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Professional Staffing Group
Rating Details »
Category: Employment Agencies [Edit]
Neighborhood: Downtown89 Devonshire St
(at Water St)
Boston, MA 02109
(617) 250-1000
- Nearest Transit:
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State (Blue, Orange)
Government Center (Blue, Green)
Downtown Crossing (Orange, Silver, Red)
54 reviews for Professional Staffing Group
OK...I was hesitant to get into the fray but after looking through these reviews a second time, I really need to comment. I worked for PSG as a temp for almost a year. I went on many assignments when I first moved here. Was every moment pure bliss? No. Did I make loads of money and break into a fabulous career? Negative. But people, please, why do you not understand how this works? Read Hugh's review, he is spot on...you do not use a staffing agency like you are a movie star and they are your agent. You are not that cool. Black D, did you ever think that maybe YOU should be the one pointing out the strengths of your resume, not your staffing person?
Anyway I am going to talk about my experience now. I went to 3 different agencies when I first moved to Boston; I did the old fashioned route of "hitting the pavement" ...the first one I walked into told me that I needed an appointment and to come back the next week (Hollister-review to follow), the second one said they'd get back to me and never did, and the third, PSG, actually had someone talk to me that very day which after the first two experiences was surprising. Maybe its just because I didn't expect to leave with a job on a silver platter, but I was pretty pleased with the outcome that day. It took about a week but when I heard back I started on an assignment the next day and then worked pretty consistently for the next few months.
Now I've moved on and have a perm job but I have recommended friends to PSG and I haven't heard any horror stories from them. I guess you just make the best of it, and it doesn't hurt to not have a chip on your shoulder.
Absolutely useless.
I applied to PSG when I first moved to Boston, nearly two months ago. Went through the interview, asked them for resume and interview critique (which they never provided), then was told to wait.
And wait. And wait. And wait.
I've called them four or five times to ask whether they've submitted me for any jobs, and once an agent told me he was submitting my resume for a temp position (for which I was clearly and obviously unqualified), but that's all I've gotten back. Otherwise, I'm just told that the person I should really be speaking to is currently out, and would I mind -- you guessed it -- waiting to hear back?
I am a charming 2008 Stanford graduate with all kinds of honors and distinctions and an extensive background in marketing and administrative work, willing to take on pretty much any job in the dang city. I know the economy is slow, but seriously, not a single interview? Bullshit, PSG.
Completely and absolutely nothing "Professional" about this group, complete and utter waste of time and I do not appreciate being lied to. After having my resume for three weeks it was obvious my contact had not even looked at it ,could not tell me who had or what the strengths of my resume were. Terrible, don't even want to waste anymore time typing about them...
I found a job on craigslist for a company that was a perfect match to my education and background, so I decided to go in person to apply. When I arrived at the address, I found PSG. I was dissapointed it was a staffing agency and not the actual business I was looking for. I walked in, asked them about the specific job to make sure it was one they had posted, and they hurriedly sat me down. Two seconds later I'm taking some kind of typing aptitude test and having flashbacks of the SATs and the TOEFL. I spent almost two hours taking all their tests, chatting with three or four nincompoops that were in no way older than 25. I was getting really upset when no one was answering my questions directly, and would almost block me when I tried to leave the building. After that massive waste of time, I walk out on to the street opposite the one I walked in to, and found the main door for an adjacent building of the same address...and on it the logo of the company I originally went to see. I looked like crap by the time I got up there and gave them the sad looking resume that had been manhandled (and almost not returned to me) down at PSG. I felt like a boob for not googleing first, and I didn't get the job. I did get harrassing phone calls from PSG and way too many emails, and the ordeal was just a total fail. PSG wasted my time, the few brain cells it took to complete their ridiculous tests, and possibly the chance at a good job.
PSG was a waste of my time from filling out extraneous forms to a series of unanswered phone messages by staffing agents. Even a recent attempt to connect with the agency - after I decided to give it another shot - resulted in the same outcome. PSG must not need anymore staffers for them to return phone calls.
Their postings are everywhere. Don't be fooled- I'm convinced that these are imaginary job postings for firms that exist on a planet far far away.
I somehow applied to one of their job postings and was suckered in for an interview. That was my first mistake.
The people who work here are so terribly unprofessional, I wanted to run away the moment I walked in. I watched some guy help this older woman only to critique and basically straight out made fun of her as soon as she turned around. And I was sitting right there listening to the whole thing!
The recruiter I met with, Paul, seemed to be sincere and promising but mentioned that he meets with 60 people a month - so if I wanted to get a job, I better be proactive in keeping in touch WITH HIM. I thought it was a two way street, but I was mistaken.
As promised, I frequently checked their website for new job postings, being diligent in sending emails or calling with no avail. He only called twice to let me know that there were currently no jobs and the market was slow.
At the end of the day, you may be tempted to apply to jobs at PSG but be warned that unless you are some super-duper overqualified rockstar, they will not call you back. They will waste your time by having you come in and tell you nothing about any positions you question them about.
Don't waste your time with these people.
With most staffing firms I spoke with my contact 2-3 times a week just to check in and see how the job hunt (on my behalf) is going. (you are more likely to get temp jobs this way i've found). After signing up for PSG i met with Suren, real nice guy. I attempted to call him later in the week, no answer, ok he's a busy guy. No problem. I try again next week, still no answer, no call back, nothing. I try emailing. nothing. Ok whatever, they are too busy for me I have like 5 other temp firms im working with not a big deal goodbye PSG.
A month later i receive a phone call from some person at PSG saying they wanted to check in on how i was doing and if i had found work etc etc.... Im sorry what? I ignored the call.
Another month later im out of work again (oh the great life of temp worker) and i see my ideal job on craigslist under the PSG number and name. Oy. i decide to try them one more time. send in email call send my resume... nothing. no answer no response.
3 days ago they call to check in if i had found work or what my status was.
This is easily one of hte worst temp firms i have worked for
I found Hugh's review helpful and it shaped my thinking about PSG, agencies in general, and how I approach my job search. It make me think about .....what do I really want from an agency, and the answer is:
Access to jobs. If an agency has access to a job I want or can get me an interview at a company I like (even if it is not the job I want) then that is good enough for me. I need to take it from there.
Looked at this way, PSG looks good. Busy agency with temp assignments to offer even in this bad economy. Seems like they have a lot of assignments at colleges, at least that is what I saw ....which is okay with me.
Dont apply to their postings.
Dont come in for an interview.
Dont take those stupid tests.
Dont waste your time.
Dont fill out their stupid paperwork.
Dont! Just dont.
Go somewhere else people would actually care a bit.
They create imaginary postings for imaginary jobs that don't exists.
I do not know how they do business, I guess there are a lot of stupid people out there.
Avoid this place like hell.
Seriously, STAY AWAY!! This place doesn't even deserve one star it is only receiving one for the mere fact that I can't give it 0
I learned from my job search after graduating college last May that it is almost impossible to avoid staffing agencies. Most of the listings on Monster and Craigslist were through such agencies. So of course I got sucked in thinking maybe I would find a job. NOPE!! Temp agencies are useless, and PSG is the worst. Basically I was lured in there by a fake posting for an event coordinator at a local university. I get in there, fill out all of their stupid paperwork and take their computer tests for an hour to finally meet with some woman who throws 20 temporary admin jobs out there and doesn't even mention the job that brought me in there in the first place. I ask about that particular job and she has no idea what I am talking about (the job is still being posted so BEWARE)!
The only job they were really interested in offering me was a stupid position at their firm. NO I DON'T WANT TO WORK AT A PLACE THAT GETS OTHER PEOPLE JOBS WHEN I AM TRYING TO GET A JOB!! These people could care less. If you are going to go through a staffing agency go to Monument, at least they care and actually call you back and see how your job search is going. PSG is a joke!
I worked for PSG twice. Immediately following a layoff, for about 2 months was the first time. I didn't know much about the staffing industry, and wanted desperately to believe my recruiter Jason when he told me they might be able to get me into a non-profit or a media-based company through their temporary gigs.
At the time, they were paying between $10-$12 an hour. The longer your stints, the better chance that you would make closer to $12. If you worked mostly day-to-day jobs, your wage was much closer to $10/hour. What is quite amazing is previous experience and a degree doesn't give you much leverage with PSG. The guy without the degree has just as good a chance at any temp gig you do. If they're better than you at the computerized tests, then you'll actually be behind that guy. Everything is based on those tests. I think the reasoning is, if you really had the experience, or had a degree that meant something, you wouldn't be there. I had both, and neither helped here. The truth hurts. :)
I left PSG when I got a position as, ha! a recruiter!, where I learned a lot more about the industry, and how recruiters deal with people in their pool. Basically, a recruiter doesn't want to say 'Man, I've got nothing!' because he'll lose you from the pool, which brings down his overall numbers. I worked as a recruiter for a while, earned no com. at all, but kept the job because I had 200 names that I rotated through. It's a bizarre industry.
I left recruiting because it's a little soul-sucking, and I was trying to move. With my new knowledge on how staffing works, I had a much more positive experience the second time around. I latched onto a long term gig with good pay. Normally many people will choose short-term gigs because they're looking for jobs and need to interview, and don't want to committ to a long term gig. However.. if you committ to it, go every day for 2 weeks on time and dressed appropriately, it is very easy to get days off for interviews. Especially if the gig requires training. They'd rather fill in your long term gig with a short temp guy if it's only for a day or two. Then, you go back and keep the good pay rate.
When I left the 2nd time, I interviewed 4 times over two weeks and I gave Jason a week notice. I didn't feel bad about it, for one simple reason. PSG WILL NOT PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT REFERENCES. No matter how long you're there. They won't. They'll simply confirm employment. They would do infinitely better if they offered employment references. That, and if their rates didn't suck.
It's worth noting that Jason was a nice guy...would probably kick some serious ass in a different industry. I hope he's moved on.
Also, I have a friend that's been in a job for several years that started as a PSG gig, so that's another reason they got 2 stars. They're not complete failures.
Anyone who has scoured Craigslist postings for a new job has almost definitely happened upon a PSG posting for a position, with this at the bottom:
"All PSG job postings are either actual positions we had available at the time of posting and/or are representative of positions we typically fill or expect to fill. "
I don't like to name call, but they are damn liars.
Even though I was assured in my interview that yes, they had plenty of full time jobs available and could help me find one once I got back from a two week vacation, I was never once contacted about a permanent position. When I say this, I don't mean I sat around waiting for them to call me. I continuously responded to the "real job" postings they had on CL and got no phone calls and no emails back from the perm department - and this was AFTER I was already enrolled there!
It finally got to the point where I had to lay into one of the managers to find out that, no, they really don't offer permanent positions. I was able to temp with them until I found a full time job, but even then they did not keep their word. I had no assignments longer than 3 days (even though I repeatedly asked for longer term) and was paid less than I was told I would - so PSG could make a better commission off of me.
I do have to be slightly grateful to PSG, since without the menial temp jobs, I would have had to go live with my parents in Kansas City, but I resent the fact that they are so disingenuous about their service.
They got me a couple of gigs when I needed them so they get two stars for that. These were simple, stuffing envelopes or putting together binders for big meetings. Yeah...
But they don't call back and they don't care about what your skill set is. They can smell desperation so if you really need the money they'll offer you ANY lousy temp position...
Okay I know I am writing a review for this agency about 2 years after I actually worked there, but I had a really good experience with them. I took their offer for guaranteed work program before, and it really helped, I made about 10/hr for about 2 months (doing 1 week jobs), then after 2 months I landed a temp to perm job at MIT for 14/hr. I thought it was pretty good, and my feeling was that they put me through the first 2 months of shuffling, 1) to find the right place for me, and 2) to make sure I was consistent and could be trusted.
I'm sorry to hear that things have seemed to turn for the worse for this company, especially it seems as of late in accordance with the economy. What happened to this place? According to this yelp reviews it sounds like a living nightmare. Thanks for the heads up.
No. Simply no.
I applied for one of the positions posted by PSG on Craigslist hoping to get somewhere in my otherwise fruitless job search. Within a day or so a young woman from PSG calls and wants to go over my resume with me. I give her the lowdown (looking to get out of sports, go into non-profits/developent, event management, non-entry level). She schedules me for an interview the next day and says I would not be meeting with her...ok.
I find the place and am greeted by two awkward barely-adults. They give me an application and seat me for a typing and computer skills test. Next to me are a few people who NEED temporary work as they um, are not in the skilled worker group to be semi-blunt. They could barely read the test because it was in English. It was awkward as I buzz along, typing 80 WPM and getting frustrated that these tests let you solve things one weird way.
Anyway, I finish the test and I am escorted by one of the aforementioned barely-adults to an interview room. In an effort to be friendly (and out of sheer curiosity) I ask if she was on the Red Line that morning as she looked exactly like someone I saw on the train riding in. She says, "No, the Orange Line. I ride the Orange Line." I tell her why I ask and she again repeats, "No, orange line!" as if I was an idiot. Ok thanks, I was just trying to be friendly, make conversation, see if you were that girl, whatever.
I sit down in this little room and meet with a "Staffing Consultant" who goes on and on about how great my test skills were and how great my resume is. Fantastic. Find me a job. He tells me I seem really organized, something he is not. Um, not fantastic because I already can tell you will forget about me. He rambled on about some things and disregarded the fact that while I own a car, I would STRONGLY prefer positions situated near the T. I gave him the same speech I gave the girl on the phone the previous day too.
There is a job in Newton. In design, "managing" a creative department. Managing as in...calling vendors and making sure the mail went out. I have real management experience and did not quit my job to move to Boston to become an administrative assistant with a different title. Sorry, I just didn't.
So this "consultant" tells me that he "strongly suggests" I take this position. It pays slightly more than my minimum and I get to, again, "manage things". Apparently, I like "managing". He also mentioned that he gets paid decently if I take it.
I said no. I am not interested; the job sounds BORING in addition to the above reasons.
He kept trying to pry for a deeper reason. This went back and forth for maybe eight to ten minutes before he admitted he had no other jobs at the time and that the job I originally applied for two days ago was filled.
GOODBYE.
The job I applied for? Still being posted on Craigslist. I e-mailed him about it..."Call me to catch up".
No, that's ok. I'm at work.
All in all, if you want to waste your time, go here. I now do stuff through Beacon Hill (great!) and continue getting a feel for the Boston job market on my own.
In writing this review, I'm hoping to inject a little rationality into this onslaught of negative reviews. A few things to consider:
1) looking for employment at a staffing agency is nothing like ordering a meal at a restaurant. Not only might you not get exactly what you (wish to) order, you might not even get your "meal" at all. (Lest you think this absurd, remember that they don't get paid unless YOU get paid. "Stringing people along" makes them nothing whatsoever, so it really IS in their best interest to find you work, regardless of what you might think about their efforts, or lack thereof.)
2) that so many folks treat it as such - I need a "service," they perform said service, and I'm not satisfied because I did not get what I want or expected - goes much farther toward explaining the preponderance of negative reviews than their actual ability to place people in jobs. Why?
3) because what I said in another review for a dating website - that a review about the service provider can say as much about the reviewer as it does about the company being reviewed - holds true here as well. I know this isn't going to win me a lot of friends, but PSG is merely a LINK between you and potential employers. That said...
I'm sure the Yelp demographic is one that sees itself slightly above the typical "temp" job. Most of us are college educated and might even have a good deal of real-world experience, and therefore don't see "envelope stuffing," answering telephones, or really anything that under-utilizes our double major in German philosophy and art history as worth our time, particularly if it's not full-time and doesn't come with a generous benefits package.
On top of that, a job search is a proactive pursuit, and I can't help but feel that you're in the wrong mindset if you think your only responsibility is to drop your impressive resume in an overworked recruiter's lap and sit back while the job offers flood your inbox. I see a LOT of people complaining about the request that they be proactive enough to contact their recruiter when any seasoned job hunter realizes that it's this sort of ambition that's required of ANY job search. Employers like to see folks who follow up and follow through, and I'm sure each and every one of us is aware of the need to do just that when we apply for jobs on our own. Why should it be any different just because you're working with an agency? If I'm a recruiter and you can't be bothered to call me to "check in," then I have to ask myself, "just how bad does (s)he want a job?" If you're this shade of indifferent, I think I might understand why you're relying on an agency to find full-time work in the first place.
That said, places like PSG ARE, in the vernacular, "temp agencies." The point is to offer temporary employment opportunities. Yes, I'm aware that PSG advertises "perm" positions, and they're out there. Maybe they're a little more along the lines of "temp-to-perm" and you're not going to have as much luck walking in off the street and leaving that day with a full-time job, but hey, if that's what you're looking for then probably best to stay away; they don't have a post outside to hitch your unicorn to anyway.
Maybe I'm exceptional...it's nice to think I'm one of those "super-duper overqualified rockstars," but I found full-time work through PSG after only five months, and that had as much to do with the drawn-out hiring process of my future employer. In the meantime, I DID my time, and I kept my expectations reasonable. There WERE one or two frustrations, including a feeling at one point that, placed in a long-term gig with no definite end date, PSG was content to let me simmer there while they worked on placing others, but I - and this is going to blow some minds - CALLED THEM AND DEMANDED TO BE PLACED ELSEWHERE. And guess what? I was in a better position the following week.
But hey, I'm a rockstar...
I didn't find the experience too bad, although I didn't get a job from them either. They were very friendly and I liked that they listened to what I had to say. They seemed fairly confident in finding me a job, but I don't think I was ever called about one. I finally had to e-mail them about 2 or 3 months after first going there to tell them I had been hired on somewhere.
My boyfriend had a better experience, in some ways. He was able to get the job he wanted with a non-profit. Unfortunately for the non-profit and my boyfriend though, they wanted to hold on to really badly but they couldn't afford the large sum it would take to hire him on ($5000 I think?).
You have to know that if you sign up for PSG, you are only a very, very tiny cog in a very large machine. You will not be an individual, and no one will help you out. You take what you get.
I worked for them for about a month while looking for other things. It was fine, minial work. But I had steller reviews from the clients that I worked for. Even after I had worked for one client for several months I got a call at 5 fucking 30pm telling me that I couldn't go back to work the next day. Not even to pick up my things. They thought I was going to make off with the register or something. I had to trek it downtown several weeks later to pick up my things. ug.
It's hard to really judge this place - everyone's experience is different, obviously. PSG was able to line up some decent perm job offers for me in a very short amount of time - I turned them all down, because they were boring, mostly, and one because they wanted a drug test. Fuck you!
I was impressed that they came up with decent permanent positions so quickly, though. If you were really desperate, and needed a job, I think this would be a good place. The staff are "nice" - typically and totally fake, about to collapse from the strain of faking so much enthusiasm for everything all the time. But yeah, I mean, it's a temp agency, what did you expect really? I found them way better than some of the others I had to go to...
Add me to the throngs of people who wish you could leave zero stars. PSG are so much sizzle and so little steak that they should advertise via late-night infomercial. Attempting to get a job through them is an experience that will make you want to take a week-long shower.
Their name is only one-third accurate: they're wholly UNprofessional, I know of very few people who have been staffed by them, but they are, indeed, a group.
Companies like PSG are the primary basis why Yelp needs to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE institute a half-star system up in here, people! Or maybe a negative-star rating. Something to indicate when a company is really performing below any level of positivity, whatsoever!
PSG deserves not ONE SINGLE SOLITARY SNIPPET of star!
Roped in by their over-placed advertisements, I called PSG and spoke initially with Jared. I spoke at length with him about my qualifications, interests, experiences, etc. I specified that I was NOT interested in temp work (I have a BBA and 3+ years of marketing experience...I was NOT about to start stuffing envelopes). Asking me when I would be available, I let him know that I would be moving to the area in about two weeks and would be available to work around same time. Jared then rudely informed me that PSG could not help me at this time and that I should call HIM back when I was in town. Whaaaaa?!?!
He said that ALL of their positions were immediate openings and would be filled immediately and that if I was not available immediately, then there was nothing they could do. Who fills positions immediately without an interview? Hold up....ohhhhh I know who - TEMP WORK...which I stated i was NOT even remotely interested in.
So, giving PSG the benefit of the doubt, I called back in two weeks and scheduled an interview. Upon arriving at the office, I was really shocked. If I could define what it means to be in the Rat Race, I would refer people to the pictorial example of the PSG office. Rows and rows of bench-style desks where reps are sitting elbow-to-elbow jabbering away on head sets while crappy Top-40 bubble gum hits are playing in an overhead sound system.
After being greeted, I spent the next hour filling out forms and taking ridiculous Microsoft Office & Typing Tests. Remind me again, why I need to take these tests if I am not interested in taking temp jobs? Surprise, no one had an answer for me there.
After that fun little waste of time, I was led into a four foot by four foot cube with a desk and a computer, where I would spend another hour speaking to different reps about my experiences, resume, interests, etc. (Hellooo - did Jared not take notes the first time we went through this?) Throughout the conversation, Sara (another rep, who was nice, but not helpful) continually brought the conversation around to temp jobs - would I be interested in one if it was the 'right' fit, would I be interested in one if it was temp-to-perm, how do I feel about being 'on-call' for office work? Apparently I had not made myself clear at this point about the temp work.
As soon as Sara realized I was not kidding about no temp work, she sent in a colleague of hers who was in charge of "creative." Basically, she spoke to me about freelance, which, in case you were wondering, is a fancy-pants creative-world term for TEMP WORK. Aside from this, all she had to offer me were positions do exactly the same job was I was doing now, which, if I wanted to do that, I wouldn't be asking you for help to find me another job! The 'creative' rep reworded the same job offer several times before she finally got the clue that I was completely not interested.
If you think it ends here, you've got another thing coming. After spending over two hours at this office, meeting with three different people and taking a bunch of grade-school levels tests, I received NOT ONE follow-up call, email or any sort of outreach from PSG. The only form of communication, if you could call it that, was a spam mass email asking me to rate their services. SERVICES?? You can imagine how I responded to that form.
Lo and behold, after sending them a brief explanation about their LACK OF services, Sara finally called me back. She left me a message. I promptly returned her call, that very same day, only to be told "she was in a meeting" and "she'll have to call you back." No only did she not call me back, but she sent me another spam email saying, "An article written by PSG's President, Aaron Green, has been featured on this week's http://Boston.com photo gallery.Click here to learn 5 common myths about younger workers and the full stories behind them."
Really PSG, are you kidding me? Instead of writing floofy little articles for http://Boston.com, maybe your president Mr. Green should be concentrating on how his employees are handling his business. Maybe he should look into why his company has such poor reviews. Maybe, just maybe, he should take the time to see what kind of follow-up procedures are utilized at PSG. Until then, PSG will continue it's perpetual slide down the staffing-firm toilette.
Please note that PSG has received a grade of "F" from the Better Business Bureau.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/12/2007
I have used staffing companies both as a candidate and a client. I can say that from both sides PSG… Read more »
First off, I think the two 5-star reviews by Sally and Mark-- listed about PSG are Spam, read their reviews carefully and you may see what I mean....
The reason why I wanted to write my review is because I still feel a little jilted and hurt by my experience with this company.
I signed up with this staffing agency about a year ago. I had just graduated college, my feet were still a little wet, but I feel to this day (1 year later) that this agency was the absolute worst choice I could have made for my initial job search experience.
When I first got to the place, they sat me down and had me do a couple of tests. The greeting was lukewarm, but then again I felt a little nervous--so I sat down and took the tests. This took up about 45-minutes of my time. Afterwards I had to wait a bit to see the staffing agents.
Then I met with their staffing agents. I didn't feel like they were reading bad scripts like Pete S. felt --In fact, I honestly felt the two girls I met with were extremely nice and informed-however, after my interview they said I seemed extremely promising but that they specialize in temp to perm work. (I was searching for a permanent position) I was a little surprised since their advertising says TEMPORARY and PERMANENT positions.
Anyway, Stephanie told me that though they have mostly Temporary positions they would call me if they found any permanent spots that would be good for me. I e-mailed back Stephanie right after my interview (my agent) and told her that I appreciated seeing her and that after our chat I realized that temp-to-perm might be a good way to get my feet wet since I was still new at job-searching and since her company specialized in this--I felt like I should give it a shot.
She wrote me a short e-mail telling me she'd be in touch if she had anything--2 months went by--and I never received one call from the agency telling me if they had anything--so I sent Stephanie another e-mail with a link to a job I found listed through PSG that sounded great. I told her that I was interested in knowing more about it and to call me back or e-mail. She never did.
I called twice after that and she wasn't "in-the-office" so I left a message with the girl who was taking her calls. However, I never heard back from her. I was surprised--she seemed like a very nice , organized person--which lead me to believe this was a strong sign of poor management and lack of communication. I found exactly zero job interviews with this company. Zero offers!
Meanwhile, I got about 10 job interviews on my own by surfing BostonWorks and applying directly. Overall, I don't feel my treatment by PSG isn't something I could have prevented. Afterall a week later, I spoke with one other staffing agency (NOT PSG) and she called me every 3-7 days with a different potential job. I came to the unfortunate conclusion that this agency seriously had problems with their staff.
I've heard things about high turn-over rates and that they aren't very good at calling clients back. I think I was just one of the ones who got pushed into the stacks. I had an awful experience and as a new job-seeker I personally felt that this company didn't do a good job keeping in touch.
If you read my reviews, you will know I have never done this--*written a 1-star review--so I hope it hits home that I certainly feel strongly about this place and the way that they run their business. I deeply encourage new job seekers and college grads to avoid working with this company--they might give you false hope in an interview then never follow up.
I signed up here several years ago when unemployed and worked for them a short time. I'd never recommend them to anyone.
It's not because it took them three hours to have me fill out W-4s, take a quick Microsoft Office test, and talk with me for five minutes. It's not because when I was in there at 26 I was older than pretty much the entire staff of the agency, most of whom seemed to be recent HR grads who spoke like they were reading bad scripts. No, it was because one of their people lied to the client I was working for, costing me the assignment when the client found out, and then lied to me as well, blaming the situation on me.
Dumbfoundingly UN-professional, despite their name. It was a complete clusterf*ck when I dealt with them. I don't know if I was more embarrassed for them for how they ran their business, or for me for having worked for them for those few weeks.
They may have improved since then, but that's the funny thing about bad reputations, you don't often get a second chance to reverse them, which is why it's best to avoid bad reputations to begin with. I've steered colleagues away from hiring from these people, and I've steered friends away from wasting valuable time seeking employment there. When you're unemployed you're already feeling bad enough -- there are too many other agencies out there to make yourself feel worse by dealing with nonsense like PSG's.
I went here many years ago. I was looking for a part-time temp job. I was a student at the time and wanted to work 20-25 hours a week doing office stuff or web design. I told them this when I spoke with them on the phone. They had me come down to their office downtown. Where I was given a clipboard and a pen to fill out some forms. They had so many other people doing the same thing that there were no seats available (I suppose someone works on commission?). I waited for a very long time, an hour maybe to take a Microsoft Word test on a computer with dirty sticky keys and was then led into a woman's office. I felt like I was in the ER in triage.
After all this waiting around, she rudely told me they don't like to hire college students (WTF?), that there were people who needed jobs more than I did and that by asking for part-time work I was taking away jobs from "adults" who had been laid off. I was taken aback. I had lots of office experience and passed their crappy Word test with flying colors. She told me they had nothing for me and that they would keep my info on file. I told her not to. Thanks for wasting my time!
The nice people at Randstad had no problem hiring me and accommodating my "studentness". I got a nice job at Northeastern which eventually landed me gainful full-time employment.
Suck it PSG.
I was too afraid to review them whem I was counting on them for a paycheck. You might be in the same boat. I advise you to shut up. PSG is not a godsend. They are better than most though.
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I spent much time with PSG so Listen To ME:
(oh fish in the sea)
You are new to Boston. You have a boner for several things but one of those is NOT your (not) job. Ummmm
PSG to the rescue!
I got a job here when I randomly moved to Boston with no hope or expectations... THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT PSG EXPECTS OF YOUUUU!
I got a 6 month temp job working for the worst Fups you can imagine, but I spent most of my time applying for real jobs anyway so my heart didn't ache with pain and wormssszz
8
8$ - 12$ is OK. However. YOU CAN TURN THEM DOWN. Ask for higher money. Pretend you have mad skillz in Excel and Microsoft Access, then learn when you get there. They will love you.
OK. Sorry. You want to know FO REALZ. I will tell you. Listen to Daddy Michael.
1. Get a real resume: If you are looking for a certain type of job, find out what other people are doing and copy them. *works!
2. Put your temp positions on your resume with addendum; "Contract." Seem Professional.
PSG dicked me in generous ways during my second wave of needing their help. They are hit or miss because they have various morons working for them.
However, no one is better! :) :! :( ;} {}:)(){":J
Go on Craigslist and apply for random stuff and go to EVERY interview!
Advice: Use a Resume Template and get a job with PSG. Blow off that job occasionally for your "appointment" with someone, meaning Harvard.
PS. I did this. I don't lie. It works.
Other:
Coworx
Beacon Hill
etc
They never get back to anyone. They try and be all ll professional but they are ghetto and waste people's time. This place is bad. I have had a myriad of jobs, have a pretty impressive work history and still, nothing.
Don't bother!
Beacon Hill Staffing is much better.
The only thing I got out of spending an entire day here was a friggin' notebook that I gave away. What a waste of time. They never bothered to find me any work, and never knew who I was when I called them for updates.
So impersonal and not at all professional.
This place was nuts. I went in for an interview. The interview was really good and the person I spoke with( her name was Cait) was really enthusiastic. She commented on how high my computer tests were and that she should be able to find something right away. I left feeling pretty excited. The same day, she calls me to tell me a position is opening up at the Blue Cross Blue Shield call center. Not the ideal job, but I desperately needed the money. Cait tells me my interview at Blue Cross Blue Shield is next week and that she is going to call me in a couple days to get me prepared for the interview. So she calls me in a couple days to tell me the interview is canceled and that BCBS is no longer looking for people.
A couple weeks later she calls me again to tell me the BCBS position has reopened and that she is going to call me in a couple days to prepare for the interview. A couple of days go by and no phone call. I left Cait like 3 messages on her voice mail to find out what was up and she never called me back. The day the interview was supposed to take place passed by and I was pretty ticked off. A week later someone from PSG leaves me a voice mail telling me to call them as soon as possible.
Oh please! there is no way I am calling these people again. This agency is ridiculous.
I used PSG to help me find a temp job, and boom, they did just that. They placed me in a temp job the day after I went in there! All I needed was 6 months of temp work , and they were able to get it for me, no problem. I never had any hassles with them. Maybe they aren't so great for finding permanent positions, but for temp stuff, they are good.
They also have the guarenteed work program where you come in, and get paid while waiting to be sent out on a job.
My rep Stephanie was great, and they were extremely accomodating. No problems here!
Awful.
I did a little work for them a couple of years ago. They clearly didn't give a crap about actually placing me in any jobs. PSG struck me as a total chop shop. I echo that all of the agents were like 12 years old and totally inept. Why waste our time if you aren't actually going to get us gigs?
John Leonard and a staffing agency in Wellesley whose name I forget did much better by me.
This place deserves no stars. I got sucked into applying there when I just got out of college. I applied to what I thought was a real position... Yeah I had applied to a position that they sometimes have. It was a complete waste of time. Avoid this place at all costs, unless you want to be per diem or something like that.
I have never met a person that has had a positive experience with them.
PSG is extremely impersonal if not robotic. When I approached the front desk I didn't receive a greeting or asked why I was there. I was just handed an application. I finally explained that I had a meeting to discuss my needs as a potential employer. I received neither an apology nor friendlier service.
I met with a rep who was nice and wrote down what I was looking for. She then said that I should meet her manager as I was going to be spending a good amount of legal tender. Her manager was rude and didn't seem to care that I was going to be paying THEM!! I told them to cancel my order and walked out.
There are many better temp agencies in the city. I had applied through them twice, once as general temp work and one for creative freelance work.
For the general temp work, 80% of it was pretty bad. And that was when they decided to call. They have such a glut of people that they cannot find work for everyone and so, you get put on a list and have to hope and pray they can find some where to stick you.
I never heard back from them on the creative work - quite frankly, I really don't think they should be going down that path as there are plenty of better and more qualified creative placement firms in the city (Communication Collaborative, CM Access, etc).
Overall, if you're desparate, go ahead. But you can find many other places that treat you so much better - I loved working with the Skill Bureau - and will pay you better too. Plus, you shouldn't have to be treated like a number just because you're doing temp work. Not only that but the commission these places make off your working (figure if you are being paid $10/hr, they are billing you out at $25 or so), they should treat their employees better considering it's you who keeps them in business. ;)
Granted, I applied there just out of college like three years ago, but from the looks of it, it hasn't changed much.
Applied to a job they had posted - they actually brought me in to talk about my experience and skills (it was a creative job posting). They said they'd put me on the list and give me a call if anything came up that fit my qualifications.
Still haven't heard from them. Never heard from them. After bringing me in, they completely ignored me. Apparently, my qualifications didn't fit any jobs. Right. So how come I have a real job now? No thanks to PSG.
They receive 2 stars from me, because they were at least nice, and my friend's job did go temp to perm through them. She's pretty happy with them.
It took me several months for them to even bother contacting me. I was hardcore applying for jobs via Craig's List, stuff I am overqualified for, but hey, I need a job. They finally scheduled an appointment with me. I had to take one of those computer tests, that are the same everywhere, and I talked with someone. The interview was fine and dandy. The man was sympathetic (I had a bad job experience before going into PSG), and he was optimistic.
I've been contacting them via email every few days, because I still need a job. I was told that the key with temp agencies is to be frequent in contacting them. I have yet to hear anything back.
BTW, you know those ads? PSG actually has a disclaimer on each one that reads the job is either real or an example of the kind of jobs that they receive (imaginary).
PSG is yet another ridic temp agency. I mean, I was hopeful at first. I was called back quickly and asked to come in. But then I started getting shuffled around to different people. And they finally settled on one liasion for me. He found me a good job, but then it turned out that the person I was replacing decided to stay for another month. Big bummer. After that, they tried to secure other work for me, but I wasn't feelin it. I decided not to mess with them anymore. Thankfully, I managed to secure a job at the same time (sans agency) and I was real lucky!
I went to PSG about 10 days ago and just got a great perm job offer. When you walk in, you are greeted by staff who seem like they should be in grade school and when calling and get the receptionist who never asks for your names seems like it might need some upgrading.
I didn't have to take any computer tests, etc. I met with Amanda who was delightful to work with and felt as she was really rooting for me. Yes, I am sure there is a compensation waiting for her and her team if they place me but felt she was genuine. She gave me feedback from the interviews I went on even the one slightly negative comment. She answered my questions thoroughly and always got back to me in a timely fashion.
You have to remember that you have to do the follow up with these agencies...and even then you still might get blown off its just the staffing business here in Boston. But given Amanda a chance she works in the perm division.
I am convinced that 'PSG' really stands for Poor Service Guaranteed.
I've dealt with numerous staffing firms and this has to be the most inept agency I've ever come across. They contacted me within minutes of my foolish decision to apply for a posted position, had a decent conversation on the phone with the recruiter and scheduled a time to come in.
I met with the same recruiter with whom I spoke on the phone. One would have assumed he would have taken a few notes while on the phone as I explained my situation and employment interests. Yet, my in-person meeting was a replica of my phone conversation as he typed away everything that I was now telling him for a 2nd time.
I never received any contact from him afterwards with the exception of a position as an exec assistant to a dean in a local college. Now I'm sure that position would be a great fit for someone else, but it didn't fall anywhere near the field that I had been working in for the last few years - other than I expressed that I was open to a position in the same line of work but in an academic environment. Well, I was offered the academic environment but a position that had absolutely nothing to do with my background or interests.
Then, nothing from him again until I hear from another PSG recruiter who gave me the impression she was possibly taking over the previous recruiter's client base? I'm not sure. In any case, she seemed only interested in me if I had immediate availability. Well, I had a full time job and was not going to leave without giving them the professional courtesy of 2 weeks' notice. Silence - never heard from her again.
Finally, when I was in a situation where I could potentially have immediate availability and was now including temp-to-perm positions in my employment search, I again foolishly decided to contact this 2nd recruiter about a position that was recently posted. She was prompt in responding to me but she was now assigned to another team but did forward my email to a "Senior" Recruting consultant and provided me with consultant #3's contact info.
Never heard a word from recruiter #3, despite my own attempts to contact her on numerous occasions, emailing her and Ccing my previous consultant as well as the main jobs@ email address.
Apparently it seems I'm persona non grata - as nobody wants to contact me. I know times are tough and the job market isn't what it used to be - but given that I do have a strong background and skill set led me to believe that I'd least have the opportunity to discuss opportunties that would be an appropriate fit for me. My bad.
Sorry if this is a long rant - but I advise that everyone steers clear away from PSG. While I realize that the hiring organizations are their clients and we're nothing more than a big school of fish in their candidate pool, they still should offer a basic level of good customer service. I've moved on to working with other agencies who are prompt and attentive....they do exist!
Best of luck to anyone out there on the job hunt!
Scratch that one star right off.
This place is up there in worthlessness and lack of professionalism - right alongside Venturi. They have the same creepy, too-slick recruiters that give you same, lame story.
After not contacting me for a few weeks, one of their recruiters called me on Monday about a temp job. I distinctly remember telling them that I'm not interested in temping. He then proceeds to tell me that this job starts on Wednesday, and that I need to let him know RIGHT NOW if I'm okay with that.
No, I'm not okay with that! I had an interview scheduled for Wednesday (with no help from them, thank goodness), and I told him I couldn't possibly start on Wednesday. What a terrifyingly HUGE mistake on my part. He then started to pry me for more information (where the interview was, how I got the interview, what field it was, etc. etc.). You could practically hear his brain exploding when he realized he wouldn't be able to pimp me out for his over-priced commission if I got this job.
I don't expect to hear from them again. And frankly, I don't want to. I'm working with another agency right now, and they have been just great.
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7/23/2008
I went in for an "interview" yesterday. The fact that the guy who called me wasn't the one who… Read more »
