Tag Archives: S.A.E.

Staffing Agencies Experiment: To Friday or not?

Posted by Daria on

Last week I have received a phone call from the Friday Professional Group Inc.. They wanted me to come in for the staffing agency interview…. nothing new there I guess. I however did not feel comfortable with the amount of information they requested to bring: 3 employer business references, SIN, Alberta Health Card, Drivers, and some other sort of ID…. All IDs requested were of great importance and I know that according to the  Alberta Employment Standards not all of that information is required for the interview! (?) Bah! I might as well give them the key to my house and my bank account! No Way!

The conversation made me feel uncomfortable and I did not go. I am sure some people will find a job through them, but it won’t be me.

 :(

Have you ever had that problem? Is it ok to request so much information over the phone? Scam? What are the regulations regarding collection of private information for the staffing agencies? Why would they need my AHC?

Staffing agencies experiment: Bowen, works?

Posted by Daria on

About a month ago I’ve started working on my social experiment and at the same time waiting for the positive results… I have been to a few screening interviews. My last S.A.E. was with Bowen. I came in with a lot of expectations and a lot of hope for a better future. I did think that their office was conveniently located on the 7th Avenue, easily locatable and accessible by the Calgary Transit.

When I walked into the office, I was offered a coffee/tea and had a chance to sign in and have a look around. After a short wait I was introduced to my recruitment specialist and we had a short and straight to the point interview…  Turns out that there are very few jobs available. End of summer is a very slow season, because those who have jobs- end up going on vacations, while our resumes collect dust. Others, who do not have jobs- make sure that those piles grow bigger and the competition gets harder!

I did learn a lot about my resume, however. I have changed my resume yet again and I hope it will help me to find an administrative job of my dreams. :) I know I say that a lot, but how else does one stay positive!?

Overall, I felt that Bowen had a more personal touch, but nothing has come out of it just yet… 

S: Service

(plus) Good. Pleasant atmosphere. Very personal. They have a great site and a Bowen Blog that has some great tips on employment.

(minus) Results of the computer tests I took were not explained at all… How does one improve?

A: Attitude

Positive, but a bit dull. It might have been dull due to the rainy day.

E: Employment

No offers yet.

Staffing agencies experiment: What About Staffing?

Posted by Daria on

This morning I had my S.A.E. experience. I got a phone call from the staffing agency yesterday, to book my initial interview for today. Quick and professional. The e-mail they sent me provided me with time, location, and more info regarding my initial interview. Everything went smooth, or so I thought. :) I also liked their Calgary office; it is big, open and comfortable. The environment made me feel relaxed and that always helps at any interview. Computer tests went well and the only concern that I had -was a sticky ‘shift’ on the keyboard that might have cost me a few missed capital letters.

This has been my recent interview and one of the first with the staffing agency… I’d say it went good, however there are things I need to work on, like answers to polish and make other things more clear. Plus: practice short interviews- 20 minutes long to make sure that I show the best of me!

S: Service

Very good. Pleasant atmosphere.

A: Attitude

Positive. It is all about customer service. It was nice to see happy faces, even when we all knew that there will be many more people like me looking for a job during the day. These guys even asked me if I want a drink! Water, I assume.

E: Employment

No offers yet.

 

Have you been to About Staffing? What kind of results did you get? Positive? Negative? Neutral? Let me know!

Staffing agencies:experiment update

Posted by Daria on

I am now applying to a few more staffing agencies… However I was only contacted by one. I will go visit them this Thursday. I will make sure to be ready:) for anything!

Manpower Inc
Manpower
 OfficeTeam

I am not sure how I feel about the Office Team registration process. It took about 40 minutes and it was hard to clearly explain the skills I have, due to the program they use. After registration I was told that there were no jobs available of any kind for me, so I had to go and change manually what type of jobs I am interested in. :(

 OfficeTeam

Staffing agencies:experiment update

Posted by Daria on

Good news for me today. I have just received an email from the staffing agency. Guess which one it was? Yes, the one that was recommended to me my MR. DM in his post comment. I got an email form www.BowenWorks.ca The email provided information on how to register with their staffing agency and welcoming me to do just that! I will be going there next week Monday or Tuesday. I am very excited and curious to see what type of registration process and interviews they have. So far they have caught my attention because of their well planned site and the speed with which they responded to my request. Top S.A.E. so far.

Do you have any suggestions on what to wear and how to act? Are there KEY words and POINTS I need to bring up during my first interview and registration? Are you aware of any TRICKS that will make me stand out?