Ever want to know what goes on behind the scenes at a placement agency? Ask away!
Can I have a job, please?
Sure!
Do you get a flood of crazy and/or disqualified people coming in on Mondays? That seems to be my big day for the crazies?
SSG § Schwartz
Mondays and Fridays tie for weirdo sightings. Each Monday I get several that still smell like the bar, dressed elegantly in sweatpants and sporting bed-head. Bonus points for missing teeth or the overwhelming stench of stale cigarette smoke. The wake up hung over and realize that they need a job, or their spouse/girlfriend realizes it for them.
During the orientation process I tell each person that the paychecks come out of the corporate office, I don’t have them, I never have them, and I have no control over the speed of the postal service. I push direct deposit but you would be surprised how many people want the paper checks.
Guess how many call/come in on Friday to give me a hard time because they don’t have their check?
Is it easier to find positions for young workers or older workers?
There is a a thread where it might be significant.
Where’s my check?
By the way, here are some of my pet peeves:
A weak handshake. Just because I’m female doesn’t mean that you should be limp-wristed. Look me in the eye and give a firm but not punishing hand shake.
Have someone else proofread your resume. They will usually catch mistakes that you didn’t notice. USE SPELLCHECK and learn to capitalize! Another issue that comes up frequently is the ‘too long’ resume. One page is fine, two tops. If I want you to expand upon your work history, education, or skill sets, I’ll ask you additional questions during the interview. I got a resume last week that was five pages long. I don’t have time to read all of that and it’s way too much to wade through. Next!
During our initial meeting, remember that you are being judged from the moment that you walk through the door and act accordingly. Don’t bring your kids, your girlfriend, boyfriend, or dog (yes, really). Don’t pull out your cell phone, even to quickly glance at a text. That’s rude. Look me in the eye. Sit up straight, you look like an idiot slouched down. Don’t wear flip-flops and torn sweatpants but don’t wear a three piece suit, either. That’s just creepy.
There is an orientation process before I place you at any worksite, and you would be surprised at what I’m evaluating. Remember that it’s not just about the tests that I put you through. You’re being evaluated on things that you are completely unaware of.
Hmm… what else? Oh, dousing yourself with cologne and using lots of mouthwash is a dead giveaway that you drank a lot the night before. I can still smell the alcohol coming out of your pores.
Don’t get me wrong… I get a lot of great applicants. It’s the messed up ones that leave a lasting impression. Any conference or meeting that has a lot of HR people will be full of funny/sad/scary stories during the lunch break.
{{{shudder}}
twitch
Young workers are much easier to place.
Thanks, Purple Haze, I am going to post your pet peeves in my office.
My favorite applicant was one that showed up two hours late to an appointment. He literally walked up to me as I was locking up to go home. He asked was I staying late just for him. I noticed the ripped white t-shirt he was wearing and the flip flops he had on. As I was unlocking the door to let him in, he asked me if I could go tell his judge he was joining the Army, so he shouldn’t have to go to jail. Then he wanted me to call his dad to tell his dad he was at the interview. This is even before I have had a chance to ask him to sit down. I told him the Army was all full up, and he should reconsider that jail option and went home.
SSG § Schwartz
Do you put people in contract positions or direct hire?
What kind of income does the company and recruiter make off of a placement?
If you do placement for contract or temp work (reading your replies, I guess that is what you do), I have a question that may come across as offensive.
Do you consider what you do ethical? I have worked in temp jobs. To me, the main purpose of a temp/contract agency is to provide a legal framework that allows an employer to avoid offering benefits and job security to an employee. That seems to be the major purpose of temp agencies. Granted, it is better to be employed as a temp worker w/o benefits and security than to be unemployed. But it would be better to be a direct hire too. And I think permatemping is creating a corporate culture that is destructive to the labor force.
From what I’ve seen, as a temp worker you don’t get raises or cost of living adjustments, no bonuses, no paid vacations/personal days/holidays, no health insurance, no matching 401k, no pensions, no partaking in company outings, no flu shots, disability insurance, etc. Plus it is easier to cancel a contract than to fire an employee.
My impression is that an employer will pay a $3-8/hr premium to a temp agency to avoid offering those benefits because it is cheaper to pay the premium than the benefits. But fundamentally, in my experience, temp agencies do not really offer anything productive to employees, just to employers. They have gotten me interviews and jobs, but I have gotten interviews and jobs on my own too. A temp agency has never done anything to deserve thousands of dollars off of my labors, or done anything that benefits me. Money that could have gone to benefits for me instead goes to a temp agency that does nothing so the employer can avoid giving me those benefits.
So to me it is just one of many symptoms of our slide into plutocracy (our movement away from careers with benefits and security to a benefit/security-free permatemp workforce). Is that attitude seen among recruiters or do recruiters feel they offer flexibility to the labor force?
Where are you, and what sort of positions do you recruit for?
And I reserve the right to ask a follow-up question.
Sorry if this is a hijack but I was about to start a thread and figured this might be better than having two similar topics going.
I submitted a resume with a company that’s well-established in my area. Today (Saturday), I got a voicemail around 7 p.m. from a woman who said she was calling about my application to company X. Is this done by recruiters or companies? The timing pings my scam radar, but the fact that she knew the company name suggests she has some connection to the place.
Why are IT recruiters all scumbags?
I’ll answer your questions line by line so I don’t miss anything.
I don’t know. It’s never been a topic of conversation.
I’ve heard that before! I don’t recruit for IT jobs because there are few openings in my area, so you got me on that one.
Sorry, I don’t need a robot arm this week, but I’ll keep your resume in my file. I’m in the bat cave, plotting my escape.
Good question. The only time I usually call people after hours is if I’ve already talked to them face to face. I do work late at least a couple of times a week but never on the weekends. The person that had this job before me did work weekends as needed, so it does happen… recruiting never ends, especially if the client wants you to staff the job immediately. It sounds like she is familiar with the placement, so it won’t hurt to talk to her. Beyond that you can use your best judgement after you listen to what she has to say.