An anti-endorsement of Adecco Staffing

One day last week I went over to register with Adecco Staffing, on the recommendation of my contact with Adecco Technical; she explained to me that the two divisions are run almost independently, and registering with one won’t have the other looking for work for you as well.

When I got there, after filling out a long online application and signing over eight or nine different forms (consent to background check, consent to drug testing, direct deposit, I-9, and so on) they sat me at a computer terminal and told me to complete several tests, including a psychometric questionnaire (“so we can place you when you’ll be best suited”) and skills tests for MS Word, Excel, Access, and number sorting.

The psychometric test had the usual disclaimers saying “there are no wrong answers to these questions” and strongly advising the test-taker not to use the “Sometimes” or “Undecided” option if at all possible.  I ran through all the tests, then went back out to wait for a recruiter to talk with me about my results and prospects.

When I was called back, the recruiter told me that although I’d scored quite high on all the skills tests (he claimed never to have seen anyone before who completely finished the number-matching test without any errors at all), the company refused to place me at all, because the answers I’d given to the psychometric testing failed to fit their Acceptable Employee Profile, and I was disqualified from re-taking that module for twelve months—but I was welcome to come back then and try it over.

To someone who’s been unemployed as long as I have, twelve months is no more use than twelve years, or twelve centuries for that matter—I had wasted more than two hours for nothing.  I requested and got an interview with the branch manager, during which I outlined the ways I believed Adecco had not played fairly, that they had misled me, and that they had failed to provide answers which I could feel were true answers to the questions posed, but it was no use.  The policy was The Policy, and no one was interested in making exceptions.

So now Adecco has taught me several new workplace lessons, albeit not the ones they ought to be teaching, viz.:

1. There are indeed answers that are very wrong in the psychometric profile, if you expect to work for the company.
2. Telling a pack of lies is required; truthfulness will be shown the door.
3. When presented with a series of answers, all of which seem to you to be wrong, do not pick the one that seems least wrong. Pick the one that is most likely what the employer wants to hear.

After this experience I think I must offer myself as a Horrible Example of why seeking work through Adecco Staffing is a bad idea.  I recommend everyone in my acquaintance to avoid them; there are lots of other staffing firms out there who don’t engage in this sort of practice.