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johnners
Snowy Owl
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18 Aug 2008, 1:21 pm

I gave up a pretty ordinary but enjoyable job with a good employer in the UK to move to California to be with my fiancee, now wife. I got my work permit 4 months ago and have been avidly looking for work, but ploughing through page after page of job ads online I get totally frustrated. I have a bachelor's degree and at least 9 years of low-level clerical experience behind me. My biggest peeve is the fact that almost all jobs seem to be through employment agencies these days.

I get that sinking feeling when I see a long list of jobs and next to each one is a company name that ends in something like "...Personnel Solutions". I imagine back in the day thsese places were great for a spot of temporary work, but now more and more companies are closing their personnel/HR departments and contracting these shysters to recruit staff. What really irks me is that they keep their cards very close to their chest, not giving anything away in case the competition gets hold of the details. But for someone like me who doesn't drive and has to use public transport, it's so frustrating having to contact/sign up with these people just to discover the job starts at 5am at a business park 3 miles off the nearest bus route.

These agencies seem to be staffed entirely by young women - are there any men in recruitment? I often feel like some kind of idiot whenever I'm being told by a 19-year old wearing a business suit and too much make-up that there's nothing suited to your particular skills at the moment, but we'll have a good old giggle about you when you've left. I end up leaving feeling like a worm under a magnifying glass.

What experiences have you had with employment agencies? Do you think they're really geared up for aspies?



Oggleleus
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18 Aug 2008, 2:45 pm

I am not a doctor and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

I've dealt with some Employment Agencies in the past and I was not too impressed by them. The companies I dealt with ranged from the Mom & Pop establishment to a nationally recognized agency and what I found was that there was not a big difference between the two. Staffing agencies or whatever you want to call them really only care about their own jobs first and since their job is trying to find people to fill an immediate employment opportunity (which none of them could do, that is why they are working as a recruiter in the first place) the recruiters want the perfect candidate to reflect nicely for themselves as well as their company.

And, yes, recruiters seem to be younger women for some reason. Wonder what that reason might be...hmmm. That should tell you something right there.

Since most Staffing Companies are a cross between a fast food restaurant and Hooters my advice would be to keep trying but don't waste your time with recruiters that will not give you good information about the job work hours and approximate location. If they are not willing to tell you then the job is probably a crap job (and they know it, that's why they don't want to tell you).

All in all, these staffing companies are not great for Aspies or at least myself but are sometimes a necessary evil for permanent employment. Companies have been forced with liberal legislation as well as higher health care costs to cut corners wherever they can and unfortunately it has meant less jobs and even less good paying jobs with benefits.

When interviewing with a Staffing company make a point to interview them at the same time. Finding out some information about their company like years of experience, years of existence, where your recruiter went to school, type of staffing, number of current employees, awards... can help with the feeling of being under the magnifying glass and also shows the recruiter that you have interest in not just getting a job but working for the company. You may have already tried this approach but the best I can say is, make the interview a 2 way street, so, while they are interviewing you, you are casually interviewing them.

Good Luck.



Arcona
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
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DNForrest
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20 Aug 2008, 9:07 pm

My experience with employment agencies so far have been that they don't give a damn what you want or if you're even qualified for the job (I've been contacted by several through my Monster.com posting wanting me to apply for jobs that required a decade more experience than I had), they just get everyone they can to apply for the job specified so that they get the money for the find. Some of them are professional, some are kinda frightening with the clientele they're used to. There was one I had to deal with in Portland that had me fill out a questionnaire that was basically 50 questions asking me over and over again how frequently I take Crack, Meth, Marijuana, or Xanax.



pineapple
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20 Aug 2008, 9:47 pm

johnners wrote:
Do you think they're really geared up for aspies?


No. Recruiters are usually paid by commission, which means most of them aren't going to give much thought to whatever you're actually looking for in a job.
(But welcome to CA! :wink: )



V001
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24 Aug 2008, 11:47 am

One good thing about employment agencies. You can try lots of work places and be glad you are not a permant employee at some of the work sites. Find one that knows you use the bus tell them to call with were and when the day before and if they will not find one that will. It's basic 101 to know were a temp wants to work and when and any place that can not do that sould be out of business.