I was looking for a job late last year/early this year, and I applied to one or two postings on Workopolis that were linked back to Randstad. They set up an appointment with you and you go in to meet with one of their....agents? Head hunters?
The woman I had a meeting with a woman (used to say her name here but Yelp made me take it down). She was totally disinterested in actually talking to me, just randomly read off a list of set questions that had no flexibility in their answers. She was clearly much more interested in socializing with the other people who worked there. She then told me I had to take some computer tests, like typing and Excel.
Here's the issue I have: Id already used Randstad twice before, and I've done the tests (which take FOREVER and are POINTLESS). So I said, "I've done them before, can I please just apply for the job?" and she said, "I can't let you apply for any job until you've taken them." They take over an hour and I just didn't have the time, so everything was just a waste. I don't know why they don't save the test results.
And yes, they take up to 20% of the salary you end up with, so you will get paid way less than if you found the job independently.