I manage a small business in Northern Illinois that specializes in FinTech and software…read moredevelopment. We have a fairly constant need to hire new resources as we are growing due to external investment, so we recently took on a number of recruiters to fill that need. One of my employees found Technical Paradigm and arranged an initial meeting. From the very beginning, TP was outstanding. They got us a wide range of candidates very quickly, they vetted them and summarized their skills (both pro and con) and worked hard to refine their results to meet our demand. We hired (and continue to hire) a good number of people through them. They are very responsive every time, they consistently follow up post hiring with both us and the employee, and they check in periodically to see how else they can be of use. Their check-ins are not over the top either - I would set them at just the right interval. In addition, of our recruiters, Technical Paradigm was the most competitively priced, offered a very reasonable guarantee period, and has been consistently the most responsive, sending us new and qualified candidates very rapidly. They have never pressured us to make a hire and have been very willing to work with us to find the ideal candidate. I highly recommend them for both employees and employers. If I have to provide one critique... it is that Ishan seems to think that every email is high priority :) They can't all be important!

Mike and his team helped my fintech startup quickly fill our CTO seat with world class talent. When…read moreit comes to staffing, I consider Technical Paradigm Staffing a dependable, honorary extension of our team.

The City Staffing team is exceptionally kind and communicative! They got me staffed in no time…read more What else can you ask for?!

They never responded back to my inquiry for assistance at all. Not sure in this economy how humane…read morethat is.

The service is very professional They have good quality…read morejobs And the jobs are the ones who hire you. I wish more companies would work with them, they are valuable. If you want to work they definitely find you a job in a timely manner.

Outside in the parking lot, people puts on loud music. While I have kids sleeping in my house. I…read morecomplained before elite service didn't do anything. From my advice, elite service should put a sign says " NO LOUD MUSIC" in the parking lot. Then I might change this rating.

They just don't follow up with people. The people in charge are so bad at their jobs that they…read moredon't understand that we're not dependent on them as much as THEY are dependent on the goodwill and personal endorsements of the people they manage and recruit. Nothing but dead air lately from The Smart Dept. I worked a job for them a while back and they did NOT have my back when the situation fell apart. They privately told me they were on my side and understood what my issues were with the client, but they did nothing to earn the money they robbed from me. This is a garbage company. Even something as basic as the lack of a search option on their website that would allow an applicant to search for local jobs, jobs in their field, or remote work has not been made available to applicants, which shows how out of touch and dumb this "smart" department really is. EDIT: Weeks have gone by without so much as an email telling me they've received any of my applications. They're on my block list now. I suspect the positive reviews here have come from employees of Smart Dept itself, or other plants and familiars.

Working with the Smartdept has been great. To begin with, they stay in touch. Often, creative…read morestaffing agencies forget about you or don't respond at all. Even though Smartdept is a small agency, I'd rate them as one of the better creative staffing agencies in the Seattle area. I'm registered with at least six of them. I regularly get work from only three and Smartdept is one of them. If you're looking for freelance work, give them a call. It can't hurt.

Just signed up with them, and got work the next day! very attentive with helping get some work,…read morelong as you have patience and time. I appreciate the team and would like to work on something more permanent for sure.

Great company to work for. They pay weekly and have different assignments available.read more

I admit I'm quite skeptical of employment agencies and I've not had the best luck - either…read morescheduled for two interviews with the same company by competing agencies or sent on interviews for positions which are either not a match or do not match my goals or background. Heather and her sister, Katie, run an excellent staffing agency on Belmont. I had spoken with Heather prior to my move and she started looking for jobs right away. She really took the time and found some great interviews for me. There are slower weeks and then there are more busy ones. She has been a constant help to me, even referring my husband to an agency which specializes in IT recruitment. She has been understanding and extremely helpful throughout this daunting relocation process and while my current position is a long term contract position, which may or may not go permanent, I have total confidence that I can count on her for assistance when my position ends. Summit Chicago Staffing is an excellent resource and if they can't help you directly, it seems that they know someone who can.

I trust Heather to the umpteenth degree. She helped me find…read morethe position that I am in now and is currently helping me search for full time employment. She is very responsive and works hard to find great fits for her candidates. To spell it out for you, I went in to meet with Heather on a Thursday and was placed on a great, highly-visible project the following Monday. I suspect it usually doesn't happen that fast regardless of the recruiter but my point is that she is on it! This said, prior to to reaching Heather, I had zero luck with any of the other Chicago-area recruiters. Summit is absolutely the way to go!

I've worked with Tracy and The Buzz Co staff on multiple occasions throughout my career, both when…read morejob searching and in referring candidates from my network, and will continue to do so. Tracy is one of the most talented recruiters I've gotten to know. She has an unmatched ability to gain a deeper understanding of her candidates' strengths and best skill sets far beyond their credentials, enabling her to 'match-make' with extraordinary precision. This also allows her to identify uniquely valuable talent that others in the industry often tend to overlook. I never fail to be impressed by Tracy's comfortingly calm demeanor, not to mention how it co-exists with unwavering tenacity in her efforts. Most importantly, Tracy and her staff have made me feel valuable in times of doubt and like I had an ally when I needed it most. I've had nothing but positive experiences with The Buzz Co.

I tried to give Buzz Co a shot, I know they have been around for a long time and when I met with…read morethem, they seemed really nice, eager, positive and ready & willing to help me find work, but I have yet to get 1 opportunity from them in the last year+. I'm pretty sure it's because of the high turnover rate. It's insane how many different recruiter contacts I've had there... each one has only lasted a few months before they move onto another agency. I have worked with at least 4-5 new Buzz recruiters in the last year! Sure that's why I don't get ANY opportunities via Buzz. No one stays around long enough to form a real relationship with their candidates or at least with me. Forming these relationships is your bread and butter of what you do...How are you STILL a company Buzz Co?

The interview went well - they had at least one place they could put me - but they'd be sure the…read morefollowing day. When they called, they told me, in fact the one opportunity didn't work out, but they had another place I could work if I wanted to. I listened to the particulars, and agreed - Excited to finally be working somewhere. I gave notice at the part time job I was working because not only was this job closer, it paid more. Monday came and not only did the company not know I was coming, they ended up not needing a temp after all. Suddenly I'm out TWO jobs! Active told me I would be on the top of the list for another 'opportunity' but to date, nothing's come through. I won't be going through Active ever again. Nor will I refer them to anyone looking for work or looking for employees. I feel they totally dropped the ball here.

My experience with Active could not be more different than the previous reviewer's. I have used…read moretemp agencies at numerous points in my life, usually with decent results. I like to think of temp assignments as "paid interviews," since very often, the companies I have worked for use the temp position as an opportunity to see first-hand whether or not someone is a good "fit" for their company (far more effectively than could be determined in any formal interview setting). When I arrived for my interview at Active, I was immediately struck by their friendliness and responsiveness, something that is not always common in temp agencies. After the standard testing regimen to determine my skill levels on various computer applications and activities, I had a very pleasant interview, and immediately sensed that these people were interested in helping me get back on my feet after my previous 5-year employment fell apart when the organization gave company-wide lay-offs. Two days later, I got a call from them, and a couple days later, I was working a great job that lasted for nearly 2 months. And it was not a mindless filing job either. I was able to put my skills in database applications to work and really feel like I was contributing to the organization I worked for, rather than just filling a chair. Following that assignment, I did get a couple brainless one-day assignments, but that is to be expected in a temp position setting, and the folks at Active kept in touch with me faithfully as they worked to find something more long-term and with greater potential. Less than 2 weeks after finishing the longer assignment, I was assigned to a job that, were I to write out my own definition of a dream job, it would not be far different from this one. I immediately fell in love with the company and got along famously with the folks there. It was an open-ended assignment, and after about a month working there, a full-time position opened up in the company. Having been given a generous recommendation from Active and having worked at this company for a month, I was in a position where my application went to the top of the pile. Two days after completing the formal interview process, I was hired by that company for a full-time position. And now, nearly a month later, I can say that every morning, I look forward to waking up and starting my job. And I received a wonderful, thoughtful letter of congratulations from Active the moment they heard I was hired full-time. One quick side note: a few days after I was hired by my current employer, I received a note from the first position that Active assigned me to (the 2-month one), and they also offered me a full-time position! And though I was glad to remain where I am now, that job would have been enjoyable and fulfilling as well. So, in 3 months of working with Active, I received 2 full-time position offers from places Active assigned me. I cannot speak to the experience the previous reviewer had (although why someone would quit a consistent part-time job for a temporary job doesn't make much sense to me), but without hesitation, I would recommend to anyone that they give Active a call. Ask for Kate or Jenny. You won't be disappointed!