Staffing Agency Questions

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified)
in
Career Management
Thanks to M/M and all others on the forum. I've found it to be an excellent source of knowledge and am excited to post my first questions! [b]Questions:[/b] [i](1) Is one limited to registering with only ONE staffing agency?[/i] I registered with an agency that requests that I notify them weekly of my availability. Would the agency be unhappy to find out that I am unavailable due to work from another agency or, out of principle, that I was being serviced by a competitor? Logistically, will I have problems working with multiple agencies simultaneously? [i] (2) How should I modify the Thank You Note cast template for a staffing agency interview?[/i] My visit to the agency consisted of a typing and Microsoft Office skills test and 10-15 minutes with an agent who confirmed my availability and asked my career goals and desired pay rate. As this is less significant than a typical interview, perhaps I should simply thank the agent for her for her time? [b]Background:[/b] I'm 24, graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a BA in Communications in July 06, moved from Chicago to LA last week and desire to become a TV executive. I've setup interviews with three agencies (the first of which was today) to secure temp and temp to hire employment to acquaint myself with the the entertainment industry. Thanks for your thoughts! Adam Grandy
Submitted by Joy Jensen on Thursday June 14th, 2007 1:11 pm

I have worked (registered) with multiple agencies in past lives and I've also worked at a temp agency placing people. It's perfectly understandable for people to sign up with multiple agencies. The staffer will call to offer the job and if you're not available, they're prepared for that.

It's usually only an issue if you're dealing with a headhunter - a direct placement firm - and you're contacted about the same position with the same employer. At that point, yes, you need to clarify that you're already working with ABC firm on that position. While the firm doesn't want to look like a doofus in presenting someone their client has already seen, YOU don't want to appear over-eager, desperate or clueless about this type of etiquette. In this case, more (submissions) is less (appealing.)

For the thank you note, yes, I would thank her for her time, reaffirm your interest in working through the agency in XYZ type of roles and close with "I look forward to working with you and will plan to follow-up with you next week."

Submitted by Tom Comeau on Thursday June 14th, 2007 2:52 pm

[quote="agrandy"]... Is one limited to registering with only ONE staffing agency?
[/quote]

Make sure to review the agreement with the agency.

My wife is a lawyer, and did contract appellate work for a while. Some agencies are non-exclusive, but at least one would only represent people who agreed to be solely represented by that agency. If she violated the exclusivity agreement - even answering a newspaper ad - they could recover their placement fee for any work she did.

tc>

Submitted by Mark Horstman on Saturday June 16th, 2007 4:12 pm

First, let's be clear.

Staffing agencies are NOT executive recruiting firms. Staffing agencies - firms called that - handle lower level stuff, to include lots of admin jobs, and usually temporary work as well.

For EITHER, though, you can work with many. Someone asking for exclusivity is over-reaching for all but the highest of searches.

And let's not get so wrapped around our TIGHT (in the interest of helping the most reticent and weakest writers) format that we forget that any note that is hand-written, says thank you no more than twice, and adds something that makes it specific to you and the recipient is FINE.

Mark

Submitted by Sera Thorne on Friday January 16th, 2026 1:52 am

Hi everyone, thanks for the thoughtful discussion here. Based on what’s been shared, I’d add another angle worth considering — especially if you’re thinking about the future of work beyond traditional staffing agencies.

Many people in staffing and BPO environments develop solid skills in client communication, process execution, and cross-team coordination. Those capabilities are very transferable, and they fit well with new global talent models that companies are adopting today — models that blend smart sourcing with human expertise rather than just sending resumes or filling seats.

For many experienced agency candidates, this means opportunities in areas like:

  • remote operations roles with more ownership over outcomes,
  • customer success or project support functions,
  • hybrid sourcing/coordination roles that value both tech and people skills.

These options often come with clearer career paths and less of the “political” overhead that can make agency work frustrating.

There’s a good overview of how these kinds of talent models are evolving in the industry.

Happy to dig into specific transitions if anyone is thinking about that.