InfoWorld Writer Yaeger Exaggerates and Stereotypes but Misses the Mark
I want to start by saying I’m not a fan of temp to perm hiring nor am I supportive of sleazy and cheesy practices by employment agencies. As a matter of fact, a few weeks ago, I wrote an article called, “Being a Contractor Isn’t Always Such a Good Deal.”
References to opportunists.
Honest employers and job candidates (the school marm in the Wild West)
Black hat employers
Boiler-room operations (employment agencies that take advantage of everyone)
Employment agencies “where staff changes faster than the seasons”
A greedy agency doesn’t work for employers. It works for itself.
When the ideal worker who was born to work for you applies for the job you’ve listed, he or she becomes real estate
More profitable to rent than to sell
The most wonderful thing since child labor
scam
top-rung permanent workers with the promise that if they prove themselves worthy during the contract period
That’s for chumps
The best, most excited, and most hopeful talent in the workforce is getting siphoned out of the permanent job market and re-used until they get wise or burn out.
Workers searching for work already know direct listings are preferable.
An employer who uses boiler-room agencies to look for help misses out on prime prospects, and can end up with the agency’s dregs
So many stereotypes in one article.
Here’s what I see from my perch in search.
1. A temp-to-perm situation generally exists because the employer has decided it needs to be that way. Sometimes, it’s because they have funding in their budget for a consultant but not an employee. In most cases it is NOT becausse some nefarious recruiter is trying to manipulate you for profit but because that is what the client wants to do.
2. If you don’t ask them about the criteria for the conversion during your interview with them it is your fault, not the “bad employment agency” or the evil employer.”
3. Black hat employers? Is he saying that what is being done by the employer is illegal?
4. Scam? Let’s look at the definition: A fraudulent business scheme; a swindle (from www.dictionary.com) Don’t you know it’s possible that you might not be converted? If you quit a job to do temp-to-perm without asking the employer about the risk you’re taking, you are making a huge mistake . . . but it's not a scam.
I could go on and on with this but the fact is if you join as a contractor, it takes you working at least 15 weeks for a recruiter to earn the same amount of money as they might if you took a full time job . . . and there you would only have to work for 90 days.
Respectfully, don’t quit a full time job for a temp-to-perm arrangement unless you are willing to (a) become a contractor or (b) willing to risk being fired after the probation period.
Jeff Altman
Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com
© 2006 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in technology, accounting, finance, sales, marketing and other disciplines since 1971. He is a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
To subscribe to Jeff’s free job search ezine, Head Hunt Your Next Job, sign up at www.headhuntyournextjob.com. To receive a daily digest of positions emailed to you, go to www.jeffaltman.com
If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, include your resume).
