Recruitment Consultants! Aaargh!!!!!

Chrissi

I am totally with you regarding the majority of Recruitment Consultants. Most of them are arrogant, compulsive liars. Certain agencies are worse than others though, the worst I have had the misfortune of dealing with are Search (Edinburgh branch) and Robert Half (again, Edinburgh branch), they were both truly awful. The thing that really annoys me about them is most of the jobs advertised don't actually exist! You can apply for a job they have advertised, arrange an interview at the agency and then when you go in they are putting you forward for every job BUT the one you originally showed interest in. The other thing that annoys me about them is sending them an email regarding opportunities in Dubai, emailed one specific department, looking to make an appointment to go in and see someone about it, now there was no actual job mentioned in the original advert, but I got an email back from a completely different department asking me which job I was applying for! It was blatently obvious they didn't even bother reading my email.

Mind, saying that every time I have dealt with Hays they have been fabulous, got me a brilliant job, granted it has gone belly up now thanks to a big restructure, but to begin with it was perfect.

G_Model101

I tend to agree with a lot of the views here. My favorite story revolves around the enfield branch of Adecco, they asked me if I could come in one day as they needed a copy of my passport. It was 5pm at the time and seeing as I was already out I decided I might as well go, rushing up there just before closing time at 6. Upon arrival I was told how their photocopier wasn't working and could I come back tomorrow.
Understandably I was about to explode but was told by a rather nicer girl that they could obtain a copy from another Adecco branch that I had worked with previously. So they didn't even need it in the first place. Total madness!
However they did find me a job though so perservere people!

As with everything, there have been a few positve experiences with genuinely nice people, who in all probability aren't working as agents anymore.

Always

secretspender wrote: »

I am a recruitment consultant

I hate my job, I hate the people I work with and I hate everything about the industry

(BTW, I am currently looking for a new job which I am sure you can imagine is quite difficult in the times as they are, but not only that, i am sure they look at my CV and say 'aarrrr thats the girl who hassles me on the phone 10times a week!)
(So when I leave, someone more deserving can have my job!)

I could have written that once - well I liked some of the people I worked with (the rest were arrogant idiots though!). I worked in IT recruitment and did a 60 hour week and then took grief for not coming in at the weekends! Horrible job, made me really miserable, and okay I could have made a lot of money but it wasn't worth it at all!

That said, there are some nice recruitment consultants out there, I promise, it's just the sort of job which tends to make you a bit heartless after a while

Always

Chrissi wrote: »

The thing that really annoys me about them is most of the jobs advertised don't actually exist!.

More than half, trust me on that :rolleyes: Probably the majority!

Chrissi

Always wrote: »

More than half, trust me on that :rolleyes: Probably the majority!

That is exactly what I have said, I did say MOST of the jobs they advertise don't exist. I wouldn't even say more than half, I would say 99.9% of the jobs don't exist.

Always

secretspender wrote: »

Unfortunately the companies we act for are our clients, so they have to come first and we have to bend over backwards for them.

I don't like my job, I cry most nights at home and I desperately want a 9-5 office job where I can fade into the background and get on with things.

Please don't tar us all with the same brush! x

I hope you find a lovely job secretspender, it made me cry as well - and really really big because when I'm miserable I eat! In fact that was one of my lightbulb moments, the day I sat down in the office and my skirt split :eek: Not joking, unfortunately.

The other lightbulb moment came when I spent two hours on the phone one Saturday talking a bloke into accepting a job offer that I thought was rubbish and would not be right for him.

I quit the next day - and was thrown out of the office in a humiliating fashion (well worth it!)

Chrissi wrote: »

That is exactly what I have said, I did say MOST of the jobs they advertise don't exist. I wouldn't even say more than half, I would say 99.9% of the jobs don't exist.

So true, I remember the first week sitting down with actual jobs and writing ads for them, and wondering why everyone else had done about 20 in the time I'd done one - I was soon put "straight" on how it was done!

Louise22

lufcgirl wrote: »

So far this thread has been a very one-sided view on it so I'll do the other!

Recruitment Consultants are employed to put people into jobs. Therefore they make their bonuses by doing this. They get a criteria from an employer, such as the applicant must have x, y and z to get put forward. And they only want so many applications forwarding to them. Some people may have one or two of those and feel because of that they're a certainty for the job and should be put forward. However it's the agency that gets it in the backside if they are sending candidates forward that aren't suitable for the role and not what the client wants. So they cancel their contract with that agency and move onto another.

So how does this explain what I have stated so many times - that when I go directly to the employer I always at least get an interview, but when I have applied through an agency, I have had zero luck? How can this be? How can the companies like me enough to offer me a job yet I am not good enough for the agencies?

Agency's forward applications to employers, it's then the employer who decides if the candidate should be interviewed, not the agency. So it's not their fault if the employer finds you not suitable. Usually they don't find out why you were unsuccessful and due to the volume of applications can't call everyone back.

Fair enough, but again, many individuals who apply dont even get their applications forwarded on - many candidates who I am sure meet the person criteria and more. I have personal experience of this.

I'm very biased as my little sister works for one of the big ones. She worked (before it closed down and was transferred) in a small town in an office with two people in it. They put jobs on loads of websites and get hundreds of applications for each. How are they meant to go through every single application with a deadline in mind? They don't really read covering letters, they look at CV's for the key skills, if you have them all you'll get a call and if not they don't reply. If you don't like forwarding your CV on then pop in the agency with your CV and ask for an informal chat about the role. Most people expect to just send off a CV and magically have a job at the end of it

Again fair enough, but what if you do make the effort with the agency? Call every week and get nothing, or even worse, can never speak to your contact because they are "on holiday/on lunch", or my personal fav lie about being in a meeting?

I've not once yet encountered a rude consultant in six years of using them. Maybe if people don't go in with the attitude they appear to have on the forum you might get a lot further with them.

This is the part I disagree with the most. From my personal experience, I have turned up on time, called when I said I was going to call, and been nothing but friendly and polite. Once I was left waiting over half an hour with no apology or no explanation - thats a terrible attitude to have, and I know lots of people who have had this experience. I could give you a million examples of incompetence and of THEIR shoddy attitude towards people.

They should all be shut down.

secretspender_2

Hi always!

I am sat here at the moment wishing my life away. I have applied for 6 jobs today (not via agencies).

At first I loved it but over time as my temps have dropped. I have constant pressure from my peers, I have been spat at, almost hit, sworn at daily and I am on call 24/7.

My pay has been slashed and I am not financially in a position to walk out.

I hate it. I hate it, i hate it.

Louise22

secretspender wrote: »

Hi always!

I am sat here at the moment wishing my life away. I have applied for 6 jobs today (not via agencies).

At first I loved it but over time as my temps have dropped. I have constant pressure from my peers, I have been spat at, almost hit, sworn at daily and I am on call 24/7.

My pay has been slashed and I am not financially in a position to walk out.

I hate it. I hate it, i hate it.

you sound like you are worth more than that job - I hope you get a new one.:o

secretspender_2

thank you x