Re: How much should staffing agencies get above my hourly billable rate?

Terrence Brannon wrote:
> Tom Metro wrote:
>> If you think that same employer is doing direct hires at a higher rate
>> than you're getting from the agency, then it's up to you to find those
>> job postings and apply directly.
> 
> I'm actually against that: ... I think it is unethical to get a 
> company name from a recruiter and then go apply directly.

I was a bit vague, but I didn't mean to imply that you should seek out 
the employer directly after engaging a recruiter for that same position.

Your comment was that you found a listing elsewhere offering a better 
rate. My point is to do your research and find those postings before you 
engage a recruiter.


> The posting was simply a different agency posting the same position.
> But for some reason his advertised rate was 8-13 dollars higher than
> the agency that was going to shop me.

If you had that information on-hand when you talked to the recruiter, 
you could tell them you saw the same job elsewhere for a better rate. At 
that point either you decline to work with this recruiter or they can 
raise their rate to match their competitor.


Larson Rider wrote:
> I have several contractors who have had payment issues on direct
> contracts they have had in the past and they love that we pay them
> regardless of collection issues.

You don't necessarily need all the services (and costs) of an agency to 
solve that problem. There are companies that provide "invoice factoring" 
like services for contractors, where they handle the collection and 
smooth out the cash flow. Costs for such services are around 5%.

  -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/