period.

I strongly recommend going through recruiters when possible.

dawnoffawn · 05-08-2006, 09:36 PM

thx guys for the help!
Those employment agencies are only temps? Are there full time employment agencies?

maleficent · 05-09-2006, 02:55 AM

Many places will have both types of positions... when you apply for the position you'll know what job they are sending you for.

dawnoffawn · 05-09-2006, 07:11 AM

thanks, Malefiecent.
You guys here are awesome and so helpful.
THANK YOU

CaliLivChick · 05-09-2006, 07:04 PM

Some of the agencies that helped me out when I needed temp work:
Spherion
Ajilon
Adecco
OfficeTeam
Robert Half

I found my current (permanent) job through Spherion.

They all have websites, and most have branches in NJ.

When I was looking for any work I could find (between jobs, desperate for money), I called the agencies, and said "My name is CaliLivChick, and I'm looking for employment. What e-mail address should I send my resume to?" The person that answers the phone is most likely used to hearing this sort of thing (unless it's their first day), and will be able to take the lead from there, asking what sort of work you're looking for (different people/companies might handle different industries), temp or perm, etc.

Lots of luck!

dawnoffawn · 05-12-2006, 09:47 PM

Thanks, CaliLivChick, for the great info!
I'll check them out

Elphaba · 05-13-2006, 06:49 PM

My experience is that there are levels of employment services. Folks, jump in here to correct me if I am wrong because this goes back many years.

Employment agencies, found in the yellow pages, are typically lower entry jobs and are paid by the potential employee for full time work in most cases. Temporary jobs are likely to have a fee or % assessed the employer, but to become full time (released by the agency and paid by the employer) has negotiable fees.

"Head Hunters" are recruiters for professional level jobs and are usually paid by the employer.

Folks posting an opening, or seeking one on sites like Monster are unexplored territory for me.

CaliLivChick · 05-14-2006, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elphaba

My experience is that there are levels of employment services. Folks, jump in here to correct me if I am wrong because this goes back many years.

Employment agencies, found in the yellow pages, are typically lower entry jobs and are paid by the potential employee for full time work in most cases. Temporary jobs are likely to have a fee or % assessed the employer, but to become full time (released by the agency and paid by the employer) has negotiable fees.

"Head Hunters" are recruiters for professional level jobs and are usually paid by the employer.

Folks posting an opening, or seeking one on sites like Monster are unexplored territory for me.

Employment agencies - there are many different types of agencies these days. I've personally been with an agency that worked with creative professionals (I'm a graphic designer). In my searches, I've found agencies that only work with heavy industrial fields, ones that work in financial fields, ones that work with office personnel, and ones that work with executives. There are also those that will work with many different fields (especially true in smaller areas). As far as who pays, in the past, I'm aware that there were agencies that made the employees pay, but I don't think that practice exists anymore.

Head hunters - I'm not sure how this works, but my step-mom hasn't said that she has to pay her head hunter, so I think the employer pays for this service as well.

Monster, CareerBuilder, etc. - The major sites have the employers pay to be members, to post jobs, and to search resumes. The majority of employees are members, and search/apply for jobs, for free. There is the option to pay to have your resume shown higher up in the list, but I haven't found that necessary.

Newspaper listings/posting openings - the employer pays.

05-06-2006, 10:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
dawnoffawn Crazy	Employment Agencies? I've heard of employment agencies that either take a sum of the salary you get when you find a job or they pay you to get a job...where can I find such companies and how do I search for them? I searched online and found no such thing. For temp agencies...how do I search for those? Thx

05-07-2006, 04:37 AM	#2 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	A legitmiate employment agency doesn't charge you... they charge the customer - that is the person that is hiring you -- becuase they've done all the leg work for them. Check your local phone book or want ads in the newspaper for both employmen agences (also called headhunters) or temporary employment agences. What part of the country do you live in... if you just did a google search on temporary employment agencies followed by your city and state you should at the very least get back some yahoo entries that woudl have been found in the phonebook. __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less. Last edited by maleficent; 05-07-2006 at 04:45 AM..

05-07-2006, 04:16 PM	#5 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	Monster and careerbulders are just online job search places - they might have some tips on job hunting or resume building but they aren't going to help you specifically get a job unless you are proactive... What I said before holds true - the job is not going to come to you -- you have to go to the job... Employment agencies do not guarentee a job, they basically act as a pimp for a company... In the paper, you'll often find headhunter agencies listing positions... That may or may not be an actual position, but a way of them getting resumes for positions in the future... A big company will come to the agency (one that doesn't want to deal with getting in 100s of resumes from people) and say I want XXX in an applicant... The agency will then weed thru their resumes... and find something that matches close enough... (generally they've already interviewed you once to make sure sure you aren't crosseyed, don't have any annoying quirks, and send oyu on to the real company for another interview... If you get the job.. the agency gets paid... The agency might help you with your resume because it makes them look better, they might give you some interviewing tips, because it makes them look better, but otherwise you are pretty much on your own... Some larger cities might havea career counseling center where you could get advice... a headhunter is not going to dot hat - and that is what the career center of your alma mater could offer you. __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

05-07-2006, 08:22 PM	#6 (permalink)
StormBerlin Happy as a hippo Location: Southern California	I tried a temp agency for about twenty minutes. no joke. I got a weird vibe. It just wasn't for me but it might be for you. happy hunting. __________________ "if anal sex could get a girl pregnant i'd be tits deep in child support" Arcane

05-08-2006, 07:40 AM	#8 (permalink)
Sultana Falling Angel Location: L.A. L.A. land	Employment agencies can be useful for part-time or temp. work, but I've never found them useful for anything more. For a "job", go with the on-line resources. __________________ "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come." - Matt Groening My goal? To fulfill my potential.

05-07-2006, 07:53 AM	#3 (permalink)
dawnoffawn Crazy	Thanks for the wonderful help, Maleficient. I'm in NJ. I'll go do my searches

05-07-2006, 04:00 PM	#4 (permalink)
dawnoffawn Crazy	I've searched the employment agencies and I found that Monster.com was considered one of them and they are similar to careerbuilder.com and such websites, and not better. What is the difference between those sites and employment agencies? Or are those (careerbuilders.com) considered employment agencies. Are those agencies online only or can I actually go to them and ask for help/advice? What exactly do they do? Do they guarantee a job? Thanks! By the way, Maleficent, congrats on being a moderator!!! I just saw your name listed in the home site of TFP and I wasn't surprised!

05-08-2006, 03:35 AM	#7 (permalink)
Nimetic Junkie Location: Melbourne, Australia	They normally charge the employer, at least that's my experience. Take care though... these people frequently have little real understanding of the jobs, they are simply commission oriented sales staff. Not all... most. So take that into account when listening to their advice.. and when trying to convince them of the relevance of your abilities.

05-08-2006, 09:03 AM	#9 (permalink)
dawnoffawn Crazy	Thanks all for the help! Are those agencies online or offline? I serached online ofr them and found them merely to be websites with the same info and search options as any job site, not more. Do they havep laces where you can go to them? do you need to make an appointment or just drop by? Sorry for sounding so dumb..I'm just clueless as how to get a hold of them and get advice from them.

05-08-2006, 09:38 AM	#10 (permalink)
Anexkahn Crazy Location: whOregon	most of our local temp agencies around here have an office and you can go in and talk to them. I've used temp agencies a few times for various purposes and, as a customer, they are quite handy for labor intensive short-term projects. I can get a couple of people on the job in a matter of days and don't have to deal with the HR department getting them on the payroll, advertising the positions, etc. Its a simple payment to the temp agency, like any other vedor. The people they send are generally between jobs, or just starting out building a resume. Its a good way to get some experience, but i wouldn't think it would be steady enough in terms of hours and pay to count on it as a primary source of income for the long haul. I've often seen temp agencies used in more perminent fashion in the non-profit sector. If a non-profit group, or volunteer board has a paid "director" or other paid professional staff member acting on the groups behalf, often that person will work for an employment agency and be assigned to the group. Basically, its a ton easier for the volunteer board to make sure they're complying with labor laws, tax deductions, etc, etc, to pay the temp agency for their director and have the agency deal with labor law, payroll, taxes, etc. A lump sum check to the temp agency (which costs 15-18% more than the directors gross pay) is alot cleaner and worth the added cost than doing an actual payroll, and the headaches that go along with it for a volunteer board.

05-08-2006, 01:16 PM	#11 (permalink)
kutulu Junkie	I got my current job through a recruiting agency and there is no way I would have gotten the job without them. I was attempting to change career fields and this job was basically doing the same thing I was already doing. The recruiting agency set everything up for me, they called and asked if I was interested in the job (I hadn't heard of it) and took care of all of the communications between myself and the company. The process took about a month from contact to offer, starting with me just going to lunch with someone from my company. I didn't get a good impression of the guy I met, I wasn't excited about what he told me about the work, and the office was ugly. If I was on my own I really wouldn't have done much to keep it going but the agency kept pushing things so I figured I'd show up for the interviews, etc. just for good experience in interviewing and such. When offer time came around, I asked for 35% more than I was making at the time. I figured, what the hell, I don't care if I get the job... I ended up getting 26% more instead of the 35%, but it still kicked ass. Once I started working I found out that although the work was pretty similar to what I was doing, I was much more involved in the work, making it more interesting overall, and a month after starting we moved into a MUCH nicer office. The situation with the agency was great. I worked as a contract employee for 7 months. During that time I was paid on an hourly basis so if I worked more than 40 hours I got overtime (I usually put in about 2 extra hours). On top of that, the agency paid for all my health insurance premiums and was given 5 vacation days and paid for all of the major holidays during that period. I strongly recommend going through recruiters when possible.

05-08-2006, 09:36 PM	#12 (permalink)
dawnoffawn Crazy	thx guys for the help! Those employment agencies are only temps? Are there full time employment agencies?

05-09-2006, 02:55 AM	#13 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	Many places will have both types of positions... when you apply for the position you'll know what job they are sending you for. __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

05-09-2006, 07:11 AM	#14 (permalink)
dawnoffawn Crazy	thanks, Malefiecent. You guys here are awesome and so helpful. THANK YOU

05-09-2006, 07:04 PM	#15 (permalink)
CaliLivChick In Transition Location: Sanford, FL (between Daytona and Orlando)	Some of the agencies that helped me out when I needed temp work: Spherion Ajilon Adecco OfficeTeam Robert Half I found my current (permanent) job through Spherion. They all have websites, and most have branches in NJ. When I was looking for any work I could find (between jobs, desperate for money), I called the agencies, and said "My name is CaliLivChick, and I'm looking for employment. What e-mail address should I send my resume to?" The person that answers the phone is most likely used to hearing this sort of thing (unless it's their first day), and will be able to take the lead from there, asking what sort of work you're looking for (different people/companies might handle different industries), temp or perm, etc. Lots of luck! __________________ Don't trust anything that can bleed for a week and not die. Oh wait, that's me... nevermind... you can trust me.

05-12-2006, 09:47 PM	#16 (permalink)
dawnoffawn Crazy	Thanks, CaliLivChick, for the great info! I'll check them out

05-13-2006, 06:49 PM	#17 (permalink)
Elphaba Deja Moo Location: Olympic Peninsula, WA	My experience is that there are levels of employment services. Folks, jump in here to correct me if I am wrong because this goes back many years. Employment agencies, found in the yellow pages, are typically lower entry jobs and are paid by the potential employee for full time work in most cases. Temporary jobs are likely to have a fee or % assessed the employer, but to become full time (released by the agency and paid by the employer) has negotiable fees. "Head Hunters" are recruiters for professional level jobs and are usually paid by the employer. Folks posting an opening, or seeking one on sites like Monster are unexplored territory for me.