job placement agencies - looking for a secretary/administrator

[Sliver]

Anybody have any experience with job placement agencies or head hunters for administrators or secretaries? I looked at one place that charges $4800, which seems exorbitant to me. I think $1500 would be more reasonable, but maybe I'm out to lunch.

Not super happy with the Kijiji respondents and the people that have sent their resumes through my ad on the Government of Canada Job Bank and I think there are better candidates out there.

Sooooo, anybody have any suggestions on placement agencies or head hunters that don't charge an arm and a leg?

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Anybody have any experience with job placement agencies or head hunters for administrators or secretaries? I looked at one place that charges $4800, which seems exorbitant to me. I think $1500 would be more reasonable, but maybe I'm out to lunch.

Not super happy with the Kijiji respondents and the people that have sent their resumes through my ad on the Government of Canada Job Bank and I think there are better candidates out there.

Sooooo, anybody have any suggestions on placement agencies or head hunters that don't charge an arm and a leg?

Are you taking resumes personally? I have a friend who recently arrived in Canada from Australia and is looking for a similar position.

PM me with a few more details if you can.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Are you taking resumes personally? I have a friend who recently arrived in Canada and is looking for a similar position.

PM'd.

[burn_this_city]

I'd just interview a pile of the kijiji and other applicants. Honestly how valuable is their resume? I'd just look for someone young, stable, and relatively intelligent. We have a revolving door here for those positions, more than 2/3's are complete flakes who spend the majority of the day whining about the dynastic struggles with the other admins.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

I'd just interview a pile of the kijiji and other applicants. Honestly how valuable is their resume? I'd just look for someone young, stable, and relatively intelligent. We have a revolving door here for those positions, more than 2/3's are complete flakes who spend the majority of the day whining about the dynastic struggles with the other admins.

Yep, two flakes in a row replaced the stable lady we had for four years that was pretty good. I'm just sick of the pile of kijiji weirdos that come into my office whenever I look to fill this position.

Also, my year-end is September 30 so time is of the essence this time around. I would love to call a placement agency and have a reasonably good employee show up the next day for a reasonable price, but maybe that's a pipe dream.

[VladtheImpaler]

If you pay me $120,000 and promise not to sexually harass me, I will be your assistant. Really, you can't put a price on stability

It's always a price vs competence dilemma. Assuming you are not paying much, your best is try to get a girl out of high school and mold her. Otherwise, you just wind up with fataed up white trash. I am speaking based on a dozen years of experience of hiring assistants on the cheap...

[Swayze11]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

If you pay me $120,000 and promise not to sexually harass me, I will be your assistant. Really, you can't put a price on stability

It's always a price vs competence dilemma. Assuming you are not paying much, your best is try to get a girl out of high school and mold her. Otherwise, you just wind up with fataed up white trash. I am speaking based on a dozen years of experience of hiring assistants on the cheap...

For $120,000, I will allow the sexual harassment.

[jtfrogger]

I've never had to hire a secretary or admin, but in general placement agencies will want about 10-15% of the annual salary. So, $4800 sounds reasonable to me.

$1500 would re ridiculously low, and I would be concerned about any placement agency that would offer such a low rate.

It takes a lot of time to search through candidates. Think about what their success rate would be. How many people would they have to interview for every person they present? How many of the candidates that they present actually get hired and make it through the probation? How many resumes would they have to read? How much advertising would they have to place? I wouldn't be surprised if they had to put in over 100 hours of effort for every candidate that passes through the probation period when you factor in all of the ones that do not get hired.

[Drury18]

Where might I send you a resume? I am currently looking for an Admin position as I have been recently laid off and getting sick of being laid off every 18 months because of whackjob and flighty employers.

Being on the other side using these headhunters, they are rip off artists. They take huge cuts and I don't think either side actually gets reasonable services for the costs involved.

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by Drury18

Where might I send you a resume? I am currently looking for an Admin position as I have been recently laid off and getting sick of being laid off every 18 months because of whackjob and flighty employers.

Being on the other side using these headhunters, they are rip off artists. They take huge cuts and I don't think either side actually gets reasonable services for the costs involved.

Sounds promising.

[Drury18]

Least I can read up on the history of this one to know what I'm in for! :-)

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

If you pay me $120,000 and promise not to sexually harass me, I will be your assistant. Really, you can't put a price on stability

It's always a price vs competence dilemma. Assuming you are not paying much, your best is try to get a girl out of high school and mold her. Otherwise, you just wind up with fataed up white trash. I am speaking based on a dozen years of experience of hiring assistants on the cheap...

Truer words have never been spoken.

I would pay more, but it'll fata up my whole pay structure with my other employees so I have to be careful how high I go. There are good ones out there.

Originally Posted by jtfrogger

I've never had to hire a secretary or admin, but in general placement agencies will want about 10-15% of the annual salary. So, $4800 sounds reasonable to me.

$1500 would re ridiculously low, and I would be concerned about any placement agency that would offer such a low rate.

It takes a lot of time to search through candidates. Think about what their success rate would be. How many people would they have to interview for every person they present? How many of the candidates that they present actually get hired and make it through the probation? How many resumes would they have to read? How much advertising would they have to place? I wouldn't be surprised if they had to put in over 100 hours of effort for every candidate that passes through the probation period when you factor in all of the ones that do not get hired.

Yeah fair enough - I'm just hoping there is a better deal out there somehow.

Originally Posted by Drury18

Where might I send you a resume? I am currently looking for an Admin position as I have been recently laid off and getting sick of being laid off every 18 months because of whackjob and flighty employers.

Being on the other side using these headhunters, they are rip off artists. They take huge cuts and I don't think either side actually gets reasonable services for the costs involved.

If you have QuickBooks experience fire me a PM and I'll send you the ad.

Edit: Oops, I see you already sent me a PM.

[Misterpants]

If Drury18 gets the job, it will be an easy way making pay deductions. Count the number of posts in a day, multiply by 5 minutes per post (to read previous posts, type witty comment) and then bam, you have the number of hours to subtract from the paycheque!

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Misterpants

If Drury18 gets the job, it will be an easy way making pay deductions. Count the number of posts in a day, multiply by 5 minutes per post (to read previous posts, type witty comment) and then bam, you have the number of hours to subtract from the paycheque!

Yeah, little concerned about the CP thing. There is only room for one hockey forum specialist at this company and I'm not about to fire me.

[Misterpants]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Yeah, little concerned about the CP thing. There is only room for one hockey forum specialist at this company and I'm not about to fire me.

On the plus side, you could dictate all of your posts. Or make Drury18 post all of the comments that you wish you could post.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Misterpants

On the plus side, you could dictate all of your posts. Or make Drury18 post all of the comments that you wish you could post.

My own personal troll? Drury18, can you be here in 30 minutes?

You guys are about to find out what I really think of you.

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by Misterpants

On the plus side, you could dictate all of your posts. Or make Drury18 post all of the comments that you wish you could post.

That wouldn't leave much time for the sexual harassment...

[Misterpants]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

That wouldn't leave much time for the sexual harassment...

It's quality, not quantity. Good sexual harassment doesn't have to take up a lot of your time. A well placed leering glance when Vlad bends over to pick up a dropped item, a suggestion to "loosen up", or the good old innuendo.

[Sliver]

Oh Vla-ad. The cord came unplugged under my desk again...be a doll and crawl under there...love those short-shorts by the way.

[Locke]

Just constantly drop things around the office and force him to bend down and pick it all up.

With all the CP and sexual harrassment it'll be hard to get all that work done. You might have to hire two assistants.

Although, in that context one of the assistants would just be a CP posting prostitute and the other one would have to do all the work. Its a strange mix.