Contemporaries, Inc

At first thought they were great, very nice people, but it is ridiculous that they will call you for a job and expect you to to be ready at a moment’s notice, and expect you to call twice a day to see if they have something. The point is for them to help you, not have to be reminded. In general found that i was treated poorly and condescended to.

Sent my resume and called. This is how the conversation went:
Me: I am following up to make sure you received my resume and to find out what the next steps are. I would like to come in to interview with one of your recruiters.
Contemporaries rep: Yeah, we got your resume. Are you currently working?
Me: No.
Contemporaries; So what have you been doing all this time?
Me: (thinking: Are you f8888ing serious? What do you think I’ve been doing all this time but looking for a job!!) I explained to her my situation honestly and she was not impressed and I could tell she probably threw my resume away right then and there.
Contemporaries: Well, this is how it works, if someting matching your skills comes up, we will contact you. If we don’t contact you, it just means that we don’t have anything matching your skills.
The impression I got is that they don’t care.
Oh, and by the way, it’s been over three months and I have not heard from them.

I had a very positive experience with Contemporaries.
After getting in touch with them by email, they were able to set up an interview with me within days. The interview went well, and within a few days, they were setting me up for phone calls with employers in the Boston area.
The first position that I was set-​up with was with a university in the Boston area. I started there less than two and a half weeks after sending my resume to Contemporaries. I worked in this position for a total of six months.
After the position at the university ended, the next position that I was assigned was with a biotechnology company. Ultimately I was hired as a regular employee of that company.
I am very happy with my experience overall. Once you are placed within a company, you are more-​or-​less on your own dealing with your manager and the employer. Show up on time, dress professionally, and you will have good shot at leveraging your temporary position into a permanent one. Which is not to say that your relationship with the folks at Contemporaries (Janet and Donna for the most part) ceases matter once you are placed with a company. They will check in with you on a weekly basis, and let you know if there are any changes coming up.

If I could give this place zero stars, I most certainly would. Never have I been treated so badly at a staffing company! These women (and, I’m sure, men, though I only spoke to women) were rude and unhelpful to the extreme. I’m convinced that the good reviews on here are written by the people who work there, as the people I know who have worked for them have all said the same thing: they are awful.
Simply put: stay away. If you haven’t already applied to them, go to Monument or Hollister instead. If you have: run. Run as fast as you can.

I had amazing luck with Contemporaries. The only thing about them is you have to be a bit active with them while they’re looking to find you work. If you just sit back and wait for them to call you with employment opportunities, I think they put you at the bottom of their list and you will be waiting for a very long time. That said, if you are active with them, they really do try to match you with a job that you might enjoy, rather than placing you just anywhere (like many temp agencies do).
My experience is as follows:
I emailed them my resume and called them right afterwards, as they suggested you to on their website. (According to my housemate, they say you should email or call to double check the status of your resume, but as she never heard back from them and I did within a week, I would suggest calling). When they first called me back to let me know that that my resume looked like I’d be someone they could find work for, they had me come in, interviewed me to find out the type of jobs I’d be interested in and the ones I would absolutely hate, had me take a typing test, etc. Then they had me call in for about a week, twice a day, just to see if they had any openings. This was a bit tedious, but communication is very key with this temp agency and really, in the end I think it’s worth it. Also, a benefit of me calling was that they explained to me why they were taking a little while to find me work and were apologetic (they just had a company fire all of their temps, so they had a lot they had to put back to work), but also recognized that I was calling them and assured me that my efforts were putting me at the top of the list.
They actually called me when they found me work… twice. They found one job for me and then, before the CORI check was even placed for that job, they called me back with another job that they felt was a better fit (also which began sooner, because it didn’t require a CORI check). Also, after I began working, they asked I call a couple times just to let them know how it is going there, if I was enjoying it or if they’d rather place me somewhere else (and what I did/didn’t enjoy about it). This is really what I think is so great about this agency: they really try to match you up with jobs that you are right for.
So, basically, you get out of this temp agency what you put into it. If you talk to them and really let them know what you want, they will do their best to try to match you with something that fits you.

Sent my resume in to them twice over a period of six months, both times via email, nary a response back. I worked with placement associates from two other temp agencies (one of them being the infamous PSG, *shudders*) who have been infinitely better about returning my calls and regularly finding interviews for me than this place.
My housemate got a great temp-​to-​perm placement through them, though. Plus one star for my roommate buying us celebratory beers!

Comtemporaries is a wonderful temp agency! They got me working really quickly… I sent my resume over, interviewed the following day, and was working the day after that. In addition to being really efficient, the staff took the time to get to know me, my interests, and my concerns. They really look out for their staffers and all my placements have been fun and interesting. I don’t hesitate to say that they are the best temp agency in Boston!

Upon submitting my resume to Contemporaries and scheduling an interview, I met one of the recruiters, Donna. We immediately hit it off when I recognized her professionalism and diligence towards placing her temps quickly and when she saw my desire to get into the work field as soon as possible and to find a good match.
I took a typing and word processing test and then spoke to her regarding what I was looking for and my available time frame. I originally wanted to work in the health care industry. However, Donna got back to me promptly the very next morning with a great paying job with a real estate management company that was just too good to turn down.
I worked with the company for 3 months and loved every minute of it. My coworkers were amiable and funny and my boss kept me busy, busy, busy. When I wasn’t occupied, I took the initiative and found some small project to work on. She was very energetic and the best boss I have had thus far throughout my employment experiences.
A few tips:
Dress business professional upon your interview, act professional, and brush up on your typing speed and word processing skills. Be honest with what kind of job you are looking for, but be open to a good opportunity when it comes along. Most importantly, show them your personality. If you are a bit timid, they will give you a slower paced assignment. But I think the worst thing is to be stuck in a position where you are just twiddling your thumbs. If you are eager and straight forward, they will assign you to a fast-​paced environment and will be able to place you much more quickly. Their goal is to not only find you a job but to find the best fit for the companies that rely on them.
I have already recommended the company to another friend who scored well on their preliminary tests and was placed quickly at different assignments. I am currently on vacation, but when I return to Boston I will be referring to them again for another wonderful placement.
Contemporaries has an outstanding ability to place you with a company that works for both you and them, and if the fit is not right, they will be able to quickly place you with another company. Whether you are looking for a short term placement or for a temp-​to-​perm position, this is the right temp agency to work with!