Harry Said:

How much do employment agencies generally charge the job-seeker for a permanent placement?

We Answered:

typically nothing unless you are an executive/professional paying a headhunter, and even then, who pays is part of the negotiation....

Peter Said:

How exactly do employment placement agencies work ? I've been solicited by several but have not gotten a job!!

We Answered:

Dont get too excited by their initial call.

They will pull a HUNDRED resumes, then contact the owners and see if they are still interested. Then they'll put together a list of candidates ranked high to low.

They'll take the top 5-10 and present them to the client for feedback.

If you are the #1 selected you'll get a call.

Everyone else hears nothing. It's just business.

Alfred Said:

Has anyone tried an employment placement agency that required an upfront fee? Were you satisfied?

We Answered:

I have used those both ways. First, when I was applying for work, they gave me an excellent lead, helped prepare me for the interview and I got the job! It was a different direction for me and one of the best decisions I ever made.
Then, years later, when I owned my own business, I used the same agency to find clerical help. It worked just as well for me this time. I only had to interview three people to find the right one. We still have her and we are all very happy with the situation.
Both times, I can say it was well-worth the money because it saved so much time and effort. A good agency knows who matches where, by listening closely to both the applicant and the employer.

Holly Said:

The Truth about Employment Agencies?

We Answered:

I hate them! I have the same experience you have with them, bad experiences. The job places I have been sent to treat you like trash and are rude, make you work a lot harder than regular employees, etc. It sucks. I got hired onto a job full time after working through the temp agency for 4 months. But I have had countless other pathetic jobs through the agency before this one. Occasionally you may find a good employer using them, and it's getting harder and harder to find any work without them. It's because there are too many people looking for jobs so they can take their pic of who to hire and how much to pay them.
I also think that employment agencies violate right to work laws and also allow employers to discriminate for whatever reason they want, since you don't work for the employer and you work for the agency, they can send you home for not looking at them the right way or not hitting on the right person, etc, whatever reason they want, and you have no recourse.