those people...
- Started
- Last post
- 15 Responses
- orangecrunch
I was wondering what everyone's opinion on recruitment agencies was...I can see the benefit for those whom never stepped foot into agency life and need to break in somehow - but do we really need this people? Most of the more mainstream recruiters seem to be really flaky people who aren't educated enough and don't fully understand the in's and outs our trade. Don't get me wrong I know some really talented people who swear by their own recruiters - but it goes without saying recruiters and "contests" are ruining our wages and middle'ing us out of money. Or are they bringing more awareness to the value of our trade? I really like to think of myself as a tradesman and not as an artist whom is whoring himself out to the industry - it makes me feel better. I was wondering what other people thought on the subject.
- version30
the only things directly affecting any of our profits are motivation and skill
- well said sirorangecrunch
- that's a joke right? right? yesPupsipu
- plash0
we have one here called Creative Circle that basically posts on craigslist all day. wast -o- time in my opinion
- e-pill0
im in the fashion industry and i use perhaps 19 recruiters.
some of them are amazing as they have the great connections to the more luxury brands which then also yeilds a stronger salary...also a recruiter can market you towards a company if even the jab doesnt exist and such. this is very common in fashion as recruiters also may get you into a place quicker than you can as their reputations are also on the table...
offcourse im talking of fulltime gigs and not freelance...
for freelances i would recommend to network on your own perhaps use a recruiter to get into the door and meet people but they will generally take a 40% cut on top of your rate so usually your rate is set at a maximum crapo low rate...
- kgvs720
Recruiting and staffing agencies are nothing more than another reason for a company to outsource responsibility of its employees.
- orangecrunch0
The friend I referenced that did use recruiters works in the fashion industry. That seems to be a niche that really reaps the benefits of being connected to the industry. I was really interested in what people thought - it was revealed to me recently that most of these recruiters cap hourly freelance to $50 an hour. It kinda made me sick - in the words of the bouncing souls "fuck the industry do it yourself" or what Version 3 said above.
- e-pill0
the cap of hourly of $50 is really more like $70 as the recruiter is receiving $20 for placing you so the client is really paying you that higher rate, you just arent getting to see it. so yes this is why the cap on hourly is set because lets say your rate is $75 then the client would be paying out $105 as $30 goes to the recruiter... and most clients who work with recruiters dont do this but some do, and this is usually reserved for people with strong reps.
- e-pill0
if you are interested i can email you a contact list of the better NYC recruiters for fashion for your friend.
- orangecrunch0
Oh thank you very much but I was really just fishing for opinions and wanted to hear what people thought - or how it could be improved. it just seems generally there is not a lot of trust in creatives and their abilities - but I guess this spans across all professions.
- e-pill0
what part of the industry is your friend?
- vaxorcist0
I've had various experiences with recruiters... sometimes great. Just remember that they have to maintain their rep with their clients, and you're part of that rep.
Also, I've found that the places I got placed in by recruiters tended to be more risk-averse, needing me to do more pitching of ideas than places where I went in based on pre-existing contacts....
I used to think that ad agencies that hired through recruiters either were too busy, or didn't trust their internal people to find contacts, but that's not always true, sometimes it's just a cultural practice....
- orangecrunch0
This wasnt about my friend or anything that has to do with my friend but he is an art director working in the fashion industry. I just mentioned him because he was the only person I knew that was very positive about using a recruiter. As he is very industry specific as I'm assuming you are.
- yes fashion is very specific. i am an accessory product designer/ hardware designer.e-pill
- akrokdesign0
i got Creative Circle but i never got a job from them. either the pay is way too low or the job is crap. like production for postcard. wtf.
- itsmitch0
I signed up for a recruitment agency when I first moved to Atlanta. They looked over my past work, interviewed me a few times and placed me in a week long job doing production work for an overworked in-house art department trying to make a deadline. After that they tried, 3 times in a row, to place me in a job I wasn't qualified for. They were trying to place me in web development (more code than design) positions or doing Flash work when I had very limited experience doing that type of work. I turned down those jobs and eventually the 3rd time they tried to do this to me I explained to them, again, what kind of designer I was, what worked I excelled at and that I was a poor choice for web development or Flash jobs as I mostly do branding and print work. After that they never called me again. I feel bad for their clients since they obviously don't try to place people in the type of jobs they're qualified for.
- akrokdesign0
aquent L.A sucks ass. they can't even confirm your appointment. lol.
- MrT0
You can't avoid the notion that recruiters are out to simply place people. Placing them correctly for all concerned is somewhere further down the list.