Staffing Agencies Explained: How Aerotek, Randstad and Kelly Work

Staffing agencies fill huge parts of warehouse, office, healthcare-support and IT hiring — and they cost job seekers nothing, because employers pay the fee. Understand the three deal types — temp, temp-to-hire and direct placement — and how to judge a recruiter, and agencies become the fastest lane you are not using.

The three deal types

Temp pays hourly with fast starts and easy exits. Temp-to-hire converts to permanent after a trial, typically 90 days — the most common path in. Direct placement hires you straight onto the client payroll with the agency paid a fee. Ask which type every assignment is before accepting.

How recruiters really work

Good recruiters specialise by niche and answer fast; bad ones blast irrelevant roles and vanish. Judge yours in week one: do they know the client's manager, pay cycle and conversion history? Register with two or three specialists, not ten generalists.

Making temp-to-hire convert

Treat day one as a working interview: perfect attendance, visible output, good relations with the floor lead. Ask the conversion criteria in writing early — most conversions fail on attendance and attitude, not skill.

Do this week

• Register with two niche agencies this week.
• Ask each recruiter about conversion rates and timelines.
• Treat every temp shift as the interview.
• Confirm pay cycle, overtime and benefits in writing.

Quick answers