Robert Half 101 Over a month ago I interviewed for a Telecommunications position through Office Team, a subdivision of Robert Half, in San Francisco. Word to the wise, when an interviewer avoids not only eye contact but any attempt at establishing a working professional relationship with you, as the self-help book on relationships reads, "He's Just Not That Into You." The interview went terrible and I was told the position required more experience in a certain field than my resume indicated. When I questioned why this was not listed in the job description my interviewer simply stated that the description was a generalized summary of the position. I left the interview feeling as if a decision had been made by Office Team long before I'd entered their office. It seemed the interviewer was doing everything in his power to discourage me from even questioning why someone with years of professional experience in the field was under-qualified for a position requiring 90% of his skill set. My Office Team interviewer could only point the finger at his client, the requester, as he somewhat tried to show empathy for my dilemma. Yesterday I received a job notification from Robert Half with descriptions of yet another available position, this one as good a match if not better than the first. Immediately after being connected to the interviewer I reminded him/her of my interview a month ago and stated that I was calling about the latest position notification I'd received. What started out as a very friendly and trusting conversation went south the moment I questioned the veracity of his description of the job being that of a supervisory position that required having staff report to you. It took a few minutes to help the interviewer understand which position I was inquiring about. Once it was understood that the position I was seeking didn't require supervisory experience the interviewer stated something that just boggled my mind. After many attempts for a broader explanation of why I didn't qualify for the position I was finally told that the client has already turned down my resume for one position a month ago and therefore would not review my resume a second time, regardless of the position I was applying for. Finally, I was getting what may have been a straight answer. But it sure sounded like the finger pointing game again, blame it on the client. So a warning to you desperate job seekers out their doing business with Robert Half 'aka' Office Team. Understand that this company's representatives are either overwhelmed with the large unemployment pool, under qualified to represent professionals adequately or simply unconcerned whether their clients receive the best qualified applicant for the position. Remember, when it comes right down to it, you're just a solicitous customer and it's really all about the money they'll make off of you. Who said life is fair? read more

Re: Temp to Full-time hired in 3 Months After 12/28/13, my unemployment insurance expired and I, like millions of other Americans, had no source of income since Congress refused to extend a vital lifeline (even at this late date.) To say things were dire would be an understatement. 7 months of applying directly to companies for full-time employment resulted in 5 interviews, but no offers. As my savings dwindled, I needed to find ANY way to get back into the workforce. Not that I was seeking the Temp Agency path, the SF OfficeTeam called ME. I had sent my resume for consideration to one of their Admin openings. Lauren Kuemmeler, one of the OfficeTeam recruiters & my professional "Guardian Angel" took a chance and brought me in for a screening & to complete an assessment of my MS office skills. After my meeting with Lauren, I accepted their invitation to be part of OfficeTeam. I really didn't know what to expect next other than to be ready to take on any assignment given. In my case, timing is everything. Full disclosure, I only had "1" assignment with OfficeTeam. My old employer (who laid me off 7 months ago) had put a request with OfficeTeam for an Executive Assistant. I used my prior experience of 11 years with that firm and took on their Executive Assistant role. Credit my motivation of 7-months of unemployment & determination for redemption in taking what was initially presented as a 2-3 week assignment into a 3-month stay. Within that time, I posted my application for the full-time role, went through my old employer's interview process and emerged with an offer at the end. All throughout this time, the SF OfficeTeam (notably, Lauren) would periodically check up on me to see how my assignment was going. Even as I went through the interview process with my old firm, they were nothing but supportive, encouraging and hopeful that I got the full-time job. When I eventually got the offer, they were genuinely as happy as I was for that achievement. There are plenty of employment agencies in the City of San Francisco. Most of them may or may not help you get to a full-time job. Speaking with most of my professional connections, more of them have had bad experiences with Agencies in general. I only had "1" assignment with SF OfficeTeam, which, if they hadn't brought me on board, I would never have known about. As I write this review, once again a full-time employee with my old firm, I thank OfficeTeam & my Guardian Angel (Lauren) for saving my professional career. It's nice to be part of the full-time American workforce ... Again : ) read more

I was with Accountemps for about 7 months (left recently for a tax preparation position) and had a great time. I interacted with most of the Accountemps team because each member handles different contracting assignments. They were professional and friendly. In fact, for my 1st assignment, Sean walked me to the contracting company and introduced me to the payroll manager who I worked with. Throughout the 7 months, they sent me on interviews from time to time. However, I was only contracted to 3 companies because the same companies asked me back when new projects came up. One time, Accountemps asked me to return for a project because the contracting company asked specifically for me for the past couple weeks. I said no initially because I was studying for final exam (was taking 1 graduate accounting class at GGU at night). Long story short, 5 minutes later I agreed to return and received a pay raise and a dinner offer from Accountemps redeemable by me at anytime and anywhere, hehe. In terms of work, I performed various accounting tasks such as accounts receivable (billed 500 companies on my 1st day), accounts payable (like 100 invoices a week), daily sales receipt reconciliations (for 5 small retail stores), and monthly bank reconciliations (the bank statements were way too thick...). In general, senior accountants supervised my daily work and assigned special projects. Surprisingly, Accountemps cared more about my career goals than getting the referral bonus check! When I was offered a permanent accounting clerk position during one of my assignments, I thought they would pressure me to accept so they can collect the referral bonus. However, they remembered my career goal of becoming a CPA and told me to take my time to think about it... I declined. Furthermore, they were supportive by allowing time off when I had interviews with a few local firms. Overall, I had great experiences. In addition to learning new accounting software, I experienced how different sized companies operate (one public, one going public, and one expanding private retail business). More importantly, I established lots of connections such as professional references from co-workers and supervisors. Also, I interacted regularly with hiring managers and seen all the recruiting invoices/expenses so I have a good idea of how certain companies hires, hehe. read more

My experience with TCG was pretty terrible. To start, before I got my one and only gig, I was told to come into the office to meet with my recruiter and fill out some paperwork. I showed up at the office and my recruiter was 'busy' so she never took the time to meet with me at all which is the start to an unsuccessful relationship. I filled out my paperwork with the receptionist and called it a day. I was given one gig for a month which was fine. I didn't enjoy it - it wasn't the industry I wanted to be in and I wasn't doing the work I wanted to be doing. Toward the end of my gig, she asked how my gig went. I told her it was fine but it wasn't really what I was looking for and it wasn't really in the industry I was looking for. I had told her multiple times what I was looking for multiple times - I had been very clear about it. I told her I wanted to get into the advertising world as that's what I studied in school. I know and understand the industry and I know if you don't get your foot in early, it's hard to get in. I was given the response "Well it's a competitive industry and it's hard to get into." Obviously. If it was easy, she wouldn't have a job and I would. I KNOW it's competitive, that's why I decided to work with TCG - to HELP me. She was so discouraging and basically told me my work wasn't good enough which is funny because not once thorough my experience with her did she sit down with me and even talk about it. (Compared to other recruiters I've worked with that brought me in, sat down with me and looked through my book with me, told me what was strong, what to remove, what to add..) It was very clear that she didn't care where she put me - she just wanted to get paid which is very tough for someone looking for a job. After that, she sent me a few more things that had nothing to do with what I wanted, but continued to thank her and keep me updated. After that, I was completely ignored and haven't heard from her since! My advice to someone thinking about using services like this and like Creative Circle, just don't. Stick with your full-time job search. Something will come up - something eventually did for me. Don't waste your time here. read more

This review is for Aaron Geiman, Division Director - IT Search Permanent Staffing Services for Robert Half Technology. Up until my encounter with Aaron Geiman at RHT in San Francisco, CA, my experiences with RHT and their recruiters were extremely disappointing, so I was a bit hesitant to want to work with him. However, Aaron listened patiently to me while I aired my complaints regarding the lack of communication and follow-up with other RHT recruiters, and assured me that my experience with him would be much different, so I took a chance on him - and boy, did it pay off! First, Aaron was very transparent with me regarding the potential employment opportunity and their hiring process - he gave me full disclosure of everything I needed to know. After doing research (via Glassdoor.com) on the employer, and I expressed my reservations about moving forward to him, he again listened patiently, asked me to trust him and urged me to reconsider my stance, as he'd already placed my soon-to-be (and now current) supervisor there, who is happy at the company, and assured me that I'd be equally happy working there. Aaron also provided me with awesome interviewing tips and suggestions to ensure that I could successfully present my best self as a candidate, and was offered the position! Not only did Aaron help me land my dream job at an awesome company, he helped me negotiate a higher starting salary, which has never happened in my 12+ years working with IT staffing firms! He emails and calls me to check in with me to see how things are going (it's going great), and even took me to lunch as a way to say congratulations on my new job - I was so pleased with the work he's done, I felt like I owed him lunch! :-) I have and will continue to recommend Aaron Geiman to IT professionals who are seeking a permanent position at a great company (RHT tends to get the best client companies). He is honest, open and a pleasure to work with! Thank you Aaron for being such an awesome recruiter, and for your commitment to matching IT professionals with great companies! read more

Robert Half Financial Services in San Francisoc has a top notch staff. They're hardworking and dedicated to their resposibilities and duties. Everyone that I have encountered at this company From Suraj Sen, Mark Caraway, Marcus Duterte and so on, are truly a treasure to work and deal with. Initially when I was called in, I was going over my resume with Suraj Sen. He gave me excellent pointers on fixing up my resume, pointers on my approach heading to an interview and so forth. Mark Caraway is another guy who was excellent in helping me find the right position and job that was best suited for me. He was extremely diligent in following up with me and keeping me up to date whenever something was available. He would frequently call me insuring that he was in my corner and he was going to find me that job that I had been seeking, and I am grateful for his professionalism, and time spent helping me find my desire position, and in it's desired location. Marcus Duterte is a great guy who still to this day frequently follows up to make sure that everything is going well. He and Mark Caraway worked hard together on getting the job that I now have, and he has been a joy to communicate with. He has the best attitude and energy when you're dealing with him. Anytime I need anything from these guys they are quick with responding, and they are more than helpful, and considerate to any request I may have. Marcus, Mark and Suraj are great workers of the Robert Half Staff, and even better human beings. I've never worked with a group so determined and showed geniuen humility and care for your personal situation, and really worked hard to produce results. Robert Half overall is an outstanding company, and they obviously know how to pick their staff with care. The San Francisco Financial staff is Top Notch all across the board, and should be commended for their hard work and services. Suraj Sen, Marcus Duterte, and Mark Caraway are 3 Gems that are can't miss kind of guys. Kudos to all you've done, and continued to success to the Robert Half Family. read more

Extremely unprofessional group of people. If you see all the good reviews posted here, and check on the names of these recruiters on LinkedIn, they have already left Robert Half for another company which leaves Robert Half with lousy attitude recruiters that ACT like they are all out to help you but NO. I first applied for two positions online and was contacted by a recruiter (Her initials: BB) and was invited to their office for an interview. I went the next day and had a chat with her who seemed all nice and helpful initially, but allowed me to see through her irresponsibilities and unprofessionalism. Unfortunately she told me that the positions I applied for weren't available anymore, and told me that she would let me know of the interview date with another amazing company by the evening (saying it would most likely be the next day) of the day I had an interview with her. No response from her until I had to personally call and ask myself, which she later told me "oh the interview won't be until next week because the company needs you to answer several questions". The next week I received a call from her saying that position was already unavailable and so she offered me another position with another company and again asking me to answer a few questions which I did immediately and she told me the interview should be scheduled within this week. BUT, I NEVER HEARD FROM HER AGAIN SINCE THEN. Sent her an email for follow up and NO REPLY. Then another person from the accounting department contacted me for an accounting position that would start immediately. She had me do an excel test which i did right away, and then I NEVER HEARD AGAIN from her since then. Unprofessional and irresponsible group of people. Conclusion: DON'T BOTHER USING THEM. read more

Angela Delphenich--you rock! So here's the deal. I've been off-grid for about five years now, pursuing opportunities totally unrelated to my life as a writer. And during those years, the job market tanked, and has now bounced like a dead horse in San Francisco. Thanks Tech Bubble 2.0. If there's a faint glimmer of hope, a good part of that hope is for me is The Creative Group. Angela took a look at my strange, wandering resume and still contacted me. One star for actually initiating human contact instead of automated marketing emails. I was unavailable so she set an appointment for the next week, kept it, and quickly asked the right questions, after obviously taking a good look at my linkedin, resume, and website. One star for getting right to the point, being prepared, and being on-time. She also made zero promises, and explained that given my location and background it might be a long road. One star for no BS. During the next week, I asked a lot of dumb questions about the job market today, strategies, etc.. She answered every one, in detail, with real emails, not auto-replies. One star for taking the time to make sure I was fully informed, and offering helpful strategies for further job seeking (even with other agencies) And at every turn, she was unfailingly friendly, upbeat, and courteous. And yeah, I know those are learned behaviors for recruiters--but everybody gets that upfront, until you're in that all important network, then usually...nothing. Getting that 4 emails in, even when you know you're not a top candidate for their main market? Final star for proving to be a quality human being. read more

Robert Half is company full of heartless people. It wasn't that way when I moved here; this group (Rich White and whoever Karen is that runs Accountemps) has no heart at all. And forget about Jody DaSilva getting back with you; emails, calls..I might as well start my own agency. I have brought in quite a bit of $$ for this company in the almost 20 years I worked with them. My last position was a 6 figure salary so you can imagine what commission they got. Yet all of us are dealing with layoffs, so I call them to see how the positions are looking. They bring up old temp positions that go back to 2000; "oh you missed a day here and there. We can't trust you." For God sakes, I am a cancer patient and in 2000 I was in the middle of the fight. I was in tears on the phone at the absolute heartless people working there right now. How can you throw something like that up in someone's face? I was very specific when I moved here in 2000 and let them know about my sickness. Yet within 3 weeks of moving here, I made them money by being hired by a top dot com at the time. If they have no loyalty to me, I have none for them and will tell any of my friends to stay away. I am working with another headhunter now and have an interview on Monday and two more during the week. But I would say, watch your back with Robert Half, Accountemps, Robert Half Management Resources and the entities; no matter how much money you have made for a company like this, they will kick you when you're down. What a shame in this economy that people are acting this way. read more

I've never written a yelp review before, but OfficeTeam is so fantastic that I have no choice! I was first introduced to the idea of a temp agency last year, when I was a junior at Middlebury college. I was home for a month before a summer in DC and desperately needed to make some cash...I tried to babysitting, task rabbit, you name it, but nothing panned out. Finally, my mom's friend suggested using a temp agency. I had never heard of one, but I found OfficeTeam online and sent my resume in. A few days later, I got a call about a prospective position, and went in to meet with OfficeTeam staff. Now, a lot of peoples' jobs demand strong customer service skills, but nobody quite delivers like OfficeTeam. Literally everyone I met in the office was bubbly and friendly, and my recruiter, Erin C., seemed very invested in getting me out to work. Sure enough, I was placed with Admiral Security a few days later. I never would have dreamed I'd manage security guards for two weeks, but I did, and I learned a whole lot about my city. All in all -- a fantastic experience. This year, after graduation, I again found myself in need of a job before a permanent move to DC. In less than 24 hours, Katie A. placed me on a 5 week assignment at a wonderful NGO. OfficeTeam has twice made it possible for me to pursue long term career goals by setting me up with lucrative interim gigs. I don't know of many college students or recent grads who use services like OfficeTeam, which I hope changes! I couldn't recommend them more highly. read more

Temping can come in handy when you're in a pinch, like the one I found myself in last summer. When I turned to Office Team I remember feeling uneasy about the prospect because, in truth, I had long been frustrated in the temping roles I'd been accepting from agencies. I realized I had never really played the game very effectively. I hadn't been doing a very good job in steering my own ship. One day though I finally overcame my shyness: I called up Avery and asked him if he had five or ten minutes to talk. It was pretty much me doing the talking. And the talking. I explained to him "This is what all I do well; these sorts of role are in my wheelhouse. And these other particular type of role I am probably not comfortable with." He heard me loud and clear. Because after that conversation my whole temp experience dramatically improved. All of a sudden I found myself in positions where I could be myself - and really shine. Office Team have a ton of assignments coming across their desks. If you want to work you will. Of course a good attitude goes a long long way. Even more important perhaps is working toward good open communication with them. The more communicative you are with Nastassia and Avery and their team, the better they can work for you. Temping can be a rough business, no question. But at the end of the day it is in everybody's interest that you're in an okay place (in every sense). Help them help you. (The exercise will make you a better job hunter!) read more

My whole experience had been stellar! Thanks to the hard work of ALLY and SEAN. I got to know of Officeteam through a close friend. He recommended me to sign up as he landed a good position through them. In less than 24 hours, the sweet lady, Ally, called and scheduled me for an interview the next day to meet with her. At the interview, Ally professionally walked through my resume and listened to my career history and objectives so that she could get a better understanding of me as an employee. Instantaneously at the end of the interview with her, she already knew of an opening position that was similar to my most recent job. Then I was introduced to the Division Director to find out more information about it. After that, I was introduced to another professional colleague of hers, Sean. Sean and I had a chat about my work history and career objectives as well. During that interview, Sean brought up another employment opportunity that he thought might suit my needs and capabilities. Sean spent a great deal of enthusiasm in talking about the potential employment and useful advices. When I left the office, I felt all my weight on my shoulders had been lifted because of my experience of talking to Ally and Sean. Two days later since, I had an interview with the hiring manager from the hiring firm that Sean had mentioned about. Hours later, Sean rang up and let me know that I was selected. Thank you Ally and Sean. You guys are the best! read more

I want to leave my review and professional recommendation for Juliana Fraletti. My experience started with an email and her as recruiter reaching backout to me for placement. Our working together quickly became a direct resource for coaching, supporting, and providing honest feedback throughout my placements and search with Robert Half. She has provided positive coaching and heightened my interview skills which was important as I was a seasoned candidate seeking a position with an organization in HR. There are few people who truly go above and beyond for their clients and prospects, and she is one of them. It's not just about the job for placement; she's genuine wanting you to find a good fit and provide excellent service to the agency needing help. There have been countless times when she calls, and I can tell it's her just by the positive energy on the other end. Juliana is an asset to any team. Her infectious energy has a way of lifting spirits and making everyone around her feel motivated and excited. As a result, of a temporary placement led me to a permanent position within an organization. Now, I'm a HR Manager that reaches out to her for assistance with any temporary placement needs. I'm so glad our paths crossed, and I know our professional connections will continue. Juliana, exceptional skills and commitment to facilitating a smooth and transparent recruitment process reflect positively on your team. read more

The Office Team division of Robert Half is pretty amazing. I applied online, received a call to set up an interview the next day, had the interview and started working for an awesome place only 1 or 2 days after that! You get paid EVERY week! They do their best to find out where your interests are, the roles you would like to be in, and type of work environments you would prefer. They take into account all of this information along with your skills and present you with something magical, or at least a job that pays. Emily Turner, my recruiter/agent has been really great! The first day I interviewed I was running late (for legitimate reasons). I called Emily about an hour or so in advance and she was completely understanding. Although I was utterly embarrassed about this being my first impression she was able to reschedule me in later that day and gave me kudos for taking the initiative to call in advance! She gave great advice, shared details about the local job market, and even helped assist me in tweaking my resume! The vibe was very genuine and not intimidating. OH...AND on Holidays and other occasions a member of office team will drop by your job with goodies! This is my first temp agency and will more than likely be the only one I will ever use. You guys rock! Thanks for keeping me employed the last few months! read more

I rarely write reviews for anything. However, I had to open a yelp account just to write this review detailing my pleasant experience working with RH SF. I recently quit my job and was in search of a new one. I applied to a few positions, but I didn't hear back at all. Out of frustration, I reached out to RH. Initially, I spoke with Jennifer Lan who asked questions regarding my work experiences and background. She asked me to send her my resume. A few hours later I got a call from Alex Fee. The process was speedy. I went through two interviews and got the job that I really wanted within the span of two weeks. I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciated working with Alex. He was honest, focused, timely, and positive. I literally got a call regarding a position 20 min after the initial meeting with him. Alex constantly kept me updated with the process and was always available to answer my questions. He went above and beyond in preparing me for interviews. He sent me materials to study, met with me an hour in advance before each interview, and always check in right afterward via phone to give me feedback. He worked so hard to ensure that everything went smoothly, yet, he was very humble about it. Overall, I had a great experience and definitely would recommend friends to this office. read more

Overall, Office Team San Francisco is great. I have worked with them for almost a year now and they are great. The account executives and job coordinators work really hard to place you in appropriate placements that fit your skills and compensation requirements. Assignments are varied and interesting. Rapport is pretty quick in terms of turn around time for work assignments. I have nothing but great things to say about Office Team SF. However, one particular team member stands out in terms of great regard for the needs of the people she places. Giovanna Hano, the Convention Services Manager, is a joy to work with. Giovanna considers the assignments that one can work and does her utmost to work with people's schedule. There is always consistent communication with her in terms of details for assignments and she works hard to get equitable pay rates for assignments. Also, she works very hard to make sure everyone is compensated in a timely manner for the hours worked while on assignments. Giovanna is very personable when she visits on site and over the telephone. Ask for Giovanna if you want to do event staffing and interesting convention placements. Office Team San Francisco is a great staffing agency and Giovanna is one of their best team members. Hats off to Giovanna and OT SF! read more

I recently got converted from a contract employee to permanent at a client where the wonderful San Francisco Salaried Professionals team led by Doran placed me. Doran's team worked tirelessly to help me get assignments that allowed me to gain invaluable experience in myriad industries and for diverse organizations. In the time that I was with Accountemps, I got a chance to work for a couple of non-profits, a start up and a global real estate investment trust. The work experience that I gained helped me to become a more well rounded professional. Furthermore, I got exposure to different kinds of accounting unique to the industries to which I got exposed. Indeed, through the hard work that Accountemps did to place me in wonderful assignments and for top notch entities I was able to get opportunities that on my own I wouldn't be able to gain. A good example is when I was placed on assignment with a REIT, I had no previous experience working as a property accountant. A year and three months later, I got converted to permanent. I am where I am at right now thanks in large part to the folks at Accountemps. If you want to gain experience and exposure to different industries, contact Doran, Sean, Philip, Bobby, and Holly. They helped open doors for me and they will for you too. read more

I had the pleasure of working with Mark Caraway. When I first moved to San Francisco, I had very little work experience and no real direction. I was green, naive and frankly, ill prepared for the rigors of finding a job in such a competitive market. I spoke with a multitude of recruiting companies and was continually disappointed by, what I perceived to be, a lack of genuine interest in my story, or vision going forward. It left me feeling unwanted and undervalued. Right off the bat, Mark struck me as genuine. He listened to me. He took my goals and aspirations into consideration. But most importantly, he was direct and truthful: about the market, about his own personal experience, and about what he would be looking for if he were in my position. It was a healthy dose of honesty and it was desperately needed. I left the RH office having a much greater sense of direction and I knew that Mark had my best interests in mind... 2 weeks later, he called me with an opportunity for a great job with a great company. Although life has since taken me away from that job and San Francisco, I look back at my experience with Mark and Robert Half as invaluable in my personal growth and professional development - for which I am sincerely grateful. read more