Employment Agencies - Worthless for the FT job seeker? (job offer, employee, opening)

[eger]

First a little background - My gf and I moved to Tx 8 months ago when I received a very good job offer and relocation package.
My gf has been looking for a job ever since we moved here as an Admin Assistant. She'll find an add online that was posted that day, email to inquire about the position and will be told to come into the office and take a test (which by the way is the same test everywhere she goes). When she arrives at the Agency that day the job has been filled, but asked to leave her resume and take the test. From there the Agency will never contact her, and usually follow-up emails are not responded to or calls go directly to voicemail. Test scores are usually in the top for her industry, and she has a very good work history and professional resume.

I truly believe that there is a quota for these agents, and they are required to get a certain amount of people to apply in order to fill that quota, regardless if jobs are available or not - Thus leading to fake jobs online. I also think that the resumes received are used for Employer Leads and contact information.
Additionally, she has had numerous interviews with companies only to find out they are temp jobs for a week, or temp jobs until the employee she's replacing comes back from either surgery or pregnancy. The Agent informed her before the interview they are Temp to Perm which is obviously a lie.

She makes herself available each week, and while browsing online she'll find a job opening at the employment agency she's reg at. Wondering why this job was not offered to her, she calls to only find out the job was filled; how can a job be filled 3 hours after posting it online?

Most if not all of the people she has dealt with give her the run-around, lie, and avoid her. They seem to keep a long list of people hoping that when the job seeker gets desperate enough they'll take the $10 an hour job they are over qualified for, which really pays $18 to the Agency.
Is there any truth to this; has anyone else run into the same issues?

[GypsySoul22]

I have had the same issues since moving to VT. Any agency I have been with has been *sucky* apart from one that got me a temp job (yet I had some issues with them as well regarding being paid.) Now the woman from that agency has NOTHING to offer. She will email me about jobs and be really eager and I never hear from her again.

The other agencies here have very arrogant staff. I dealt with one person by phone who was extremely kind and nice and the next day her colleague or boss called me back and she was a b**ch. Made me not want to deal with them.

I am also looking for administrative jobs which all but have disappeared in the last 1.5 years...I remember when we first moved here there were several in the paper a week. Now if I see one every few weeks (temp or part time!) it's a lot. Companies seem to be melding them into 'everything under the sun' assistant jobs now.

I have not seen a customer service job in about six months.

As 'fruitless' as it may seem, your g/f should just draft a few letters based on the industries in your area and send them out herself to HR/managers and try to get directly hired. Considering how 'unprofessional' many agencies are, they are better off hiring your g/f at $13/hr and taking a shot on her then paying some agency $20..

[annerk]

What should it matter what the agency is making as long as the job is paying the jobseeker the prevailing wage? Think about it this way--the agency has expenses in recruiting people as well as paying the employer paid taxes which can equal another 30% of the employees earnings, then they ahve their employees to pay, plus rent, insurance, etc. The amouhnt of money that the agency is making isn't nearly as much as you think.

Does she speak Spanish? My guess (and I could be wrong) is that the majority of admin jobs int ath area was someone who is fully bilingual. That right there makes her not over qualified for the jobs she's applying for.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

As 'fruitless' as it may seem, your g/f should just draft a few letters based on the industries in your area and send them out herself to HR/managers and try to get directly hired. Considering how 'unprofessional' many agencies are, they are better off hiring your g/f at $13/hr and taking a shot on her then paying some agency $20..

I agree. One of my friends in MA recently went through a lot of hoopla interviewing for a long term temp, possible temp to perm job through an agency and the employer liked her a lot. However, they ended up going with someone they met who was a true freelancer ... meaning not working through an agency ... because they saved a lot of money that way. She was really disappointed at that and even the employer admitted he would have chosen her from all the people interviewed if not for the significant savings from going with someone not represented by an agency. I advised her to just contact companies she would like to work for, explain her experience, and offer to do fill-in work when they need someone without an agency. So she got a bite from an employer in her area and has been filling in for a couple of months and now they have offered her a f/t job with benefits starting July 1.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by annerk

Does she speak Spanish? My guess (and I could be wrong) is that the majority of admin jobs int ath area was someone who is fully bilingual. That right there makes her not over qualified for the jobs she's applying for.

I think you are stereotyping Texas as if it were part of Mexico or something. All the people I know in Texas, except for one, are not fluent in spanish. They are all gainfully employed. The one who actually happens to be fluent in spanish is a high school teacher (one of the languages she teaches is spanish). She is a non-white hispanic person and native Texan.

[phonelady61]

I think the temp agencys are the same everywhere and you just have to be smart about it . when I first started out in the administrative assistant field I was not that great at test taking so naturally the scores were low but the lady told me to come in anyway and I would not cause the scores were too low to retain employment . So they do get paid for how many people signs with them and the agent gets a commision after signing so many people up . well anyway now I type 60 wpm and know all the applicable computer programs thanks to school . I am now much better off .

[GypsySoul22]

Originally Posted by annerk

What should it matter what the agency is making as long as the job is paying the jobseeker the prevailing wage? Think about it this way--the agency has expenses in recruiting people as well as paying the employer paid taxes which can equal another 30% of the employees earnings, then they ahve their employees to pay, plus rent, insurance, etc. The amouhnt of money that the agency is making isn't nearly as much as you think.

In my case they were paying $10 an hour for a job that should have been $15/hr due to the responsibilities. However, this is Vermont and you 'takes what you gets' or some other person will gladly snap it up.

[TVandSportsGuy]

yes some employment agencies are sneaky and you have to research the ones in your area that are legit.

but i can see how someone is pissed off after being in the agency for 2 hours taking tests and filling out paperwork only to find out that the opening was filled.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

I think you are stereotyping Texas as if it were part of Mexico or something. All the people I know in Texas, except for one, are not fluent in spanish. They are all gainfully employed. The one who actually happens to be fluent in spanish is a high school teacher (one of the languages she teaches is spanish). She is a non-white hispanic person and native Texan.

No, I'm saying that in southern Texas many employers want bilingual employees. It's the same here in central Florida. Go look at the help wanted ads on monster and career builder--many specifically state they want a bilingual employee. Not stereotyping, but fact.

[tluv00]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

I agree. One of my friends in MA recently went through a lot of hoopla interviewing for a long term temp, possible temp to perm job through an agency and the employer liked her a lot. However, they ended up going with someone they met who was a true freelancer ... meaning not working through an agency ... because they saved a lot of money that way. She was really disappointed at that and even the employer admitted he would have chosen her from all the people interviewed if not for the significant savings from going with someone not represented by an agency. I advised her to just contact companies she would like to work for, explain her experience, and offer to do fill-in work when they need someone without an agency. So she got a bite from an employer in her area and has been filling in for a couple of months and now they have offered her a f/t job with benefits starting July 1.

Your friend should learn what it is to be a freelancer/1099 employee before just diving in. Doing ALL of your own taxes (Soc Sec, income tax etc). Additionally, employers generally cover half of the total Social Security and Medicare taxes (15%) so your friend would be responsible for paying an additional 7.5% in taxes most likely.

Benefits not being subsidized nor getting any kind of "bulk" discount as a company would get, having to collect your own money (you usually don't get paid weekly like an agency would do but you get paid.....when the company wants to pay you). You also don't have as much access to major employers in the market as a larger staffing company would have.

Being a freelance has the benefits of being the employer and employee but it's not all gravy. Have your friend do the research. She may find that not only is it a pain in the a$$ but she may also be getting paid less after all is said and done.

I am saying a staffing company is an end all be all.....but make sure your friend does the research otherwise she may find herself worse off than when she started.