[Cialug] Robert Half and/or local consulting company experiences.

[Jeff Davis]

Having previously worked for a job board, you should keep in
mind that just because some recruiter posts a job, doesn't actually
mean they have one to fill. 
Keep an eye out if some agency appears to have a bunch of jobs
available when no one else does.  Sure they might have some
exclusive deal with a company, but probably not.

If you get sent on an interview, take copies of your resume. 
Since pretty much every recruiter wants your resume in Word
format (most will just remove your name and add their letterhead)
you never know if they altered something in your skill set. 
I have always taken several copies to ensure that at least what I'm
presenting the potential employer is correct.  If you've been
misrepresented it is a waste of your and the employers time, and I'd
stop dealing with that recruiter.  A good one will take the time to
review your resume with you and suggest changes or refer you to
a service if needed.

One of the most personally annoying things I've run across is
contacting a recruiter about a job and they ask me to come to
their office.  When I arrive at the office, someone shoves a stack
of paperwork at me, including an I-9 and W-4 and demands my
drivers license and social security card so they can make a photocopy.
I don't even know who the potential employer is yet, let alone if I
want the job.  The potential employer probably hasn't even seen my
resume yet.  I understand why they do business that way but I don't
like to give out my info that easily, and there is a fleeting sense of
being
herded into a cattle car.

While neither have ever placed me I've had nothing but
positive experiences with both Paragon and Palmer Group.

-Jeff

Tim Wilson wrote:
> I used Key Employment once.  I wasn't happy.  They made it sound like
> they had to fight for the salary they got me.  I was naive then, I
> didn't realize I was severely underpaid.  And they had to fight to get
> that?  Wow...
>
> I've used other services too, I used Octagon, and they placed me at
> Norwest Mortgage.  It went well, but I had initially looked at them
> for a contract job.  They didn't want to put me in a contract job, so
> they placed me in a permanent job.  I tried another service too, and
> wasn't happy with them.  They pushed me to go to an interview at
> Omaha, even though I didn't want to go.  I wanted to leave the Quad
> Cities to move back to Des Moines.  So why would I want to move to
> another city?  When I said I wasn't interested, she didn't do any more
> searching for me.
>
> Then there was the Cap Gemini debacle.  They told me I had the job. 
> But they said I had to go meet with the client.  I was shocked when I
> went into the "meeting" and got an "interview".  I did not get the job.
>
> I had made some contact with Robert Half a long time ago, but they
> never seemed to do any searching for me.  Of course, they've tried to
> contact me since, but I'm not sure that I'm interested.
>
> So yeah, I've had better luck finding jobs on my own.
>
> On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 11:25 AM, Todd Walton <tdwalton at gmail.com
> <mailto:tdwalton at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 1:24 AM, Tim Champion
>     <timchampion at gmail.com <mailto:timchampion at gmail.com>> wrote:
>     > I've worked through Robert half for 2 gigs. It wasn't bad at
>     all. They saved
>     > by butt when I needed something quickly. They worked very hard
>     and fast to
>     > find something for me. That gig turned out to be a 6 month
>     contract. That
>     > employer hired me at the end of the contract, and I'm still there.
>
>     For me, I was impressed that Robert Half was able to get me a job
>     that, frankly, I don't think my resume supported, though I had the
>     skills.  But once I was in I was able to show my stuff, and after half
>     a year I got hired on full time.
>
>     They were always easy to deal with, and I never had problems talking
>     to someone there if I had a question or problem.  They gave me helpful
>     advice when I applied at the job and sent me a congratulations card
>     when I got hired.  They were everything I needed.
>
>     My wife also worked through Robert Half for two consecutive jobs, and
>     she loved it.  She was hired on at the second one.
>
>     I've not had experience with other recruiters in central Iowa.  But
>     definitely don't rule out Robert Half.
>
>     --
>     Todd
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>
> -- 
> Tim
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