What agency is the best in Sheffield for getting temporary office work? I don't want to go wasting time registering with agencies that never get you any interviews or jobs. Any recommendations?

Brook street? they always seem to have plenty on their books. I've only used Chambers Recruitment, but I don't do office work.

I'm with Tek agency on Trippet lane,,, they got me a good job with greta pay in an office.

Originally posted by kitkat
I'm with Tek agency on Trippet lane,,, they got me a good job with greta pay in an office. You're not a typist then?

Hi,

My other half works for Ranstad and they are good. He usually gets something straight away.

They do all sorts I think. Office and other stuff... worth a look anyway.

Vicky

This thread is most helpful... as in the new year i will be looking for a new job... I'll be looking for full time employment...

My main aim is to get back into office work :)

DON'T go for Kelly Services - the staff are a bunch of idiots who hardly offer you jobs that you want - they all seem to be inbound customer service at Nunnery Square!

Yeah, I'm sick of agencies advertising jobs on the window and when you try to apply for them they basically say there is no such job and put you forward for some other crap job they need to fill. I hold them in the same esteem as estate agents who are only marginally more deciving.

Hey there,
I found a job with the Management Bank. Does not sound like an agency but is one ;-)
I worked for one month with them and got a contract offered afterwards. I am still working with the same company now.

Good luck!

Don't go for Office Angels. They are evil.

they are all pretty hapless.

The only 2 who still call:cry: are Independent Appointments (legal/insurance/financial) and Hays

I would personally recommend Brook Street, got me work with post and civil service, very good experience.

Originally posted by carsondaly
Yeah, I'm sick of agencies advertising jobs on the window and when you try to apply for them they basically say there is no such job and put you forward for some other crap job they need to fill. I hold them in the same esteem as estate agents who are only marginally more deciving.

I too have found this... its almost as if they're desparate for people to go in and join the agency so they create an advert and hope it will bring them in... :( especially when its a job that would you suit you down to the ground... Not good...

Originally posted by Shine
Don't go for Office Angels. They are evil.

They have a bad reputation down South too... how strange... :?

I found Adecco to be very good... the company they put me in took me on within the year... very pleased... may i add that was when i was living down in the Southern region...

in my opinions it competely depends with agencies. i don't like brook street but then y freinds do...i like office angels...but some people don't. it all depends on what job they offer you..if they do offer you anything.
but really , how time-consuming joining agencies is!

Yeah i might go into business where you come to my place and do the god awful 5 hour typing test (what the hell is a mail merge) and after that for £1 i'll post your results to the other agencies so you dont have to do it again and again.. and again.

I think i'd be a millionaire by next week!

The lady with the horrible teeth in Manpower laughed me out of the office before because i asked for 'admin' work.. (Apparently, so did thousands of other people that week.) Still, nice gnashers love.

Yeah, i'd agree with Mick. Brook Street have done me alright - a good job in a social care agency that I really enjoyed.

Does anybody know what Computer People are like - or for that matter, if there are any good agencies that do design/it jobs?

I'm a programmer.. i can do web, database, etc, etc, lah dah

cheers all

chris.

Originally posted by bigrods
DON'T go for Kelly Services - the staff are a bunch of idiots who hardly offer you jobs that you want - they all seem to be inbound customer service at Nunnery Square!

I agree - Kelly Services are useless. I am a student looking for part time / evening / weekend work. I saw an ad for a job in Kelly services window and it mentioned that they were wanting students, so I went in and asked about it. Was told to do 3 tasks, scored 98%, 100% and 96% and was told there were no jobs going with that score. Hello! What do I have to do to get the job advertised?!!! Useless bag of sh*ts they are at kelly

I thought office angels were pretty cool and worth a visit - I went in and within 1 day they had me working in a great position with the NHS which has now lead to be a perm. - I'm still here 2 years later! Good luck with the job hunting x

i've used two primetime and ransted both have been very good. ransted run on a slighty different system enableing you to get other benefits such as sick pay and maternity leave if you've been with them for a length of time. even though its temping you get better emplyee benefits.

Pertemps on the Wicker are outstanding. They have a commercial section and Industrial section.

Hi

Just moved to the area, but I live in Doncaster!

Don't know if anyone can recommend a decent temp agency in Doncaster????

Thanks

Gem

I bear a grudge against Office Angels because they did me out of 5 weeks holiday. And the stupid ditzy woman who was my 'consultant' had an irritating whiny voice and kept saying 'weeell, my haands are tied"

None of this may seem too terrible, but I assure you, they are the most irritating company I've had the misfortune of working with.

Originally posted by kitkat
I'm with Tek agency on Trippet lane,,, they got me a good job with greta pay in an office.

I got a job through TEK Personnel a few years back,working for Siemens Business Services that was good pay also. TEK were very good.

Originally posted by teffey_2003
I agree - Kelly Services are useless. I am a student looking for part time / evening / weekend work. I saw an ad for a job in Kelly services window and it mentioned that they were wanting students, so I went in and asked about it. Was told to do 3 tasks, scored 98%, 100% and 96% and was told there were no jobs going with that score. Hello! What do I have to do to get the job advertised?!!! Useless bag of sh*ts they are at kelly

Perhaps you were too bright for them?

I have no idea about Kelly Services, but some agencies aren't keen on people they think will be too clever for the level of work they'll be doing, and are concerned they'll be a disruptive influence.

Just a thought .....

StarSparkle

Originally posted by StarSparkle
Perhaps you were too bright for them?

I have no idea about Kelly Services, but some agencies aren't keen on people they think will be too clever for the level of work they'll be doing, and are concerned they'll be a disruptive influence.

Just a thought .....

StarSparkle

yeah, understand your point, and have heard it before..... but.....

would they rather take someone who was bright and wanted to work, rather than someone who was told to get to an agency by the job centre or whoever to get off their lazy backside, find a job, was as thick as two short planks, doesn't want to work and won't do the job? Cos it seems like us students and / or people who NEED to work and WANT to work are getting the doors shut in their faces for being able to fulfill a job

Originally posted by smh2004
yeah, understand your point, and have heard it before..... but.....

would they rather take someone who was bright and wanted to work, rather than someone who was told to get to an agency by the job centre or whoever to get off their lazy backside, find a job, was as thick as two short planks, doesn't want to work and won't do the job? Cos it seems like us students and / or people who NEED to work and WANT to work are getting the doors shut in their faces for being able to fulfill a job

I'm on your side, smh2004! :)

I know exactly what you mean - I've been in this situation myself - far too bright for the idiot jobs most agencies have on offer.

Most of the jobs I've been sent to by agencies I could do standing on my head, and have almost gone out of my mind with boredom after about a fortnight (or occasionally after an hour or two!).

But as you say, it's infuriating when you WANT and NEED to work, you know you could do ANY of the jobs they have available, but they'd rather send a gumby.

When you're needing work yourself, it can sometimes seem like everyone you deal with who has a job is a moron, and it seems so unfair!

Not really sure what the answer is ......

StarSparkle

perhaps we should just pretend we're thick as two short planks, left school at 14 with no qualifications, give the agencies sob stories about how our parents treat us horrid, our brother is in prison, our sister is a prostitute to feed a habit and is on drugs. Maybe we'd get job then? By the way, does anyone who works at an agency read this thread? Maybe they could give us their side of the story?

My objection is with all the information the temp agencies ask you for. Went into brook street today and they wanted to know all my education (what differences do my GCSE's make nearly 10 years later), all my employment detials, personal details copy of passport etc. I'm don't really want to give these strangers all this information for them to have and probably never to hear from them again.

Not very impressed with Brook street though as they people in there seem unprofessional and a bit stupid.

Originally posted by carsondaly
My objection is with all the information the temp agencies ask you for. Went into brook street today and they wanted to know all my education (what differences do my GCSE's make nearly 10 years later), all my employment detials, personal details copy of passport etc. I'm don't really want to give these strangers all this information for them to have and probably never to hear from them again.

Not very impressed with Brook street though as they people in there seem unprofessional and a bit stupid.

totally agree with you there. The amount of agencies i've been to that want proof that I am British, and hold a British passport, it's quite unbelieveable.

I was born in Northern general Hospital, I've lived in the same house all 22 years of my life, talk with a yorkshire accent, and yet they still think I don't look British enough. Then once you've registered, you never hear from you again.

Anyway, i think I've moaned enough:gag:

After I'd been working for Office Angels for several months, they decided that apparently the documents I gave them were not proof enough that I was who I said I was - and I was forced to fork out £8 to get a 'full' copy of my birth certificate.

They refused to believe that I didn't possess a passport, probably because the blonde, immaculate fingernailed Stepford Wives that work in agencies cannot think past their next 'mad' holiday in Marbella.

Sorry. I don't like agencies.

Sue Ross Recruitment is great for office/admin work. It's only a small agency but the staff are lovely and very professional.

They seem to have great contacts, too. I moved to Sheffield at Christmas time and told them I wanted work from Jan 5 onwards. On Jan 6 I started in my first job for them and am still here now. They check in every now and then to see how I'm getting on and whenever you ring in with any questions they're only too happy to help.

Having spoken to someone else who uses them, she had a 6 month break between two permanent jobs and Sue Ross kept her in work for literally the whole 6 months.

Also, in reference to another post, you don't lose out on holiday pay because they tack it onto your hourly rate (although, if you're anything like me, that doesn't necessarily mean you put it aside for a holiday, lol).

Now Im scared to admit this, but I work for an employment agency called The Agency on the High street. I know we have a bad press but we also gets people into work in a matter of days, and help loads of students get work to fit round their lessons. We are always getting thankyou notes from temps who's job has gone perm and are delighted with us. We're not all evil! ps The paperwork and need for a birthcertificate or passport is the governments fault - not ours. It drives us crazy too!

Recruitment Bureau

www.therecruitmentbureau.co.uk they are small but seem really helpful and pay really well

ive heard that manpower is a good temping agency, and often leads to a permenant job x

only one of the many agencies I have been to have put me forward for a job (I got it as well) and that was Hays Contact Centres in the ruskin buildings

Masterstaff are a really good agency, they were once based on the Roman Ridge Estate near Meadowhall but now as they have got a good reputation for themselves and business has picked up they have moved onto Surrey Street next to Starbucks. i have been with lots of Agencies and i have found that they are calling me up all day with jobs i specifically said i didnt want to do and basically wasting my time.

The Agency probably get bad press because they are too persistant and ring every 5 minutes.
Somebody from there even phoned my work (I didn't give you a number nor did I actually ask you to phone there!) And seeing as I share a room with my boss who didn't know i was looking at other jobs, it was pretty embarrasing so that's why I didn't phone back.

I sent my CV to Office Angels via the website and got a bitchy message back saying that as I was a student I must be looking for summer work and they don't deal with that kind of stuff!!

I replied with an equally bitchy message that as I'm an English student I only do 7hrs a week in uni and that I am in fact looking for a part-time job which is flexible enough to fit around my uni hours in term-time.

Never heard anything back....

I'm a student taking 6 months out of my course and I was thinking of going to one of these agencies to get some temp work to tide me over.

But what sort of skills do you need before they'll consider you? I am fine with computers apart from things like spreadsheets and databases, which I haven't done since secondary school. I can't touch type at lightning speed, nor do I know shorthand. Is this going to prevent me getting an office job? I only have experience of retail positions in shops :(

Originally posted by scatterheart
I'm a student taking 6 months out of my course and I was thinking of going to one of these agencies to get some temp work to tide me over.

But what sort of skills do you need before they'll consider you? I am fine with computers apart from things like spreadsheets and databases, which I haven't done since secondary school. I can't touch type at lightning speed, nor do I know shorthand. Is this going to prevent me getting an office job? I only have experience of retail positions in shops :(

Generally I think agencies want to know that if they send you to a workplace you're going to behave well and turn up on time and do a good job in their name. If you smile and make eye contact, seem personable and professional, and highlight your positive attributes, you should have no problems getting work.

One thing though, I wouldn't reccomend lying about how much you know, as they will send you on placements on account of what you say you know, so you may find yourself in at the deep end with an employer!

I personally reccomend Randstad on Leopold Street, they are a great agency. They always pay on time and their staff are really friendly.

Oh absolutely, I'd rather get turned away than find myself sat infront of a spreadsheet with a task I haven't a clue how to do :P Although I'm sure it wouldn't take long to come flooding back, I might try and have a practice this weekend on Office and see how much I have actually remembered :rolleyes:

I am perfectly fine with other pc skills, answering phones, dealing with clients etc, had lots of practice in that :thumbsup: I think I'll head round some agencies on monday and see what they can offer me :)

Cool good luck! :thumbsup:

You will need to take with you, your NI number, a passport or driving licence or other form of ID and a couple of references.
Let me know how it goes. Definitely try randstad they are great.

Don't forget your CV and detailed job history.

Just get registered with consultants..thats wat evryone does in hope of getting a call...am also in the same situation as urs

Originally posted by reddy
Just get registered with consultants..thats wat evryone does in hope of getting a call...am also in the same situation as urs

but what gets me mad is that
(A) they don't call,
or
(B) they call with jobs you don't even want and haven't even asked for.

don't even get me started on some of the recruitment agencies. The amount of times I have been to them, especially Kelly Services, Manpower, Primetime and Blue Arrow, and The Agency, well, I gave up all hope.

Only one I went to (and I didn't hold much hope, given my previous experiences) that got me anywhere was Hays Contact Centre, would be the only one I recommend. Got me my current job, which I really am starting to enjoy now.

Originally posted by scatterheart
I'm a student taking 6 months out of my course and I was thinking of going to one of these agencies to get some temp work to tide me over.

But what sort of skills do you need before they'll consider you? I am fine with computers apart from things like spreadsheets and databases, which I haven't done since secondary school. I can't touch type at lightning speed, nor do I know shorthand. Is this going to prevent me getting an office job? I only have experience of retail positions in shops :(

I went to Office Angels 4 years ago. I had done a word processing course years ago and I had taught myself to type. I had no office experience but had "played around" on my own pc trying to work Excel out etc. They asked me to sit a test which I did. I got a job that started 2 days later, loved it, and have been going onwards and upwards ever since.

After I had taken my test Office Angels told me that I could go in at any time and play around with their Powerpoint/ Office etc tutorials if I felt I needed any more skills.

You sound as if you have much more experience than I had - I'd never even seen a spreadsheet before! Good luck!

Heh. I had loads of computer skills and achieved "very good" scores on their tests, but they still didn't find me any computer work. If I have to resort to agencies again I think I'll just try the small ones (ie, not Manpower, Adecco etc).

To get along in agency work you have to remember something. Agency work is a 2 way process ie you have something to offer them as well as them having something to offer you.

Be politely assertive and clear and honest about your skills and what you are looking for. If you are reliable, do a good job and show up when you say you will - they will soon be ringing you.

Don't focus on what you haven't yet learned, sell yourself on what you can do so far. If you are looking for admin work, try 'The Agency' on High Street. They are very personable and won't treat you like a number. Be prepared to do a typing test though!

Originally posted by advenutrer
To get along in agency work you have to remember something. Agency work is a 2 way process ie you have something to offer them as well as them having something to offer you.

Be politely assertive and clear and honest about your skills and what you are looking for. If you are reliable, do a good job and show up when you say you will - they will soon be ringing you.

Don't focus on what you haven't yet learned, sell yourself on what you can do so far. If you are looking for admin work, try 'The Agency' on High Street. They are very personable and won't treat you like a number. Be prepared to do a typing test though!

it's okay saying that, but I've gone in with that attitude, and it's not got me anywhere. Each time I've had to do an agencies tests such as typing and audio tests, I've got 90+% every time, but there's still nothing available.

The Agency are not all that great in my opinion. I've been a couple of times, took their tests, came out better that they thought I would do (they told me they were surprised at my high score), but couldn't offer me anything. So what's a girl to do?

Has anyone had experience of Premiere People in the city centre?

I've been past their place a few times but haven't heard much about them so not sure whether to approach them for work.

Contact The Agency on High Street opposite T J Hughes.

They are personable, really listen to what you're looking for/suited to, and won't just make you feel like a number.

I also thought office angels where good i went down and the same day they got me a job at office angels my sister was fed up of her current job so the week later i sent her down and she also got offered a job at Nhs. But i found the staff to be RUDE after a while i asked for a time sheet once she faxed me one then gave me a 10 minute speech how next time she wouldn't pay me.. needless to say i switched agencys HA

Hi all,

Please don't forget Travail Employment Group, we are in St James' House, on Vicar lane, Next to the Cathedral in Sheffield City Centre. We deal with commercial, industrial, technical executive, skilled, driving, catering. Please look on our website for our latest jobs, www.travail.co.uk. I deal with the commercial permanent side of the business and we currently have call agents, Full and Part time customer service, sales estimator, sales support co-ordinator, and team co-ordinator positions.

Thanks
Kelly @ Travail

Sue Ross Recruitment is great for office/admin work. It's only a small agency but the staff are lovely and very professional.

They seem to have great contacts, too. I moved to Sheffield at Christmas time and told them I wanted work from Jan 5 onwards. On Jan 6 I started in my first job for them and am still here now. They check in every now and then to see how I'm getting on and whenever you ring in with any questions they're only too happy to help.

Having spoken to someone else who uses them, she had a 6 month break between two permanent jobs and Sue Ross kept her in work for literally the whole 6 months.

Also, in reference to another post, you don't lose out on holiday pay because they tack it onto your hourly rate (although, if you're anything like me, that doesn't necessarily mean you put it aside for a holiday, lol).



I'm temping through Office Angels at the moment in the NHS being paid £7.00 p/h for secretarial work, just wondering how much other agencies pay for this kind of job

Hi

Man, i'm so down with these agencies!I'm in Manchester btw..i know this is a Sheff forum ..but i need to vent re:agencies!

I've registered with Reed,Robert half,Office angels and Ritz.Also, been to at least 20 others in Manchester.

I work as a Scriptwriter and need to pay the Bills..so thought i could temp!

I have all the IT Word formal qualifications and lots of Admin project work expereince..but none ofthem are getting back to me.

Reed are complete ***S!Actually, the lot of them seem to be thick and lie out of there backside!

Share!:)

I used adecoo sheffield very good.

adecco rotherham suck.

Please give us a try

We dont hound you into jobs that you arent the right person for. We email you out regular updates of all the latest vacancies and allow you to contact us with the jobs you are interested in rather than offering you work totally unrelated.

That way you get the type of job your looking for and the client gets someone who actually fits the bill and is more likely to stop with them for a while if not permanently

http://www.exclusive-recruitment.co.uk/jobs.asp

We will do our best to provide you a bespoke solution

Regards

Stacey :love:

Kelly Services are definately the worst (they have closed a lot of branches as they make huge losses in the UK - £7million).

Brook Street are def the best, wherever you go.

By the way, Office Angels, Computer People, Roevin and the like are all part of Adecco don't you know.

Agencies are only really good if you have good solid work experience and skills. If you are just looking to gain experience then they are probably not your best option. Remember they are private sector employers and not "Job Centres"

It's best to use professional agencies that are members of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation. The REC do have a website with a members directory on it.

These days just registering with an agency (if they decide to register you after an initial fact finding chat - and remember they don't have to) can take ages due to everything they have to go through with you due to government red tape.

Good idea also to register with an agency that specialises specifically in your profession eg accountancy, sales, engineering, IT, catering, office, teaching etc) and treat the registration like an interview as the Consultant will be accessing you as a potential recruit for a company that they are more than likely to have met. Give them attitude and you have no chance. Let them down and they will tell other agencies and employers.

Remember it is up to you to keep in touch with the agency. They do see lots of people and they are more likely to place the people that keep in touch. And another thing to remember, agencies dont create the jobs - they cant offer you a job unless an employer wants you !!!! Dont blame the agency if the employers have no need for your skills.

I got both my permanent jobs through Brook Street and now I use Brook Street whenever I need Temps. They have never let me down and every person they have sent me has been perfectly matched to the job. If they just offered jobs to anyone that walked off the street then I wouldnt be happy.

Everyone has something to offer someone so just keep at it !

DON'T go for Kelly Services - the staff are a bunch of idiots who hardly offer you jobs that you want - they all seem to be inbound customer service at Nunnery Square!

I agree. They got me an awful job which I have stuck out for two months on next to nothing pay and a member of staff has just called me a liar. They are useless and arrogant.

Sue Ross Recruitment is great for office/admin work. It's only a small agency but the staff are lovely and very professional.

They seem to have great contacts, too. I moved to Sheffield at Christmas time and told them I wanted work from Jan 5 onwards. On Jan 6 I started in my first job for them and am still here now. They check in every now and then to see how I'm getting on and whenever you ring in with any questions they're only too happy to help.

Having spoken to someone else who uses them, she had a 6 month break between two permanent jobs and Sue Ross kept her in work for literally the whole 6 months.

Also, in reference to another post, you don't lose out on holiday pay because they tack it onto your hourly rate (although, if you're anything like me, that doesn't necessarily mean you put it aside for a holiday, lol).

Seconded. Sue Ross are brilliant, can't recommend them enough.

Some very interesting comments on this thread. and i can empathize entirely with people. My circumstances are that i'm young, have a good educational background and a about eight months office experience. Foruntately, I've just been fixed up with something which an agency got me but trying to find work and dealing with the agencies is like banging your head against a brick wall.

I'm not going to personally name them but a few of agencies are absolutely mickey mouse. A story from a friend was he was asked to give over his passport to be photocopied, he then gets his passport back straight away then a week later the 'consultant' (don't make me laugh) rang him up and said he could have had this job but they didn't have any records of his passport. He then went in to give it them again and heard nothing!

My experiences are generally that I go in, do all their tests, provide them with loads of documentation, bank details, then they promise me the world saying it shouldn't be difficult to get me something then either

a) i hear bugger all from them
b) i get one phone call suggesting a job to me but in Doncaster, Worksop or Derbyshire on about £6 an hour, when i turn it down i never hear from them again. Indeed, I made a point of telling the consultant that without wanting to sound picky it would be counter-productive for me to take it, she said no problem and she'll keep searching.

My biggest let down with agencies was when one agency kept me hanging over potentially working in the public sector, but due to various issues it would take 2-4 weeks before i could start - possibly niave on my behalf but i left it for 2-4 weeks then rang them and said it'll take longer, still to this day nothing! I understand this is probably down to the organisation rather than the agency but it is the 'everything will be ok you'll start very soon' i can't be doing with.

To counter that, I've found one or two consultants to be very genuine and honest, the one agency which i would personally recommend is MasterStaff/Dutton International. I can only speak from personal experience but i saw an advert online, rang them up and in the space of 24 hours i'd started and had no issues with pay or anything. They are based at Meadowhall but deal largely with Rotherham (Rotherham Council as well) and Barnsley.



Hopefully I'll report soon on another good agency but I don't want to count my chickens.