How to choose an employment agency

Employment agencies are aggressively courting workers to fill demands for employees in Northern Colorado, especially in high-tech areas.

Instead of waiting for workers to come to them, many are out there recruiting them by offering a variety of incentives, including benefits more traditionally reserved for full-timers.
Statistics show that the use of outside labor, including temporary help, is a hot trend. According to the National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services, temporary-help receipts grew 11.2 percent in 1996 to a record high of $43.6 billion.
The U.S. Department of Labor projects that the number of people working in temporary jobs will jump to 3.6 million by 2005. That˜s up from 600,000 in the early 1980s. More than 400 companies are providing temporary services in the Denver-Boulder area alone.
It pays to be careful when picking an agency.
One key area to check when comparing agencies is how the firm screens its candidates. At a minimum, the process consists of reviewing resumes. At the other end of the spectrum, it can involve computer testing, psychological evaluations and personal interviews.
Inquire about the experience levels of the placement coordinator. This is the person who matches projects with people based on considerations such as project requirements, availability and pay. Ideally, the coordinator also factors in intangible factors such as desired personality traits and the right combination of skills and experience.
One major convenience factor to check is how flexible the placement agency will be in accepting late requests or changing temps during a job.
Also, look at what guarantees the firm offers to businesses using its services.
Temp firms tend to be flexible when it comes to pricing, and most supply published rates. In reality, temp firms usually negotiate rates based on the quantity of work and competitive bid details. Often, cutting rates means that the firm will simply lower the pay its employees earn.
People in the industry say more companies want to "test drive" employees before hiring them for permanent positions. And that works
both ways. More and more employees are opting to stay with temporary agencies because it is easy to opt out of assignments they don˜t like and build a portfolio of skills while testing different corporate environments.

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