Atrium — Local services in New York

I wasn't going to write a review until I received an email today, almost a year after I was job seeking from this company. At this stage, I am convinced that half of the jobs they advertise aren't real, and let me explain why. I met with Michele last year, who had me do a "video resume" at my appointment to send out to employers. This seemed like an odd tactic, with potential room for age/race/ethnicity/gender discrimination, but I went along with it. I told her my interest was nonprofit, with ten years of international experience in my resume, but she discouraged me due to low salaries. She also told me she gets paid when I get a job, so they want to place me in a highly paid role. I told her as long as it was within my experience and career pathway, I didn't mind, but salary was not my only motive. A week or so later, she sent me on an interview. She emailed me the wrong company website, so when I arrived and began the interview, they said I must have the wrong place. How embarrassing is that? I still did well in the interview, but Michele took no responsibility with this error, and told me they probably didn't even notice. A day later, I was given follow-up questions through Michele to answer, which sounded like a good sign. I answered them all, with her advice, and heard nothing back. I followed up to Michele who told me to get over it, because they didn't want me. I honestly should have followed up myself. Every time I called Michele, she would put me on mute to talk to someone else, and then put me back on the speaker, only to hear her typing and speaking to colleagues about other jobs and clients. The unprofessional behavior is beyond me. If that wasn't bad enough, I continued to get calls from her colleagues about "urgent" jobs that needed me to start working on Monday. Every. Week. This went on for six weeks before I realized that they were looking up vacancies, calling me about it, and then calling these companies to solicit themselves to them - unsuccessfully. The emotional roller coaster they put me through was soul crushing when I was unemployed and desperately looking for work. Needless to say, they never found me work, and I eventually went to ExecuSearch who were suburb and placed me in a job exactly within my field. I am currently getting emails from Atrium asking for referrals to other job seekers, in exchange for money with each successful referral. I am amazed. Do yourself a favor and go to ExecuSearch. These people are a waste of time, and by the looks of it, so bad at their jobs they have to offer money to...

The majority of the 5 star reviews seem fake in their tonality. The actual reviews are on Yelp and average around 2.5-2.7, so take that as you may. That being said, I was contacted by Lori who was able to get me a placement quite quickly and I was able to leverage that into a role with a non-staffing agency so I am eternally grateful for her help...

However, I have not gotten paid for my time worked a few months ago now (I am currently not with the company and its getting close to 6 months now that I haven't been paid for the hours I worked). Some of this situation is due to my negligence and I take full accountability for it, I cannot say the same for the representative that I was in contact with and I do not feel the need the name and shame her as everyone has off days, but the phone call was probably the worse one I've had with an agency in years.

I politely reminded her that I had sent the info previously and instead of just double checking her email for it she proceeded to cut me off and take a poor tone as if I was bothering her when there was no follow-up on her end. She then had someone else call and reiterate the same thing she said but leave a voicemail? What is the point of that besides just pettiness? The communication is extremely up and down and depending on who you get you may have a completely different experience.

I have now filed a claim with NY State for lost wages and have made sure to keep a digital trail on my end of emails and phone calls of my interaction with them. I also want to preface this with the fact that I have given them a grace period before all of this but I do feel like waiting several months for pay for a few days of work is inept on their end and totally unacceptable.

The pros are they offer insurance which many staffing agencies do not and it kicks in quite fast.

All in all, Atrium will get you what you need in the short term but as far as long term commitment, you should avoid and leverage into a direct entry level position with another company.

EDIT: On 08/29/2025 Scott Cullen of Atrium Global reached out and was able to rectify the issue and get me paid for the days I worked. He was prompt with communication and clear and it was a refreshing experience to be helped with politeness and efficiency. So I have upgraded my previous 1 star...

My recent encounter with this employment agency has left me rather dissatisfied, and I can see why it has received its fair share of negative reviews.

When I spoke with a recruiter, I was met with what can only be described as a lack of enthusiasm to assist me in finding a job. The recruiter appeared more focused on my supposed lack of experience, which was disheartening. Employment agencies are supposed to help individuals from various backgrounds, including those looking to gain experience and build their careers. Unfortunately, this particular recruiter seemed to miss this point entirely.

What truly left a bitter taste was the lack of courtesy during our interaction. I understand that not every job seeker is the perfect match for every position, but maintaining professionalism and respect is crucial. The recruiter repeatedly interrupted me, not allowing me to fully express my interests and qualifications. This left me feeling unheard and undervalued as a potential candidate.

I firmly believe that this agency has significant room for improvement. Here are some constructive suggestions:

Empathy Training: The agency should invest in training its recruiters to better understand the unique needs of job seekers, especially those with less experience.

Effective Communication: Recruiters should practice active listening and allow job seekers to express themselves fully before forming judgments.

Feedback Mechanism: Implement a feedback system for job seekers to share their experiences and provide valuable input for improvement.

Enhanced Candidate Matching: Improve the agency's ability to match candidates with suitable positions, even if they have limited experience.

In summary, my experience with this employment agency was far from ideal. However, I hope my feedback is taken constructively and that it serves as a foundation for improvement. With adjustments in their approach and a commitment to professionalism and respect, this agency has the potential to enhance its reputation and provide better service to...