Robert Half International Reviews

Pros

The quality of the people and senior management and their adherence to a high ethical standard might be the best in the business

Cons

You must be willing to be micro managed in order to survive.

Pros

It's a large company, with good benefits, and seemingly there is a lot of potential for upward mobility. Rapid advancement if you are the lucky beneficiary of circumstance (i.e. Your director quits, marketplace conditions suddenly improve, or a new company happens to call in with 15 orders; these things help). It's a Fortune 500 company (was), and with some experience under your belt here (if you enjoy this sort of work), you can pretty much go anywhere in the "staffing" or "recruiting" industry.

Cons

You may not be properly trained because it's likely that your Division Director has no vested interest in spending the time to train you - (During my first month, I was told to read this, and read that, sign here saying you read this and that, and then I got to spend some time Y-jacking to my director's sales calls, most of which were voicemails or hang-ups). Financially speaking, there is really no incentive for them to help you succeed (especially if you are a 2-man team, because you are just cutting into their slice of the pie).

I had missed out on several deals in the early going because I wasn't fully trained on things like "sales tracking". Call in's on my desk week were routed around me, companies on my target list inexplicably disappeared, and coordinator credit wasn't properly assessed where it should have been. I was warned of this in advance by other employees (in other branches), and if something like that happens, you will have to decide how you deal with it on your own. Eventually, I brought it to the attention of my Division Director who gave me the "fast-talk", but it did prevent future occurrences from happening. By my estimation, I would say I lost out on approximately 2-3 Clients, 5+ Job Orders, and 2500+ Total Hours during the first 90 Days of employment.

There was (3) different Branch Managers, and (2) different Division Directors in the (9) months I was employed there. I had just hit my largest weekly gross margin dollars, and received my largest Bonus check; not to mention I had earned a bonus the previous (5) months in a row, when I was abruptly TERMINATED (without cause) on a Monday morning, because I wasn't growing the business at a rate of approx (8) NEW Deals/ month, or 300+ Hours/ month (which is impossible by the way).

Now, I will say that they pay a pretty high starting salary, but even that has an expiration... Soon, if you are lucky enough (and there is a large amount of luck involved, regardless of your abilities), you will be on a DRAW against your BASE, and if you fall too far beneath the line set forth, you will be handed your walking papers; it's very cut-throat. Lots, of behind-the-scenes, management "meetings", and so forth. The best thing I can say about working there, is that I have received several calls from other companies seeking to hire me... Calls from Ex-Halfers (as they say), that have been treated in a similar fashion ranging from Staffing Managers up to Branch Managers... It appears I may have been heading down a DEAD END ROAD, and perhaps getting the abrupt axe was a blessing in disguise; time will tell.

Advice to Senior Management

SALES in a competitive (i.e. saturated) marketplace; especially during a recession, is all about LEVERAGE. When you have no leverage, you haven't got much left but a prayer. The company should eliminate half of their Executive Management Staff, lower ALL incoming starting salary's, redefine price points to be "competitive", and there should be a clearly defined leadership-track outlining all goals, ranks, and positions within the company, so employees know what they are working towards. Most reputable company's have something like that already in place.

In summation, When your #1 opportunity to get ahead in your role is when a brand new "client" just happens to call in to your office, because you are going to charge them an 85% mark-up because A). They don't know any better... yet, and B). You literally have no other option to save your job... Everyone Loses... It's BAD BUSINESS GUYS...

Pros

Flexible schedule and complimentary breakfast.

Cons

Pay is less than other temporary jobs of a similar nature.

Advice to Senior Management

Increase the pay.

Pros

If you need a job to pay the bills and to finish your education, great place to work

Cons

It is a very high turn over rate, so that makes your experience differ at different times.

Advice to Senior Management

Start off with the accountemps side, make sure you get some face time with the management not just your supervisor.

Pros

The west coast branch has very supportive staffing managers who listened to what I was looking for and cared if I was unhappy in a job. While on long-term assignments, the staffing manager would check in about every two weeks to make sure things were still going well. I had successful long-term assignments that allowed me to grow and take on responsibilities beyond my title and, ultimately, a job offer.

Cons

The east coast branch could not care less about me or my career goals. I am just a number and a paycheck, and they make sure to treat me as such. They do not return phone calls in a timely manner, and have placed me on "temp-to-perm" assignments knowing full well the company has no plans to hire. Also dislike being placed in offices with high turn-over: The last thing a new hire wants to hear is, "Gee, I wonder how long you'll last?", or "Another one?!".

Advice to Senior Management

It should be required that, when on a long-term assignment, the staffing manager calls or visits the candidate every two to three weeks. Calls from candidates on assignment should be returned within 24 hours. Do not advertise a job as temp-to-perm when there is no chance of being hired. Tell the truth and let the candidate decide if they are interested.

Pros

It's large with a well-established reputation but it is a large US conglomerate that does not care about it's employees. For a recruitment firm - they treat people like products/commodities.

Cons

Incompetent management Poor education requirements Poorly trained recruiters Overcharging their clients Unethical recruitment and sales practices Over monitoring their employees No room for training and development Underpaid staff and overly administratively cost heavy

Pros

Great resume builder, good benefits and pay

Cons

Micromanaged boiler room mentality, never can do a good enough job, no freedom to make your own decisions, even those doing the best/billing the best get pushed to do more more more - you are never good enough for them.

Advice to Senior Management

Go to OZ and ask the wizard for your heart back - listen to your employees they are in the field they know what's going on. Maybe even work a desk now and then to see what's happening.

Pros

lots of opportunity to make money, with emphasis on growing client relationships for long term revenue earnings. Great reputation in the marketplace.

Cons

no work life balance. Management has little understanding for outside interests or needs concerning family or even health. Competition within the ranks becomes obvious to clients.

Advice to Senior Management

The workplace is run like a 1960s ad agency with constant pressure to do more and more. There needs to be more emphasis on the overall satisfaction of employees.

Pros

Good training for entry-level professionals; vast, if not unlimited, online resources if one has the time.

Cons

Poor leadership practices & communication by executive-level vice presidents that manage via a hammer & matrix. HR directs to legal so expect any report of abuse by management to go right back to management.

Advice to Senior Management

HQ needs to better train VP-level managers for diversity and what are now accepted HR practices.

Pros

You are able to leverage newly created and existing relationships into future opportunities
When your job is that awful you gain a strong sense of camraderie with others in the trenches

Cons

You work 10 hours a day
Unrealistic goals
Unrealistic sales expectations
It will take you forever and a day to actually start earning any commission with the plan they have in place
Strong sense of entitlement from people that have been there a long time accompanied by a strong disdain for new recruiters 'encroaching' on their existing or potential business

Advice to Senior Management

Set realistic goals and improve the mark-up rate (make smaller) in place because other smaller, boutique recruiting shops are handing RHI their head in the recruiting industry. And potential clients (companies that use temporaries) certainly know RHI is greatly over-pricing candidates.