Smart Resources

I had a terrific experience with Smart Resources. They found me employment immediately, and were very accommodating of my last-​minute schedule changes. I would highly, highly recommend them to anyone.

Ehh. The typical staffing agency. Their main concern is their client.

They really only work with one major company. They try to force you into that company. They don’t think about your best interest and what fits your career goals. If you don’t take the only company they really have to offer then they completely stop working with you.

My patience with the staffing industry in Chicago is wearing thin, so I have no issue voicing my complaints and sharing my experiences. I am generally not one to write many negative reviews, but this industry keeps letting me down. While Smart Resources is not downright terrible or lacks professionalism, it is extremely lackluster and takes a halfhearted approach to staffing positions and placing candidates.
For starters, you don’t get the opportunity to really build rapport with many of the recruiters. You interview with just one and you don’t even check in with that person; instead, you call the front office to check-​in on a weekly basis. That is not a terrible process, but it isn’t helpful to the candidate either;you can easily get lost in their database and go weeks without hearing from anyone. The one plus to this check-​in process is that I was alerted by front desk on a few occasions that my info in the database was wrong, which promptly led to it being corrected (I will commend how professional and helpful their reception is).
Second, I find follow up quite weak. On two separate occasions I was told of possible openings, only to never hear about it again from the recruiter. I understand clients cancel positions or hire elsewhere all the time, but some following up and transparency with the candidate would be helpful.
Overall, I find SR lacking in straightforward communication and good opportunities. Unless you need some work in between jobs, there are better options out there for job seekers.

I am native New Yorker who has recently relocated to Chicago. This agency made the process of finding work easier to cope with. It immediately eased my mind to hear that they staff alot of Office, Administration, and Customer Service — welcoming a range of skills but please note: solid skills and experience really help you here. I am working with Lauren. We spoke first over the phone about my skills/​expectations and she then invited me in for an interview. I was greeted at the front desk by May the receptionist — she is a sweet, professional person and she was so willing to help and made me feel comfortable in an instant (rare in other nyc offices).
Next I met with Lauren, She was so honest and forthcoming with everything — giving great advice on how it all works, professional appearance and resume effectiveness. Everyone I met in the office was friendly, professional, warm and welcoming. I’ve already received follow up emails encouraging me to check in with the agency each week. I know its tough to be placed but If you get your resume in order and are ready to work, like I am — IT WILL COME! I will update this review as my time with this agency yields work! Thank you for welcoming me Lauren, May and staff at Smart Resources!

Horrible experience.
I sent them my resume and received a phone call a few days later.
They were very specific in what they were looking for in terms of previous work experience, i.e. Executive Assistant or Paralegal roles. Apparently I do not fit their profile even though I have 8 years or work experience, a Bachelor’s degree and speak 3 languages fluently. I have worked both in Europe and the US for a number of notable and highly profitable companies. The phone conversation was disappointing, lasted for about a minute, and ended promptly after I was told they cannot help me even though we did not discuss my resume in depth.
Disappointing experience overall.
I would NOT recommend working with this staffing agency to anyone.

On the same day I wrote my review (¹¹⁄₁₈), Maren called me with a position opportunity at a nonprofit organization. The description of the position coincides with what I am currently in graduate school for, Nonprofit Management. I accepted the position was was able to start the next day on ¹¹⁄₁₉. This morning Maren called me to see how my first day went. I enjoyed myself.
Thanks Maren! You are awesome!!!

Smart Resources has been a big help when I’ve needed them. I first worked with the company in 2006, and called them years later for a sensitive project. Tabatha remembered me and was willing to take on a very out-​of-​the-​ordinary project. My firm is located in Boston but I needed feet on the street in Chicago. They did a great job with some potentially confusing instructions, which was just what I needed. I recommend them to anyone who needs help and needs a firm that can fill assignments that aren’t run-​of-​the-​mill.

I would describe my experience with Smart Resources as an actual dream come true. I moved to Chicago in late May after finishing a master’s degree in Nonprofit Administration. After working to earn an advanced degree, I was discouraged to not have a job offer yet upon my move. As we all know, the job market is TOUGH. I was interviewing for several jobs and eventually decided to send my resume to a few temp agencies because I figured «why not?». A day or two after I sent my resume, I was contacted by the upbeat, friendly and energetic staff at SR and was asked to complete some aptitude tests before my meeting with them a few days later. The tests were to be completed on my home computer (but I could go to their office if I had preferred) and tested my aptitude in Microsoft Office as well as my typing speed. This step was the only thing I really had any complaint about: the Microsoft Office tests were very laggy and the glitches caused me to screw up a lot of my answers. However, when I explained this to Bao at our meeting, she understood and offered to let me retake the test in the office.
Less than four hours after my interview, Bao called me with an interview for a temp to perm position at a local non profit. This was really a dream come true, considering these were the exact criteria I had asked for. I worried that somehow it was too good to be true. I interviewed the following Monday and ended up being offered the position on a temp to hire basis. After a wonderful several months working for the nonprofit through Smart Resources, I was offered a full-​time, permanent position and honestly couldn’t be happier. I owe Smart Resources big time! After I told Bao about my offer, she was SO excited for me and checked in with me several times in the next few weeks to make sure that everything was going alright. I even received a congratulations card with a gift card enclosed from the staff. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone could ask for more. I know my case was a little unique in that they were able to place me right away, but had that not even been the case, I still couldn’t say a word against them. I will also note that many of my coworkers came to our company through Smart Resources during the past 5 years or so and had very similar experiences to mine. Thanks Smart Resources!

Earlier this summer I was looking for a job and I stumbled across a temporary gig on Craigslist for a walking job that involved data entry. It was only 4 days and claimed to pay $ 300 to $ 400. I applied thinking it would be a great way to earn extra money while I looked for something more permanent. The job was to start nearly a month later. I spent $ 10 to get a day pass to attend Smart Resources unpaid «orientation» for the job and we were told to refer friends, because the agency needed over 130 workers for the project. They said we could get $ if our referrals worked 40 hours with the company, so I asked my friends, thankfully they couldn’t do it. We were then informed that we would receive several emails to confirm that we could do the project.
They needed a few drivers for the project too, but informed us that driving wasn’t necessary. Over the next month I received about 7 emails and a couple of calls to confirm that I was still doing the project. These emails contained codes such as «walking» and we had to reply to the message with the code word to confirm that we were still interested in the project. They told us we would attend a 4 hour paid training session but nobody responded to my email when I asked if I could attend the evening session (2 days before the session). This should have been my first clue they are unprofessional because we were required to respond to their emails promptly, but nobody could respond to mine?
Because it took me awhile to find a job and my current job doesn’t offer enough hours, money has been REALLY tight. When I got my 1^st check it all went towards rent, my 2^nd check was the 1^st $ I had in 2 weeks, so I enjoyed it thinking I had $ coming from this walking gig. All this time I was still getting emails from Smart Resources about the project.
Two days before the project I get an email asking if I can drive, I don’t have a license so I wrote them back saying no. The next day, the day before I was supposed to start this gig they call me to tell me they had to cut the participants down to 60 and they needed drivers, so I can’t do the gig. They also called me on a prepaid phone and I only had 4 minutes left (I called them back on my main phone).
That is so completely unprofessional! They certainly knew they had to cut their numbers in half, so why did they cancel last minute? If they had told me sooner I could have saved more $ from my 2^nd paycheck + I wasted $ 10 going to them and several minutes responding to their dumb ass emails and phone calls.
Bao told me that they would be happy to work with me in the future, but they have to be on crack if they think I would ever bother doing business with them again. Thankfully I got a 20% raise at my current job and I have some production assistant gigs later this month, so I will be okay financially. Just don’t waste your time on this paltry excuse for a job agency. They SUCK and need to hire some smart people like myself to turn things around. This is not how you treat temp workers!
PS: Shortly after writing this review I received an email from the staffing agency. They said something along the lines of «We’re sorry, but the company that hired us to look for workers requested fewer workers at the last minute. This company did the SAME thing last year and we’re considering no longer doing business with them.»
WOW! I didn’t think it was possible for me to have less respect for a company but they made it happen. Incompetent much?

This company is not for those seeking entry-​level office positions.
I received a response email from one of their recruiters, stating that they only help those who have Executive Assistant level jobs for at least 2 years, and it apparently took them 2 days to tell me that.
If you fit that job description, by all means, give them a try… perhaps you will have better luck than I… otherwise, move on.

Smart Resources is a FANTASTIC staffing agency. I had just relocated to Chicago from New York and needed to find a good admin position in the area.
I worked with Maren who was always available with any questions or concerns that I had. The first couple of positions that were sent my way weren’t exactly what I was looking for, and Maren was completely flexible in order for me to find what I needed. I was placed with a great company within a few weeks. Even during my employment, Maren was easily reachable regarding any questions I had, including my inquiries about if I would be hired directly by the company. They actually care about getting you hired… not all temp agencies are like that. Most of them prefer to keep you on their payroll as long as they can, but I never felt this way with Smart Resources. They even sent me a gift card upon my job offer!
Today, I even received an e-​card on my birthday… which is what finally pushed me to write this review. Well done Smart Resources!

I was employed through Smart Resources for six months in a customer service position. The job allowed me to work from home while pursuing my other interests. Prior to that engagement, they found me a few short-​term positions.
The staff at Smart is helpful and courteous. My only complaint (if you can call it that) would be that it took the agency the better part of a year to find me a long-​term posting which fit my schedule.
I would heartily recommend Smart to anybody looking for temporary employment.

For right now, I’m going to give Smart Resources four stars. I’ll definitely amend this once I begin working. :)
I graduated from college about a year ago. Though I had some great jobs and internships while in college, I’ve really struggled in this job market (as many of you have too). In January I applied to a few different staffing firms. The interviews I had were rushed and very impersonal. The testing was done with out of date software (I’m talking Windows ⁹⁸⁄₂₀₀₀). I expressed an interest in the type of work I had hoped to find but also said I was open to doing whatever my skills lended themselves to. I was able to get sporadic work with those other staffing firms.
After reading really positive reviews, I decided to apply to Smart Resources earlier this week. The same day, I received an email from Boa and spoke with her on the phone. She was very professional and we went into some detail about my previous experiences and what kind of work I was looking for. Today I went in for my interview with Xavier. And you know what? It was great. He was great. We went in depth about my experience, my expectations, my soft skills, and my software skills, etc. We talked about what kind of jobs I am ideally looking for and he really seemed to take into account what I want to be doing. He also gave me tips on how to make my resume more appealing, how to use LinkedIn, and what kind of networking events I should be checking out. Seriously, it was super helpful and made me feel like I can trust in them to keep my interests and strengths in mind when placing me.
Initially, a great experience.

I temped at Smart for almost a year, and the experience definitely allowed me to continue to pay my bills while seeking a full time job and interning for gratis. The assignments varied from administrative work within small to medium sized companies to staffing registration at conferences. In between assignments the company allows you to be «on call» about once a week, which you get paid to do. Quite nice for those who really need a check. They do offer insurance as well, but the receptionist at the time advised against getting it since it doesn’t really cover a lot.
Overall, I would recommend Smart to anyone who needs to be able to fill a gap with funds while continuing to be aggressive with their job search. As with most temp agencies, it really is up to you to make sure that you’re made a top priority with the firm, and assignments are usually offered and require immediate sign-​up, because otherwise Smart will call another candidate. This is common practice among staffing firms.

These guys are great! I met with Xavier and he interviewed me for over an hour (much better than a previous interview at another agency that lasted for 10-​minutes). They continuously reached out to me for positions as well as First in/​First out program-​awesome!
I’m only disappointed that I couldn’t work for these guys as I was picked up for a position with a different company. Highly recommend them!

When I initially applied through the companies website, they were the quickest out of all the temp agencies to respond to my application. My interview with Xavier went very smoothly as he created a very casual environment. He really seemed to try to figure out what my career goals and aspirations were as opposed to just reading and asking questions about my resume. After my interview, I received my first assignment one week later and had on average one assignment a week. They then called and emailed me when an opportunity arose for a temp to perm position became available.
The position that I was placed in fit my personal strengths extremely well and I was hired permanently on with the business. I would not have thought to consider working for this business had it not been for the assignment of Smart Resources.
I think this is an extremely professional and trustworthy agency to work with.

Thanks to Tim (the owner) I appreciate the fact that his team did the best they can do, but yet it doesn’t change my experience I had with this temp agency.
Just to clarify… it is true that their agent kept looking at their iPhone during my hour interview…
And btw… A help desk support position usually implies you answer calls (inbound and outbound calls)… In other words it is a CALL CENTER.

I have been working for them for over a month. They have been really flexible with my crazy musician schedule. They are really great about communication with the temp staff, a huge plus. Great environment in their own office which is nice when you fast temp. I highly recommend this agency.
The only downside I’ve seen so far is that sometimes their inter-​agency communication could be better. I’ll get contacted by one recruiter for work, start working, then get a message from another recruiter about availability for hours I’m arleady designated to work that were given to me by the first recruiter.

A few days after posting my negative review of Smart Resources the owner emailed me to offer his apologies about my experience. He also offered to look at my resume directly. I figured everyone deserves a second chance so I wrote him back and attached my resume.
I spoke with Tim (owner of Smart Resources) today about my resume and experience and have to say that he was quite helpful in discussing options that I have, even going as far as giving me the names of several agencies that would work best with my background and qualifications. He explained to me that his firm specializes in admin placement and that with my background and the current economic climate that my resume will get overlooked more often since I have not been an admin before. Companies will take the resume with the admin background over mine first because they want the experience when filling a position. Makes total sense to me; when I would hire people in my past career I would scan for experience on a resume first.
Tim is also having one of his recruiters call me to discuss further what Smart Resources can do for me.
I appreciate that the owner of a business can take time out of their busy schedule to acknowledge errors or oversights made on behalf of their company as well as be completely candid when discussing my options. I’m glad I gave Smart Resources a second chance since they turned out to be quite helpful in my job hunt.