We have tried to make getstaffed as easy to use as possible, but we realise that everyone is different. And our easy-to-use is probably not yours! So, let us know and we'll get right back to you. Any things that you don't understand, or are too hard, or even things you would like to see, just send us an email!

A Beginner's Guide

What's the catch? We have been asked a lot about how getstaffed works, and what the catch is. The thing is, there is no catch. We just do things a heap simpler, and a heap cheaper. We try and make things cheaper for everyone.

Can I use normal recruiters? Sure. We don't mind who you use, or how you get work. Use getstaffed some of the time, or all of the time. We do give you a lot of getstaffed points though, so just check out what jobs are on offer.

How do I contact a business? Or do they contact me? Either. Or both! You can reply to a job ad after you have logged in, which will be sent to the business. Or, they can find you by searching for keywords or people.

What about restraint of trade? We don't restrict anything. It's about giving you the ability to directly contact businesses, without a middleman if you don't want one. If you want to go permanent, that's your choice! If we can help you get work, that's great!

Profile ranking

getstaffed continually analyses and ranks contractor profiles based on a number of activities. Higher ranks appear first in hiring managers search results list. We also use this rank to select groups of contractors for special promotion etc.

The following activities help improve a Profile Rank :-

• Requesting and receiving testimonials
• Having skills keywords and completing the skills self-assessment matrix
• Regularly confirming or updating your availability
• Updating your CV
• Regularly logging in to the site
• Having contractors you invite join getstaffed

The algorithm we use is a secret (just like Google!) but you can be certain that most contractors are keen to improve their Profile Rank by grooming their profile as suggested above.

So try it! Perform some of the activities above, and wait a day (we do an overnight update).

Getstaffed Points

What is this? It's our reward scheme. We charge businesses a really low hourly rate when they find a contractor through getstaffed. Really low. And then, to reward the contractors for using getstaffed, we give them 1 getstaffed point per hour worked.

What are getstaffed points good for?At the moment, you can change them into Air NZ airpoints dollars, or donate them to the Mary Potter Hospice. We are hoping to get some more options in the future, like bookstores etc. Drop us a line if you have suggestion.

So, I can earn airpoints dollars? How many? $1Airpoint Dollar per hour. So, 40 per week, 400 per 10 weeks (ie, enough for Sydney), or a year contract will get you pretty close to Europe. It's quite a few.

I'm not interested in airpoints. What's in it for me? You can (currently!) donate them to the Mary Potter Hospice. But points aren't the reason for getstaffed. Getstaffed is intended to let you negotiate with the business, so you can get the best rates. It makes things cheaper for the business so they have room to negotiate.

Time Entry

How does the time system work?

Just hours per week getstaffed is only interested in the hours per week. We can then bill the company, and then give you your getstaffed points! so just choose which business you are working for, enter the number of hours for the week, and press 'submit'. This will take you to the submit page, where you can change details before sending it to your manager. Simple!

Completing Your Profile

Why should I complete my profile?

Your profile is your window to the world. Keeping it up-to-date means that employers can get an accurate picture of who they are looking at. We also make sure that contractors who have completed more of their profile get ranked higher in searches.

For example, if an employer searches for Java, he or she will get a list sorted in our special way, which tends to put contractors who have completed more of their profile at the top of the list. This completeness number also affects a number of other ranking options including how you appear in a manager's watchlist.

Broken testimonials

What can I do about a broken testimonial?

A testimonial gets marked 'broken' if one of our managers has attempted to contact the testimonial, either via email or via phone, and fails. There might be several reasons for this, including typos and people leaving jobs etc.

We are really keen to make sure that testimonials are always contactable (because it looks really bad for us if our hiring businesses try to contact the testimonial and they can't). So your only option is to delete the testimonial and request a new one from that person. You can copy the text and put it in the testimonial email if you like, so they can just copy and paste the text.