Recruitment agent sales tactics and annoyances

koolcat

Hi everyone. I was made redundant and now looking for a new role. Ive done what I think are my best chances of finding a new job in IT. Ive updated my cv (I think it looks very tasty), uploaded it to all the major job search sites, applied for positions available, been on some interviews but no luck yet.

Most jobs you have to go through a recruitment agent as this is their business to match potential cadidates with what THEIR client is looking for. Although I have dealt with some very good agents, Ive been getting a lot of calls from recruitment agents that I get the feeling that they just calling to get new clients by asking questions like:

• Have you been for any interviews recently. "Yes" my response. "Who with?" they ask. Any try get you to give company names and contacts.
• They asking me to send work references and then they will check my cv with a view to actively marketing me.

Just this morning I got a call from a aggressive agent asking for details of recent interviews and I could just hear that he was looking for the company and making notes. I pretended that I could not remember the name and could not find his details. I then proceeded to ask him about the role that he was calling me about and he waffled on about several roles that he thinks that Id be ideally suited for but didnt want to put me forward to roles that Ive recently been for. mmmm

To cut a long story short, because I didnt give up this info of my recent intervies he said cheekly "I'll find other suitable candidates for these roles that I have got".

If you have been a agent before, is this a common technique to get more clients? or was this genuine? If so, how do you handle such agents without shooting yourself in the foot as if to speak.

SandC

Well I would be suspicious because if you haven't registered with them, why are they ringing you up?

The market is saturated with recruitment agencies - anyone can set one up. They are all desperate to get the good companies to use them obviously.

I would do as you have been doing, ask them what the job is that they have you in mind for and if they can't give you an answer then tell them to take a hike (in a nice way).

I have them ringing me up all the time wanting to know if we have anything etc., I just tell them that the director concerned doesn't speak to agencies and they can send their details in so they can be contacted if there is an interest. They want to get a foot in the door somehow and therefore asking potential candidates what jobs they have gone for can assist them in getting to actually speak to someone at the place concerned.

My experience is the better companies will use long established and reputable agencies either national ones or a combination of local/national.

koolcat

My cv is on places like jobsite.co.uk and cwjobs.co.uk where I think if are a agent posting jobs on these sort of site, they have access to peoples cv if youve made them public.

By making your cv public, agents and potential companies can call you if they like your cv and they trying to recruit for a genuine role that they have.

ihatebt_2

Encountered the same thing. Agents are sales people, nothing more, nothing less. They fob you off with total crap. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you who the company is at this point" type rubbish. They just build up a big database of cv's, so they can boast that they have x amount of cv's on their books.

And yes, one did ask me who I'd had interviews for. I won't say the company, but his name was **** (4 letters for shortened version, 7 letters full version). They ask because they will then pester that company to use them as agents.

As for working in IT, if you're just a tech support bloke, you'll find there's a lot of us out there looking for too few server and workstation type jobs.

There are a lot of high-end skills in demand that they can't get people for that pay big salaries, but problem is that you can't learn these sort of skills overnight, and some of it is pretty obscure so you wouldn't be able to find a teach yourself book.

liney

They are ringing him because he has uploaded his CV to an online jobs board i would imagine.

Yes the agencies want contacts at companies that they know are interviewing, ie recruiting. Of course they do; how else are they supposed to have roles to match you with! If they are able to call a company that is A) recruiting with the right kind of candidate, they are far more likely to get a response than to call and ask "Got any jobs?"

Secondly, if they do send your details to a company you have just interviewed at or applied to, the client then accuses them of not interviewing you properly because they should have know not to send your details as you already have.

As for "I'll find some one else" then yes he probably will in the current climate. I don't know why you are suprised that you are being asked for references though and you will probably be asked for peer references sooner rather than later, as well as employer references.

Employment agencies are a business like any other. It is a shame people have such a problem with them making a profit. If you don't like them, then don't use them.

SandC

Yes but liney, these are unsolicited calls, so granted they are ringing because you have got your CV online somewhere but they go about it the wrong way. They should be asking can they represent you, be honest if they don't have a particular role they have seen that would suit. Why should you hand someone over a reference if you haven't even registered with them? A good agency will have you register and then get the references themselves, asking employers for them just as a new employer would do.

dizziblonde

I work via temp agencies (I'm a supply teacher) and I get the similar bugging to find out where I've been via other agencies there. Conveniently I never have my diary to hand when they ask and I can't possibly remember the school's name but it was somewhere over the far side of the city... because I know they'll be on the phone to named schools offering to undercut for the business the second they know somewhere's using a lot of staff. It can be quite pushy though and takes a lot of pressure to resist. Just the way of the world though.

rich_months

The term in the industry is 'fishing' and some of the excuses they come up with to pretend they have a legitimate reason for doing it are amazingly laughable.

They'll then try and heap the pressure on you to make you talk 'or they'll go elsewhere' - they know you need work so think they have all the power (maybe they do).

If you're not just looking for premanent roles have you tried registering at www.freelancesupermarket.com? I have a profile on there, I'm sure you've got nothing to lose by joining yet another site. ContractorUK also deal with IT people like yourself.

ihatebt_2

Is there not some sort of regulatory board to control these agencies. I've no time for anyone that employs any underhand or sneaky tactics.

We don't use agencies through choice. We use them because we need jobs, even more so when you don't have one. I can't sit on my !!!! all week waiting for the weekly paper to come through my door, only to find out there's no IT jobs.

If other businesses act like agenices do, then I can tell them where to stick it.

I wish companies would start advertising in the local papers, trade papers, on their web sites and in Job Centres so we can make the unnessessary Middle-Man history.

liney

SandC wrote: »

Yes but liney, these are unsolicited calls, so granted they are ringing because you have got your CV online somewhere but they go about it the wrong way. They should be asking can they represent you, be honest if they don't have a particular role they have seen that would suit. Why should you hand someone over a reference if you haven't even registered with them? A good agency will have you register and then get the references themselves, asking employers for them just as a new employer would do.

Hello Mr X, I'm calling from Agency ABC and i have seen your CV on Anyjobboard.com. I wondered what your current situation is as i have a position which may be of interest: It involves digging holes which i see you have experience in...blah blah blah

You then have the option to say; Sorry i am not interested in speaking with agencies (or infact add this to your CV) or continue with the call.

As so many agencies deal persons on an E-Recruitment basis and may not actually see a person face to face due to geographical distance, asking for references/ID to be forwarded and sending the Candidate an email confirmation in regards to their conversation/asking for a return email as permission to represent the candidate would constitute registration.

I imagine the the agency would be asking for names of referee's or written references depending upon which were available?

piggeh

Agencies have done this to me several times, asking what companies you have gone to etc and yes, they are simply asking so they can phone up the company and try and punt their own candidates.

Unfortuately I'm "only registered with one agency and I'm still waiting for them to put me forward for anything.."