Julio Said:

Why are some employment agency staff so horrid and snotty to job seekers?

We Answered:

I feel for you really I do. I am a hiring professional with a high tech company. I got my start in one of these agencies. Not all people working for these agencies are like this, but I have seen my share. This is only based on my opinion but maybe you can relate.
These agencies rely on hiring younger people and training them. The promise of a lot of money that doesn't require a BA or MA usually pulls people that don't know what they want to do with their lives.
I got into recruiting because I liked helping people and wanted to make a difference in people's lives. But I soon learned it has nothing to do with helping people. It's a business, and the pressures of getting your candidates hired is what pays your bills. For the agency, they have a lot of competition, and there are so many varibles that can go wrong before one of their candidates gets hired. So after having many of these submittals not get hired, the agency recruiters feel the pressure and get more aggressive. They have been burned many times because of ambiguity with a candidate's history, skillset match, or personality match with the client. They are always on the look out for this ambiguity. Any imperfection that might cause them not to get their commission, they will root it out quickly. Gaps in jobs, short stays on jobs, exageration on skill sets, a candidates communication skills on the phone, how the candidate presents himself/herself in person are all factors that increase or decrease the percentage of placing a candidate and getting their commission. So in their world they have lost sight of their customer and end up treating "you" the candidate as a commodity not as a person. You've become the product they are trying to sell.
The recruiters who are successful figure out over time that the candidate is also the customer. I had to. I got caught up in all that too, but what set me apart is rather than crucifying someone for gaps in their resume or short stays, is to coach them and treat them like professionals. I can't speak for why it seems all the women recruiters are nasty to you, (although I might have an idea, but can't talk about it here) you'll just need to try and find more respectable agencies that have a better reputation in the job community. Hope that helps.

Victor Said:

is it worth registering with an employment agency to find a new job or just stick to checking sit vacants?

We Answered:

I have used them all the time in the past... as well as checking out the paper, job centre, websites. They were great at setting up job interviews for me.. They should NOT charge you so what's the harm?

Priscilla Said:

What are the good points and bad points of getting a job through an employment agency?

We Answered:

Good points is that they do all the work for you and all you pretty much have to do is go to interviews. I got one of my best jobs through an employment agency.

Bad thing is that in this economy no one wants to pay the high fees charged by employment agencies.

Debra Said:

Have you ever gotten a job through the employment agency?

We Answered:

Yes... and I am still here.. been here for 3 and 1/2 years. I am miserable. But it pays the bills.

Marlene Said:

Anyone ever used a job agency to gain employment?

We Answered:

I have tried using agencies like the one you mention (I don't know that one specifically since I'm not in the Dayton area), but they aren't all that great. I also used to have a resume on Monster and got calls all the time from these agencies. Once I got a call from 3 different agencies and all 3 tried to send me to the same job (which, by the way, I had already found on my own and interviewed for.)

They can work, but don't put all your hopes on them. They do occasionally have openings that you can't find on your own. If you are looking for a new job, register with as many of them as you want. If you are currently working and don't want your employer to know you are looking, they will sometimes meet you after normal work hours. But keep looking on your own too.

One last note: a legitimate agency will almost always get their fees from the employer. Those who take their fees from the employee have no incentive to find a job that is right for you. When they get it from employers, they are usually required to repay the fee if the employee doesn't work out.