Contemporaries Incorporated

05/15/2008 Posted by jallegratsi

This agency was so disappointing due to the time I took to go there. It was a very dead office and a woman by herself by the name of Donna. She twice told me how the office is busy in the morning and afternoon which I found odd when I was there. Phone never rang and nor were there other people working in the office. Other agencies are far busier with activity. She said to me she would have me right out on an assignment which I have yet to go out on one. I believe this agency is not representative of what she wants you to believe so it was disappointing. It did not seem like a professional environment either and rather outdated. If you want immediate work I am not sure this would be the agency for you as there are nicer ones which you feel are really working for you.

Pros: I have decided to go elsewhere

Cons: lacked professionalism and had a feeling of a being too small

04/15/2008 Posted by featherwind

I have have a mid-sized Consulting business in the downtown Boston area, and have worked with a couple of the temp. agencies in the city past to supplement administrative help. However, I have not been pleased with the agencies I have worked with, as their temps. have been extremely missing the mark. Either, they did not understand the type of person I needed, or they themselves were too immature to really understand how I needed someone quick and sharp. So, I did my research to find Contemporaries, Inc. I recently called in for a temporary, and was right away impressed with the woman who I spoke with through the phone. I needed a temp. ASAP and the agency immediately provided me with a highly bright individual who was at my office first thing the following day. I also felt the agency was very fair with their pricing for such short-notice. I no doubt will work with Contemporaries forward, as they seem savvy and seasoned to understand the type of people I need for my business, especially on short-notice at times. So, without a doubt I would highly recommend them as an agency of choice. Really nice group to work with for sure!

Pros: Highly professional, real "can do" sense, and understands turnaround times clearly!

Cons: None so far!

04/15/2008 Posted by designmann

As a small firm that does big projects, our firm needs to have the best possible employees. Contemporaries has always sent us top individuals for temporary staffing and has had superb follow-up. Each person that was sent was bright, energetic and fully capable of doing the tasks needed. I would highly recommend Contemporaries to any company or institution in need of temporary assistance.

Pros: Quick response, thoughtful staffing selection and excellent follow-up

Cons: none

04/14/2008 Posted by olyglotpay

Two experienced, friendly and efficient women run Boston Contemporaries from a small office in a convenient downtown location. Thoughtful and cautious, the duo takes the time to find the right person for the right job. Contemporaries, Inc. scheduled me for an interview the same day I emailed them my resume, and I had a job lined up a day or two after that. Even during a few weeks when for various reasons there wasn't much temp work to be done, Donna kept in touch with updates and found me enough jobs to keep me busy. In short order I landed at a major Boston university in a job that drew on my skills and interests. This evolved into a temp-to-perm situation that I have been very happy with. Some other notes: Contemporaries was very responsive and understanding on the one occasion when I was dissatisfied with a job, as well as the one time I turned down a job (for health reasons). I was also pleased to have many types of jobs in many different sectors of the business world, and I have learned a lot about office procedures, etc., in a short period of time. Contemporaries surprised me (in a good way) with their personal, personable style of business interaction. I highly recommend them as a temp agency if you are serious about doing real work in the real business world. Should I ever again find myself in the situation of looking for temp work in Boston, I would return to work with Donna et al in a heart beat. In fact, now that I am settled in a permanent job, I will kind of miss them!

04/11/2008 Posted by deborah08

I came in two weeks ago to Contemporaries, Inc. looking for a job without high hopes because I had been unsuccessful with prevoius agencies from New York City, where I just moved from. I am a graduate student that needs to make money, but good money, on the side. The owner and president Donna, started the search right away. I was surprised that she delved right in to find me a job; her commitment to finding jobs is fantastic and evident. When I came in for an interview her ability to accurately and honestly assess my skills along with her range of clients and years of experience placed me with what seems to be the perfect fit. Cecilia called me my first day to check up on how I was doing, making sure it was a compatible fit. Contemporaries, Inc. knowdlege and dedication to its profession, along with Donna's experience and savvy, made this a perfect fit. I would highly recomend Contemporaries, Inc.

04/11/2008 Posted by ewoods27

Two self-righteous, condescending and prideful middle-aged women run Boston Contemporaries from a small office tucked away downtown. Patronizing and rude, the duo never misses an opportunity to remind you of how incredibly precious their time, effort and connections are. As a former reseach associate and soon-to-be adjunct professor, their posturing and condescension were eventually too much for me to bare. From the moment I stepped in the door to try and change my appointment time, I could tell something was wrong with Boston Contemporaries. The two middle-aged women working there, Donna and Cecilia, acted as if I had just asked them to kiss my feet. "We are a professional establishment, you can't just come in here unannounced!" they shrieked in indignation. I retreated to a bookstore and waited the 3 hours until my allotted appointment time. Upon returning, Cecilia immediately brought up "the incident" and told me I was bordering on unprofessional by attempting to change their schedule. She then spent another 5 minutes reciting her resume and her vast experience with Fortune 500 companies, implying that I was lucky to be graced by her presence. The next day, she found me a $12 an hour data entry job and made sure that I knew that "despite Donna's lingering questions about your reliability, we've decided to go ahead and try to obtain this position for you." She said it would possibly run for as long as 8 weeks, but since I had already stated I was only in town for 6, I figured she would put two and two together if they ended up needing me for that long. But alas, when she confirmed that the job was available and I confirmed I was leaving in 6 weeks not 8, she was furious. "What is your deal!?" she demanded as we argued about who was to blame. After a five minute back and forth, I was finally forced to hang up in frustration and I haven't called back since. I would never, ever work with either of these women again.

Pros: Did get me a job offer, albeit low paying

Cons: Incredibly difficult to work with if you have an ounce of self-respect

04/04/2008 Posted by RBTF

I had tried to contact many other temporary agencies and they all left me, more or less, in a lurch. Contemporaries had a helpful staff that found me temporary work immediately. It has led to further opportunity and a foothold towards a possible career. Once in the new position, those who had assisted me had took continual interest in my progress, oftentimes calling me to simply see how everything was working out. Their staff is filled with lovely courteous people who will go the extra mile for a person who is serious about getting their foot in the door.

Pros: Lovely people who work hard on your behalf

Cons: A temp wage is barely enough to get by on

03/12/2008 Posted by Boston43

I am a VP at a Boston Investment firm and have had two great placements in a row by Contemporaries, Inc. I was pleased at how fast and painless the process was. Workers were smart and learned very quickly. I plan on using them again as do others in my firm.

03/08/2008 Posted by dtwilson

I'm with an IT consulting firm and we recently got temps from Contemporaries. We were referred by one of our clients, and are extremely happy with the high quality of Contemporaries. Prior to this we worked with one of the well-known temp agencies downtown, and we were disappointed with the attendance, lack of quality and excuses. We were sorry we hadn't work with Contemporaries earlier. Thanks for the lack of headaches.

Pros: Good quality, no headaches

03/06/2008 Posted by casilva

I went to Contemporaries website, and then immediately called them and was encouraged to come in for an interview as they just got a cancellation on an assignment. I went in to meet with the staff, and shared what industry I would ideally like to work, and was able to immediately secure an assignment. I was so impressed by the professionalism, thoroughness and how quickly they got me out on an assignment. I had previously dealt with a couple of other agencies, and did not even remotely get such a quick response, and right out to work. I am currently in an assignment, and without a doubt would recommend Contemporaries as a Staffing agency of choice!

Pros: Professional, matched me to compan I wanted to go and quick response

Cons: None