Spherion

This is a great company. I was in the process with them and did find another job. However, I am planning on using them for this position here for they are very professional and very very good in placements.

I ended up finding a job elsewhere, but I had a very good experience with Spherion. I met with Claudine for my interview and was also in touch with Loraine via telephone. Everyone there seemed very professional and friendly. They had some very good jobs available, and if I’m looking for work in the area again, I’ll definitely be contacting them!

If you’re not familiar with staffing agencies, some introduction is in order.
1) They take a cut of your pay, 40% or more — e.g., if they give you $ 10/​hour, they are probably getting $ 14/​hr or more from the company for your work.
2) They do not give you benefits, though they offer a (typically bad) policy that you can pay extra for.
3) In my experience, they exaggerate the length of assigned jobs and play them up as much as possible. Remember, the recruiters are salespeople, and they’re going to try and sell you the job so they can make some money.
4) They have so-​called «buyout contracts» with employers, which is insidious for two reasons. First, if employers want to hire you full time (it does happen, but not as often as you’d think) they must pay a fee, usually a percentage of your first year’s expected salary. In other words, they are penalized for taking you on full time. And secondly, this contract applies even after your temporary contract expires. That is, if you try to apply independently with the company after your assignment is done, the staffing agency contract still requires the company to pay the buyout fee, unless they feel like getting sued. This buyout period lasts 3 – 6 months.
My overall experience with Spherion was disappointing. I took several positions with them; one lasted ¹⁄₃ as long as they claimed, another about ½ as long. On one occasion, I was called on my way to work and told, «don’t come in today; the job is now over.» Rude.
Also be advised: if you turn down assignments too often — I turned down several — they will not call you as often, and eventually they’ll stop altogether. Which, in the grand scheme of things, is good, because staffing agencies are not worth your time.