Re: Fair Cut

[Andrew Plato <intrepid_es -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

If all recruiters are "the scum of the earth" why do you continue to use them?
If a client mandates you to use a recruiter/agency - walk away from the deal.
Work with only clients who will contract you directly. 

You can't have everything. If you think all recruiters are scum, then don't use
them. How would you like it if your employer walked in and said to you everyday
"you're a horrible, worthless pile of crap, but I'll keep you here for a little
while because I have no other choice."  You wouldn't be very thrilled to help
them out.

We have this problem at my company all the time. People are hot and ready if we
have a job for them, but once they realize we have to control the process and
take a cut of the deal they have a fit.  Go apply for jobs with companies on
your own. Don't use the services of a recruiter if you are not willing to pay
for that service (in some form). 

Honestly, I think a lot of these horror stories come out of laziness and
inexperience. If you let people take advantage of you time and time again then
the only person to blame is you.  If you are passive and assume people have
your best interests in mind all the time, then you're bound to get screwed.  

You have to keep an eye on people, especially when money is concerned. If
people think they can screw you, they will. Even nice, sweet, decent,
God-fearing people.  It is human nature. If people think they can get away with
a crime, they will commit it. 

We live in a competitive environment.  If you can't compete and take
responsibility for your work then you shouldn't be out their playing with the
pros.  I have never once had any problem with any recruiters in my career, but
I also never let anybody order me around or bullshit me. I was fair, decent,
but responsible. I didn't take people at their word, I made them write it down.
I didn't throw a fit and get mad when I didn't get what I wanted, I just asked
politely and firmly that I wanted something else. If people won't bargain with
me, I walk away from the deal. No sense beating my head against a wall. There
is always another deal around the corner. 

It is REALLY EASY to bitch and whine after the fact that the big, bad
recruiters took money from you and ruined your life. Be assertive and stand up
for what you want and don't let people push you around. You won't need the NWU
or anybody then. 

Furthermore, how is the NWU taking 10% any different than a recruiter taking
15%. Just because it is less money doesn't mean it is somehow "fairer". It is
still a tithe of a kind. If you got what you wanted per hour, then it shouldn't
matter if the agency got 700% per hour on you. Its their deal with the client.
You're dealing with the agency. 

Andrew Plato 

"Berk/Devlin" <armadill -at- earthlink -dot- net> wrote

> Well, actually, in my recent experience:
> 
> 1.  I found the jobs, or, the NWU found me the job.  THEN the employer 
> insisted I use the "approved provider", who gets, like at least 15% of 
> every hour I work.  And the employer chose my approved provider.  I paid 
> the NWU's 10% out of MY earnings (gratefully).  The approved provider's 
> costs make ME look less efficient, more expensive.  They do, bottom line, 
> cost ME money.
> 
> 2.  The approved provider provided NO, zero, zilch benefits:
> NO INSURANCE, NO WORKERS' COMP, NO EQUIPMENT, SUPPORT, or SUPPLIES, NO 
> PAPER, NO SOFTWARE.  In fact, in one of my current contracts, the approved 
> provider does not even know when the contract he signed on my behalf 
> terminates.  (I am incorporated, so I pay for all of these things for
myself.)
> 
> 4.  ALL that the approved provider provides is re-assurance to the 
> employer.  Re-assurance of what, I am not sure.  But, in one recent fun 
> episode I had with a very, very large company whose services every North 
> American one of you probably uses every day you are not on a desert island, 
> the employer chose the approved provider, the approved provider totally 
> lost track of how many hours they'd sold to my employer, and I ended up not 
> paid for 160 hours of my work and out of a job with NO notice, NO 
> severance, NO benefits, and severely depressed.  It took the NWU and me 
> THREE MONTHS to get them to send me a check, during which time they 
> demanded I drive 1.5 hours to return a laptop they'd foisted on me which 
> had never worked.  (I kept sending them email requesting that they give me 
> an invoice number to any carrier they chose.)
> 
> 5.  I'm wondering why I'd WANT to be paying the agency's rent, utilities, 
> payroll, let alone "margin for profit", etc.  It's not like I've even SEEN 
> them, let alone their facilities.
> 
> Andrew Plato, (most) approved providers, the ones I've dealt with at least, 
> are the scum of the earth. Perhaps you do more for your indentured servants.
> 
> At present, I am working with one agency that did, at least, find me the 
> work.  But I've been on the project since Sept. and since then they have 
> done precious little for me except get paid for the time I work.  And, so 
> far, knock wood, they do send me the checks.  After theirs clears, natch.

> 

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