Ron Said:

what's the difference between a recruitment firm and a private employment agency?

We Answered:

The difference is which party pays the fees. Recruitment firms are generally hired and paid by the potential employer. Prospective employees are vetted (sought out) by the recruitment firms and do not usually pay these firms any fees for services.

Private employment agencies MAY charge fees of both the prospective employer and the prospective employee (they do not all charge fees of the prospective employee). The fee paid by the prospective employee is usually less and some firms may offer the employee an opportunity to pay the fee AFTER they receive a first paycheck.

Best of luck!

Ernest Said:

All of the following are true statements regarding a private employment agency execpt that it:?

We Answered:

A - They will either charge the person looking for a job,or they may charge the business that is trying to find someone with particular skills.

Melinda Said:

Why would a company pay a private employment agency to recruit candidates for a poition when a public?

We Answered:

Several reasons:

1) The agencies can only offer candidates from the pool of people who sign up with them. Think of it as a Wal*Mart vs. a little grocery tacked onto a gas station. Yes, you can buy milk at both, probably, but if you want boys socks too, you have to forget the little grocery you were stopping at anyway and make a trip to Wal*Mart. Same here. Many candidates who would never willingly ask a public agency to help place them are more suited to your company's needs. If not available through the public agency, one must go to where they are, the private agencies.

2) Many people available through public agencies are less qualified for many positions than those available through private agencies. In part this is due to private agencies being able to not only rely upon people signing up, but also headhunting: digesting your list of requirements, then finding someone, even if already employed, to fit the list. Public agencies do not do that. Their purpose usually is not to make money from your need, but rather to help persons unemployed become employed.

3) Public agencies often have a concern that someone they've placed may not be treated properly, or that a company might otherwise try to take advantage of the person. As their mission is directed toward that person's needs, they usually follow the person's voyage into your company. Person is worthless at the job? Lied about qualifications? Shows up late? Is argumentative and poorly groomed? Probably needs fired and fast. Do that with someone a public agency sent and the agency will fight for the hosebag harder than a union does. You will not only find they work hard to convince the hosebag to try every available option to force you to keep him, or take him back, and every available option to hurt you financially if you won't do so. Worse yet, in the same misguided vein of thinking, they often provide public attorneys to hammer at you while yours costs $200 an hour to defend you. Then, when all is said and done, they go to the press and make you look like trollish employers. Private agencies are usually worth the price solely to avoid this problem.

4) Private agencies often follow up on qualifications, not only in verifying them but sometimes by developing their own standard measures against which they test you. Once your company has a feel for how worthwhile those measures are, the results can be useful. And having qualifications checked professionally is worth its weight in silver at least.

5) They used to say, in the business world, no one ever got fired for buying IBM (equipment). They meant that even if the equipment turned out to be overpriced and underpowered (lol, "even if"... that's ALL IBM sold so...) no one would think you'd made a poor decision in choosing them. Not your fault. Spend the extra not-your-own-money and keep your job safe. Easy for the average corporate monkey to opt for. Same here. Have a disastrous hiring? He came from a public agency? "How did you EVER think hiring some garbage the government got tired of giving unemployment to was a good plan???" will be the gist of what you'll hear. He came from a trusted private agency? "Geez Jim, they really let us down didn't they? They'll have to do a couple free ones to make up for their disaster here." Quite a difference to your prospects of more paychecks and to your career path.

Now that probably answers for most of the reasons why such a choice (pay vs. free) is made. Don't believe for a second that all of the implications in the thinking are correct. Plenty of perfectly good hires are available through public agencies. Liars and slugs do end up with them more often, but three in a hundred is "more often" compared to two in a hundred, though it's hardly an indictment of public agencies. But to be honest, the thinking represented above, when it feels insulting to public agencies and the people they represent, does trend in the right direction. It's just not necessarily "spot-on." It does lead to the thinking though, and the thinking does lead to decisions, whether the thoughts were correct, partially so, or not correct at all.

Mark Said:

Where can I get a Private Employment Agency Surety Bond?`?

We Answered:

Actually there are some commercial (license) surety bonds programs for applicants with bad credit.

You can find a number of the on line.

One site that can write these bonds even with poor credit is: http://www.southcoastsurety.com .