Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with staffing

Creative temping in Denver

scratch — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:57:53 -0800

Can anyone recommend a Denver temp agency for "creatives" or for "information professionals"? I want desperately to move to Denver and have been told that no temp agency clients will consider me for long-term assignments unless I'm already there, even though I've told them I expect to pay my own relocation expenses. I'm a writer, editor, and librarian. Because I have these skills I'm not interested in super-low-level receptionist-type assignments. It's hard to Google because of all the junk listings. I guess I'm looking for personal experiences with firms to try or to avoid. (And yes, I'm aware that the economy is blotto, and that this is going to be an uphill battle.)

Please tell me about temping

schroedinger — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:59:58 -0800

Need a briefer on all things temping, how to get a temp job when your office experience is minimal (but not your knowledge), and recommendations for staffing agencies in the Moorestown/Collingswood/Philly NJ suburbs area. I am looking to move to the Philadelphia suburbs, the Jersey side near Collingswood or Moorestown and have been considering temping agencies for employment.

However, I know absolutely nothing about temp agencies. I've read the previous AskMetafilter questions but still am not sure on a few topics.

1. How Does This All Work?
My understanding is temp agencies work like this. Am I correct?
- You call
- They ask for a resume and hopefully set up an appointment
- You arrive at the appointment and try to wow them
- They tell you whether or not you're hired with them
- Once hired, you call all the time asking if they've found a position
- When they find a position, you go to that position

2. Office Experience
I have a year's worth of official office experience that I did a couple of years ago, and everything else has been on-and-off barista work while I bounced in and out of school (and still haven't finished my degree). I can get great recommendations from my previous employers, but again, it's barista work. I'm extremely competent with answering phones and typing and MS Office and all of that, but it doesn't show on my resume. Is there any chance at all of me getting hired?

I also read in previous questions it's good to have an idea of what you want to do through them--but I thought most temp work was clerical. What other type of temp work is there? How do I express that I'm not particular on the industry or job, just that I get a salary?

3. Pay
What is a reasonable amount to request for pay? $10-11/hour seemed an almost luxurious amount of money when I was working as a barista, but it seemed from previous questions that temp jobs pay higher and I don't want to lowball because I'm used to poverty.

4. Recommended Agencies
A search engine like this one pulls up a billion-and-one staffing agencies in the area I'm looking. Do I call all of them? Is there some place that rates agencies? Should I focus on larger agencies, and what are these larger agencies? Can anyone give recommendations?

What are some good staffing agencies in Toronto?

cranberrymonger — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:01:15 -0800

What are some good staffing agencies in Toronto? I'm currently at my first full-time job - client service at a financial institution but I want out!

I found this directory of recruiters but it's not possible to match a firm by industry without buying their $50 book.

I've seen a lot of manufacturing, retail, labour, sales and customer service jobs offered through these agencies but I'm not interested in those...

Have you had success with a staffing agency when looking for a permanent (or temp-to-permanent) job with the government or a non-profit agency or a quasi-governmental organization?

Any experiences (positive or negative) welcome. Or, if I'm barking up the wrong tree, I don't mind hearing it.

Know tech headhunters in New York City or San Francisco?

hoobichu — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:17:26 -0800

Does anyone know of a good headhunter or recruiter in New York City or San Francisco, who places software developers or software engineers? I'm a software engineer looking for a job in those cities, and am finding it very difficult to find any headhunters at all, not to mention ones with positions available.

How can I tell if a staffing agency is reliable/legitimate/not a scam?

EvilKenji — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:24:24 -0800

How can I tell if a staffing agency is reliable/legitimate/not a scam? I replied to a Craigslist ad and was called back by a staffing agency for an interview. I googled the staffing agency and they do have branches in many large cities but I don't have a lot of experience with staffing agencies and I'm not sure what i should be looking out for. They said they don't charge a fee for job placement, are there any other methods staffing agencies use to squeeze money out of job seekers? I know many staffing agencies charge the companies they hire people for and not the job seeker, but I also know that some staffing agencies take a cut of job seekers' pay checks., What are some things I should look out for to make sure I'm not paying any unnecessary fees or anything like that?

Managerial woes

engling — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:13:43 -0800

My department is seriously understaffed. How do I effectively present a case to add more employees? Resources, tips and advice? What are some key elements to this request/plan? A bit more information: I work as a manager in the healthcare industry, at a very large urban hospital. Arguing the need is somewhat straightforward due to all of the new regulatory requirements placed on my industry (e.x. increase in reporting to state agencies) and the penalties associated if non-compliant.

Since the budget for the hospital for 2009 is set and included no $ for additional staff, is it even feasible to think this is a possibility? I have been in this position for 5 months, so I had no way of getting this on the budget for next year. However almost immediately, I noticed the need and verbally brought it up to my director/VP, and was shot down. The person who held the position prior to me also wrote a formal plan/request, which was denied. I learned recently that this lead to him leaving the position. With the demands of the job and the lack of support for resources, he had enough. I can understand why.

Thanks!

IT staffing ratios: how many foos per bar?

bartleby — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:42:39 -0800

Need a metric/rule-of-thumb for IT staffing. Like, X people on helpdesk for every Y users, X admins per Y servers, etc. Each system has its own needs, so I doubt there is any kind of strict standard. What's your own configuration?

What's up with floaters/internal temps in companies?

staggernation — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 06:45:31 -0800

What can you tell me about "internal temps" or "floaters" at large companies? I once worked as a consultant for a Fortune 50 client that employed what they referred to (informally) as "internal temps." Instead of using a temp agency, they had some number of floating admin assistants who were employees of the company, and would be assigned to fill in for any admin who was out on a given day.

Has anyone encountered this type of job before, or better yet worked in it? If so, please tell me anything you can about it:

In what types of organizations would you find them?
What would the position called, officially?
Unofficially?
How, when, and by whom would one be notified of an assignment?
Who would be one's actual long-term supervisor?
Is it more or less desirable (or for different reasons) than a normal admin job?
How, if at all, would one tend to fit into the social culture of the company?
Etc.

Thanks!

Why Can't He Find A Job?

Teevee's Bella — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 21:21:49 -0800

My boyfriend's fresh out of college, and is having a really hard time finding work in his field (graphic design). My boyfriend's fresh out of college. He's been having a really hard time finding work in his field (graphic design), although -- by all accounts -- he's incredibly talented. In the three or so months that he's been job-hunting, he's had one interview, this with a major Seattle staffing agency recruiter who professed to be very impressed with his portfolio. The guy said he'd definitely be able to find my boyfriend work, but my boyfriend never heard back from him after the initial interview, and the recruiter failed to answer any emails or voice mails.

We both suspect it's because he's short on actual work experience (save for some freelance design gigs for local politicians and a now-defunct commercial website, and some intermittent production assistant work for friends who used to host a television show). He's growing more and more depressed each day, and it's stressing us both out.

Any ideas on how an inexperienced but talented graphic artist can get his foot in the door of a company so that he might finally begin his career? He's got a great online portfolio and an excellent cover letter (if I do say so myself, since I wrote it!), but we think it's his resume holding him back.

I've suggested career fairs, other agencies, a ton of various job boards and even the career center at his alma mater. He focuses mainly on Craigslist, with glimpses here and there are CareerBuilder and one or two other sites. He seems hesitant to try something new, and I suspect that his confidence is waning so much that he's scared even to try. (I've even suggested getting a part-time retail job so that he can bring in some money and gain some legit work experience while he keeps looking for a job in his field, but he hates the idea.)

I'd be eternally grateful for some sound advice -- whether it be about finding a job, or coping with the stress of a job search.

Thanks so much!

Who's the boss?

ubu — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 10:11:47 -0800

Does anyone know anything about the law regulating a staffing business? Specifically, does anyone have experience setting up a staffing business in which the staffed workers are NOT considered employees of the staffing company? I have googled the heck out of this, but haven't found any good leads. I am particularly interested in Missouri law.

From what I've seen, it seems that a temporary staffing company is considered an employer of its workers, while an employment agency that places candidates for permanent positions is not considered the candidates' employer. But is the distinction really temporary vs. permanent? Or does it depend more on other factors, such as who maintains the payroll?

I know this is a very specific question, and I don't really expect anyone to have all the answers for me, but if you have any experience in the area and could point me to some useful resources, that would be very much appreciated.