For those of you who are looking for work, chances are, at any given point in time, you have been approached by a recruiter from a staffing agency or consulting firm. Many industries, particularly health care and IT, rely on agencies for short-term or long-term needs, and those of you in those fields can certainly find a great deal of work by pursuing that option.
Even if you’re not in health care or IT, a staffing agency could be a good way for you to find temporary employment or even permanent placement. That is, if the conditions are right. But it’s very important to pay attention to the agencies you come in contact with.
Unfortunately, there are a number of firms out there who are chasing jobs with companies that might not exactly want their help. As a consequence, when you’re contacted by them (or vice versa, as the case may be), it may serve as false hope for your. It’s that that point where you might consider imposing a staffing agency moratorium.
What is that, exactly? Simply put, if you see a job advertised by a staffing firm, you don’t apply. Furthermore, if you are contacted by a firm for a position, you politely decline. Again, while there are many good agencies out there, it’s understandable that there are plenty out that that will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.
Here are some red flags that the staffing agency that you’ve come in contact with might not be on the up-and-up.
- They bring you into their office, then ask you for money. Never, under any circumstances, work with a staffing agency that asks for money up from for you.
- You see a job ad or are contacted by a firm about a position you have either applied for directly or seen advertised by the hiring company themselves. While you may have applied for this position before, and if you haven’t been contacted by the company, chances are a middleman isn’t going to help matters, especially considering they will ask for a placement fee.
- The recruiter you come in contact with is not familiar with the jargon associated with the position. I have had people who have been approached for jobs, especially in IT, where the recruiter is not up on technical jargon. If they don’t speak the same language as you, how can you expect them to speak to the company?
It’s always good to be cautious, especially in these tough economic times. However, if you are able to find the right situation with a staffing agency, you will be glad you were.