Robert Half QuestionsI have a few basic questions about using Robert Half & Associates to find a job. Last summer I lost my job after thirty-nine years. Expecting this to eventually happen, I managed to earn my bachelors degree in public accounting. Not too long after I began exploring the online job sites it became clear to me that the majority of the job postings in the fields of accounting and finance were linked to Robert Half. Last night I registered with Robert Half online and still have more questions than answers. To begin with, I was somewhat confused by Robert Half's strict protocol for e-resumes - that of saving your resume as a text file with prescribed margins, etc. Does that mean that I can't respond to a Robert Half job posting unless I use this method for emailing my resume and cover letter as opposed to sending a Word.doc? If one has not been personally interviewed by RH are they still welcome to respond to a RH job posting? Has anybody had experience with using RH? I'd appreciate some idea of what to expect from them and hear about your experiences. Why don't you call someone on the phone at your local Robert Half and ask all these questions? They can tell you how the system works.
Tess I've used RH before. I actually worked for them as a recruiter too. The best advice I can give you is to call the local office and go meet with a recruiter. You will have to provide them with an electronic copy of your resume. If you're having trouble formatting it to fit a specific standard, the recruiter you're working with can help you. Every time you apply for a RH job, it goes to the local office that has the job order. So you're not sending this information to an individual who will make the hiring decision, you're just contacting the local office over and over again. They will not present your information to a company without meeting you. I'm going to boil down the process for you. The recruiters have job orders to fill. These job orders are the only way for them to make money. They make no money from the candidates (you). They interview candidates to keep a pipeline of people available for the job orders. Typically they are not pounding the pavement for you, they are providing a service to a corporate client. So they are looking for the best and brightest people to fill job orders. If you fit well with one of the opportunities, after meeting with you, they contact you, fill you in on the opportunity and see if you're interested. If you are, they present your info to the client. If the client is interested, they set up an interview. RH handles all the salary negotiations, etc. You just have to "wow" the companies you interview for. Your first step is to meet with a recruiter. Probably a recruiter in Permanent Placement, maybe Management Resources, and perhaps their Temporary or Consulting Services recruiters as well. Good Luck!
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions in such detail and providing me the lay of the land! I appreciate your advice and will certainly follow up on it and contact a recruiter. Making the transition to a different field late in life is a big challenge. As it turns out, there is no shortage of information about converting a Word document resume into a text file for email purposes on Google. After hitting a couple websites I was finally able to hack my way into the secrets of the inner sanctum and end up with a text file resume that meets RH's standards. In fact, what RH asked for is pretty much the standard for text file email resumes. Thanks again for all your help! I realize you had a response from a Robert Half former employee. I am a highly skilled professional. I responded to several Robert Half positions and did get interviews at several of their agencies. However, the recruiters were rude and although looked professional, were not. I left a job to be a temporary caretaker and have found it difficult to re-enter the job market. For example, one RH recruiter, pounded her fist on my resume and yelled at me that the gap would not get me another job. Another was insistent that I contact my former employer for them since they did their verifications through a paid third party. He was mentally scattered at the least. He could not keep two consecutive thoughts in his head the entire interview. He wrote and crossed out so much on my resume that I don't believe anyone could have read it anymore. I was evident that they deal only in PASSIVE candidates. That is, ones who are currently working and looking for work. By interviewing me, even though they knew I wasn't working, it benefited them to add candidates to their pool. It did nothing for me and there was no intent on sending me forward in the interview process. I understand that they may be looking for the best candidates out there--who isn't, but it goes beyond. You must be the PERFECT candidate. Agencies get much abuse from these job boards. Unfortunately, the methodology of commission and placement makes them hungry animals and the prospective employee is the one who is devoured. Best of luck to you! Thank you for sharing your unfortunate personal experience with me. It's too bad that you had to endure such humiliation at the hands of these individuals. I'm sorry. Your letter went a long way towards tempering my expectations from an employment agency. I'll be on guard. I promise. it's just that so many accounting jobs are being brokered by RH it seems to me, as a novice, one might have to do business with them. My own situation is much different from yours. Last year my job in the retail grocery industry came to an end after thirty-nine years. Anticipating that this would someday happen, I managed to earn a hard-won degree in public-accounting. So here I am, late in life, trying to change careers with essentially the shortest resume in cyberspace. To make matters worse, I'm here in Michigan, where despondent and schizophrenic automakers plead for our loyalty while at the same time they can't ship their operations out of the country fast enough. Any advice you'd give me would be most welcome. One more thing: I applaud your decision to be a care-giver. In terms of wages and benefits, they are among the most under-paid for the job they do. I've often said that when these workers get to the Pearly Gates St. Peter is just going to wave 'em in! Good luck to you, too! Thanks again for your time!
There are highly professional recruiters / headhunters and there is the opposite. Some firms / agencies are bad. Most are good. RH is a big firm and has a decent reputation. However, the industry attracts people with different motivators, and since it can be a good way to make money, sometimes a sort that in my opinion (having spent the first part of my career as an executive search consultant), that aren't professional and do take advantage of candidates. You also need to remember that they don't work for you. Keep that in mind and your expectations shall follow. One other thought is in response to your statement about RH controlling most of the opportunities. It may look that way, and by some criteria may be true, but you need to understand that there is competition for your attention on Monster and other job boards. Like google results, the job search listings that are closer to the top - 1st / 2nd page are going to get more attention than those lower. As a big company, and one that is in the business, they spend a lot of time and money ensuring that they are always posting things. Compare that to, let's say, a local business, with one opening. A good opening. A Controller for example. They pay their fee, and they post their job - once. Within a day or two, it gets pushed down the results by other companies, and yes by the big recruiting agencies, simply by sheer numbers. So, I think there are lots of things out there. And don't forget, what gets posted is only one slice of the the potential work opportunity market. I am going to post something separate on this idea in the next few days. So, by all means, go in, be a candidate. But they become ONE source. Not your only source. Ian Christie Career Changers Coach | |
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