This is one of the most common questions we receive from new applicants, many of which have not worked for a staffing agency before. While the specific details and operations may differ from agency to agency, the general idea remains the same. A staffing agency works by filling client job orders with candidates who are looking for work. However, you remain an employee of the staffing agency itself and not the client company, even though you are working at the client’s location. As a worker, you are contracted out to work for the client but your call-off procedures, policies, and payroll are controlled by the staffing company.
Many people may also then say, “So you guys only have temporary work then?”. The answer to that question is yes, but we also offer full-time, part-time, on-going, and temp-to-hire positions. It’s important to remember that every staffing agency is different and that just because a position is available at one, doesn’t mean that the same position will be available at another. We have had many people come into our office saying “I used to work for _______ agency and they had positions with _________ company. I was wondering if you could place me there, too?”. If they are one of our clients, we may be able to. But more often than not, if you saw a position with one agency, the exact same position would not be available through another.
We also want people to understand that there is absolutely NO CHARGE to new applicants. Our agency does not charge a fee to be a part of our program or to have us source a job for you. We make our money by charging our clients a markup on the pay-rate you receive for working at their location. For example, if you work a position that is paying $15/hr, we may bill that client $20/hr in order to cover the cost of any testing, paperwork processing, and other expenses. This keeps the process completely free of charge for you.
The last thing that some people get confused with is that we are a privately owned business and not part of any government agency, and that we have no obligation to find anyone a position. Remember, we help candidates find jobs, but we also have to find reliable workers for our client companies. We have seen examples where people come in interested in a certain position, but become upset when we don’t send them out to the assignment because they don’t meet the requirements. If someone walks in without the necessary experience or qualifications, or just has a bad attitude in general, we do not HAVE to place them at a job. While a case like this is rare, it highlights the fact that we serve two different groups of people. Yes, we want to find the best job for you, but we also want to find the best candidate for our clients.
–Colleen Nichols, Staff Source Recruiter