Negotiating Your Salary with Recruiters, Temp Agencies, and Staffing firms
By: Mick, April 3rd, 2007
Job seekers who are searching for work through temp agencies and staffing firms are sometimes unaware of the leverage that they possess during the salary negotiation phase of the hiring process. Unlike direct employers, temp agencies and staffing firms have built in a mark-up or margin between what their client companies are paying them and what they are paying you. So if you are interviewing for a position with a temp agency that pays $35 per hour, it is likely that the company where you will be working will be paying the temp agency $70 per hour for your services. And while this may seem ridiculous to many job seekers, it is simply the way that the staffing industry works and good staffing firms can justify large mark-ups because of the valuable and dependable service that they provide for their client companies.
As a job candidate working through a temp agency, it is important that you do your homework to determine what salary (or hourly rate) you should be receiving for the position you are filling and the credentials and experience you bring to the table. A great place to start your search is Payscale.com. Armed with that basic information, you can begin to determine how you want to approach salary negotiation, should you reach that point in the hiring process.
Unlike negotiating salary with a direct employer, savvy job candidates know that they have a little more leverage when negotiating with recruiters from a temp agency or staffing firm. A temp agency will not make any money unless a qualified candidate accepts the open position at their client company. As a result, recruiters and temp agencies will often be willing to give highly qualified candidates more than the advertised rate for an open position.
This will decrease an agency’s profit margin, but a smaller profit margin is much better than an unfilled position. When job seekers understand this concept, they can exercise much greater control over how much they will be paid for their services.
Tags: increasing your salary, job seeker tips, salary negotiation, temporary employment
Entries
July 18th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Finding an agency that will look for the right temp job for you is like finding a work and applying for that work. You will undergo examinations, interviews, and you will wait. But it is your right to ask about how much will be the salary. First, as an applicant, you have to know the rules and regulation of the staffing agency. Second, ask about the background of the certain agency. It is also best to ask those who have worked to that agency if it has a good background.
If you are interested in applying in a temp staffing agency, you can try applying at Integrity Staffing Solutions, http://www.integritystaffing.com.
September 15th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
I would highly recommend that job seekers stay away from temporary service agencies.