The Temp Agency Game

I have been doing contract business consulting and also some accounting work off and on for the past 20 years. Every so often I will find an industry or a company that will only use "their agency people". So, I have signed up with whatever temp agency that this company uses and then I work for them until I can get an independent status with the company; because now they trust me and my work. I can, in some circumstances still use these agencies to find me positions even if they charge their rates or sign on fees. It is like having a middle man take their cut. The problem with not using them was that these days a lot of companies large and small are committed to using their agencies to find employees and sometimes even contract people.

The thing I always have to remember is I am only using them for one reason only; to get a client, so the practices that people usually complain about regarding insurance, low pay, being overqualified for the job, etc. do not come into play. I think that they are just very expensive job and people brokers, once they get their fee they usually leave me alone. But, there is always a "car sales man" mentality on how much they will be charging me and/or the company, etc. The people the agency hire to broker the deals; really are sales people and they are also on commission.

I don't like to see these any companies put all of their trust into a temp agency like this because I know how lax most of them are when it comes to checking out clients and temp employees. Some of these companies gave me a drug test over 5 years ago and haven't ever followed up with a more current one. The same goes for background checks, credit checks and any information that could change over the course of time.

I think what happens is the old saying "You can always sell to a salesman", so the "agency sales force" convinces these hiring people that this is the way to go. If the hiring people really knew how lax the agency was in their policies, I don't think we would see them hanging on so tightly to some false security. When the market swings back and employees once again have the power, these agencies will return to offering insurance and the like. But for now, be very cautious how much you use them, as you may get a better deal on your own.