Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Staffing Agency?
Hey ladies, I've never posted here, because, well, I haven't had a job in almost 2 years. I was laid off in June 2009 and have been looking for work since July 2010. I spent the time in between in school and volunteering.
I found a job that matches my experience and interests, but it is being filled through a staffing agency. Prior to my interview, the agency asked me to take a number of tests (on programs like Excel, Word, etc), as well as sign a massive authorization to check my credit, my driving record, my criminal background, and basically anything else they could deem necessary. They also asked me to fill out tax paperwork including my SSN. I have never done that until day 1 of a job...never before.
Anyway, the huge authorization plus my SSN scared me, and I declined to interview with the staffing agency. They called me today and said they would waive everything but criminal background if I would have a phone interview with the company wanting to hire me. They saw my resume and were very impressed and really want me.
What do you think? Should I pursue it? I would be temp-to-hire, and initially employed by the staffing agency. I've never done this before, and while the staffing agency looks legit, I guess the whole blanket authorization has me really wary.
The job is similar to what I've done in the past, pays extremely well for this area (I'd be making more in this LCOL area than I was in California...super HCOL), and appears to have room for advancement.
Re: Staffing Agency?
I have used staffing agencies as well and that's all of the things they required. My only assumption on needing the information right away is that the staffing agency is the one that is paying you (not always, but years ago when I did this that was the case) and I think they may do this because sometimes jobs come up quickly and you start immediately. Maybe someone else could shed some light onto the why... but it's not out of the norm.
Definitely pursue it. My best friend has gotten her last two jobs through staffing agencies, temp to hire work, and she ended up with both companies more than two years (the current company is pretty much a dream job). I agree with PP that the staffing agency needs the extra information up front because of the nature of their business -- they want to be able to place you immediately if something comes up, so they have you fill out the paperwork as if you were a new hire. It's pretty standard. And they are being very reasonable offering to waive everything for you but a background check (which any company would do before hiring you) to get you an interview.
Also, I had three interviews at companies about a month a go, and at all of them I had to fill out a job application which included my SSN, and at one I had to sign a waiver saying I agreed to a background check. Every company is different.
I have worked for a staffing agency for 4 years, and the documentation that you were requested to complete is completely normal. The reason that agencies have you complete that information up front, is because on a temp to hire assignment, you are legally considered to be the agency's employee until taken permanent at the company. We have to have all of your application paperwork completed before we present you to a potential employer. In the cases where I have presented a candidate without all of their paperwork and records completed, it has been very embarrasing to have to go back to the employer and explain to them why I submitted a candidate to them that is not eligible to work (for background reasons, credit reasons, etc).
Simply the fact that the agency requested you complete all of that paperwork up front should put you at ease regarding how legitimate they are. In my experience, the "fly by night" agencies don't run any checks or have any procedures of that kind in place, and they place anybody and everybody, regardless of references, criminal background, etc. Those kinds of agencies are what you should watch out for.
Definitely pursue it. The longer you are unemployed, the harder it will become for you to find a company that will hire you. Companies are now being much more skeptical about who they hire, especially if the candidate has been unemployed for longer than a year.
Good luck! If you have any questions or need any advice, I would love to help.
I've registered with a few different agencies (and that is how I have my current job) and had to go through much of the same paperwork (minus the credit check). What I've seen others do is cross out certain parts of a background authorization that they do not wish to have performed (i.e. if you don't want a credit check performed or something of that nature). Where I currently work, we do background checks to include criminal background, driving record,social security number and education prior to extending an offer.