Getting past the Agencies

hayley11

Fragments_Of_Sanity wrote: »

Aren't judgements on personality subjective anyway? I thought that's why a lot of the time interview panels have more than one person on them. Also, your personality when having a conversation with someone about your work might not fully convey your persona WHILE working, it's a tricky one.

I've not had any dealings with agencies, I'm just interested in this because I was maybe going to approach some to get some temping work in the summer, and found this discussion about how personality and the Agent's judgement of this being so pivotal rather curious. Does seem ever so slightly to be a bit of an ego/power trip going on there.

I definitely agree on the ego/power trip thing.

I also agree about it being subjective, I went for a job interview and for some reason one of the women hated me from the word go, the other two were lovely though and I did get the job but if it had just been her, there is no way I would have got it, she made it very clear she thought I wasn't good enough (I could have done that job standing on my head with eyes shut! :rotfl:)

malkay

In my experience, recruitment agencies are an utter waste of time. I'm 24, have worked in the retail, property, IT and media industries and in none of my past jobs have any of the positions I've landed come via a recruitment agent... yet, I've been with them all. Hays, Reed... just about every media agency. Some of the agencies I've gone in and registered with have shown me a few roles at the end of the interview they want to put me forward for then I've heard nothing from them, even after sending multiple emails.

There have been two particular agencies that have baffled me to no end. They’ve both sent me job descriptions that conflict with that of the employer when I turn up at the interview. On a few occasions applied for assistant-level roles that are basically mirror images of previous jobs I’ve had and heard nothing from the advisor responsible then been contacted a few weeks later, by the same advisor, about a managerial-level role where the person specification lists requirements that I don’t even come close to meeting.

Of all of the advisors I’ve ever dealt with, I’ve only ever come across one advisor that’s been competent enough to maintain a relationship with me and get me a couple of relevant interviews. When I found myself out of work again earlier this year, I tried to get into contact with her but found out she had left. I wonder if she did so by her own accord or if she was pushed? Either way, that agency are worse off for it.

Louise22

malkay wrote: »

In my experience, recruitment agencies are an utter waste of time. I'm 24, have worked in the retail, property, IT and media industries and in none of my past jobs have any of the positions I've landed come via a recruitment agent... yet, I've been with them all. Hays, Reed... just about every media agency. Some of the agencies I've gone in and registered with have shown me a few roles at the end of the interview they want to put me forward for then I've heard nothing from them, even after sending multiple emails.

There have been two particular agencies that have baffled me to no end. They’ve both sent me job descriptions that conflict with that of the employer when I turn up at the interview. On a few occasions applied for assistant-level roles that are basically mirror images of previous jobs I’ve had and heard nothing from the advisor responsible then been contacted a few weeks later, by the same advisor, about a managerial-level role where the person specification lists requirements that I don’t even come close to meeting.

Of all of the advisors I’ve ever dealt with, I’ve only ever come across one advisor that’s been competent enough to maintain a relationship with me and get me a couple of relevant interviews. When I found myself out of work again earlier this year, I tried to get into contact with her but found out she had left. I wonder if she did so by her own accord or if she was pushed? Either way, that agency are worse off for it.

apparently though, all of us who arent having luck with agencies have an attitude problem!;)

Naykon

They're just a complete waste of time..

how difficult is it for a company to employ someone to sit and sift through CV's/applications? I don't see the point of the agencies other than to enrage jobseekers and prevent access to the companies your trying to apply for.

jessbob

On another bad note - applied for a vacancy through an agency (why????) - they called me back to discuss the vacancy. Said that whilst my CV was excellent, the fact that I lived 40 miles away was a problem !!!! They said their client wanted someone who would stay long term and as such the agency thought the travel would be too far, and there would be the possibility I would leave if I found another job nearer home

I give up with them.:mad:

Louise22

jessbob wrote: »

On another bad note - applied for a vacancy through an agency (why????) - they called me back to discuss the vacancy. Said that whilst my CV was excellent, the fact that I lived 40 miles away was a problem !!!! They said their client wanted someone who would stay long term and as such the agency thought the travel would be too far, and there would be the possibility I would leave if I found another job nearer home

I give up with them.:mad:

but agencies know best.......;)

mizzbiz

Oh tht one, yes! I'm sick to the high teeth of being told i'd get bored and leave companies. This because I achieved senior management status quite young, was head hunted to another position which didnt work out! I am the only one who decides if I get bored and leave, nobody else can assume that from my character. And I dont apply for positions where this will clearly happen!

As such, I have not been able to secure even interviews through agencies, although until recently they managed to find me temp admin jobs @ £7 ph. I did not get bored nor leave any of them.

Now even the temp admin pool is dry. They've had three weeks notice that my last position was ending. In that time they rang me for one job which was whilst I was still working at my previous position (doh - I was working for them!), and one other which is so unsuitable it's almost laughable. I asked to be put in for it anyway and, you guessed it, i've not heard a dicki bird :-)

I spent weeks trying to get hold of my advisor at the agency. Like many of you have found, she was just on her way into a meeting, gone home for the day etc. I only ever got my colleagues to say that to sales people in my previous role. My performance would have been questioned if I refused to take calls and had colleagues lie for me when the calls were a fundamental part of my work!

andygb

mountainofdebt wrote: »

If everything is the fault of people applying for jobs for which they are clearly unsuitable why is it that the recruitment agency in my town has had the same jobs advertised in the windows for the last 3 months?

If these jobs have been filled - why not remove them?

Why promise that the consultant will call back and then don't?

I can still see the same jobs advertised on Reed/Monsterjobs/Totally Legal, which were there back in July 2008, and I know this because I have applied for them. I would like to know if the government are basing their job vacancy figures on these clearly "Hyped up" adverts. When I have phoned the agencies concerned about these vacancies, they simply say that they have not updated their records, or that the post is "On hold" at the moment.

mizzbiz

Saying that, I signed up with my agency last November and in that time I have had 5 different advisors. Everytime I ring up to speak to 'Susan', they get shift and tell me 'Susan' has left the company. This has happened 5 times! I did find out from one of mytemp jobs that two of them were made redundnt, I would guess this applies to all of them. I'm on my sixth now and i'm worried if she is made redundant too that ill just slip between the cracks.

Oh, and they closed down their office in this area (a very big city!), and now just operate from their head office 40 miles away, meaning hours journeying to meet any new advisors that happen to come my way!

mizzbiz

andygb wrote: »

I can still see the same jobs advertised on Reed/Monsterjobs/Totally Legal, which were there back in July 2008, and I know this because I have applied for them. I would like to know if the government are basing their job vacancy figures on these clearly "Hyped up" adverts. When I have phoned the agencies concerned about these vacancies, they simply say that they have not updated their records, or that the post is "On hold" at the moment.

Reed is excellent for this. Was on yesterday and found a semi-interesting position. Within 6 pages, I had found that same advert three times. God knows how old it was! they have multiple, identical ads, so when it says over a hundred jobs were found for your search, I would read this as 30 original jobs.

I'm having such a rant this morning as my agency just aren't ars*d at all in these times, where they would treat me like Roylty if times were good. I hope mine go bust.