Agency lieing about the number of job vacancies

wigglebeena

Yes, careful what you tell 'em. I had one definite (recurring) booking with one agency, let it slip after some pushing to another, then the booking mysteriously disappeared, 'cancelled'. No doubt after agency no. 1 offered them cheaper rates with their candidate!

Whatever reasons they give for pumping you for information, just assume they're lying with ulterior motives (you'll be right 99% of the time) and lie back. You never have any bookings coming up, and you haven't worked in the last 6 months!

unemployedJCP

andy46 wrote: »

Great post Unemployed JCP -you are bang on !!!

Agencies just want to use the unemployed that register with them to suit their own needs and not help the candidate find a job. Every single candidate that registers with them after applying for a fake job,they see it as potential job lead for them. Asking you all sorts of questions like where have you worked,what jobs have you been applying for recently and what other agencies you are registered with. It is best if these awful people are avoided but can appreciate that some may not have much choice.

Thank you. The problem is these activities are perfectly legal. In fact it isn't really much different to advertising on TV, radio or in a non-broadcast format including in the shop window, advertising something at one price when it really is another.

Although this falls under Misleading Advertising and businesses can get fined for it - advertisements are only an invitation to bid - although I am yet to find a shop which allows you to negotiate the prices or have an auction style system. Shops have their Terms of Sale and although statutory rights - to an extent - exist, most is shop defined rules under Common Law via a form of implied/verbal contract between the customer and the shop which occurs when you make the transaction.

Therefore, even with recruitment agencies who promise this and that on their website etc. and claim to have no jobs when their site lists them (whether because they are spoof jobs or dont see you being qualified enough for any real job) there is nothing you can do about it.

This the problem with Parliament (refering to both Labour Government and Opposition Party Conservatives) there is no effort for job creation (apart from the Future Jobs Fund which creates temporary jobs up to a year in duration; although this is better than no job it is rather a misnomer when by my definition it is a job for the "present" not the "future" and at the end the previously unemployed will be back on the dole again as the silly jobs created at councils aren't a career move) etc. all they ever try to do is reduce the unemployed (claimant) count.

I think prevention of unemployment (to the extent of safeguarding jobs and having the jobs available; not to say full employment will ever be possible, it wont) is better than cure of benefit claimants (via termination, sanctions, making it harder to claim and even classifying people as "In Training" when no training occurs)

Taxpayers' are largely a loser to the equation too as most of the finance available to employers and jobseekers are rather silly such as billions spent on courses people have done 3 or so times. For example the £1000 available to employers whom take on unemployed people for 26 weeks at 16+hrs a week. I personally think a tax break/allowance would have been a better option. When giving cash up front you are asking for trouble. The worst thing is I could setup a company tomorrow get 20 unemployed people signed up, sack 17 in the first few weeks for being unproductive thus keeping £500 for each of the 17 unemployed people and the jobcentre will believe the employer possibly sanction the jobseeker.

You may raise questions about offsetting taxation for employers as it reduces costs not improve cash flow but the response I would give is, if a business doesn't have adequate cash flow to employ someone, they shouldn't be employing them or should be finding alternative finance options.

Unemployed are also seen as losers because ask any unemployed person especially in the credit crunch they will turn around saying something on the lines of "there are no jobs". Not entirely true but not completely false. The number of available jobs are over-inflated and the genuine jobs are swamped down by hundreds of candidates.

Does anyone know if most agencies sell on your details?

456789

unemployedJCP wrote: »

Unemployed are also seen as losers because ask any unemployed person especially in the credit crunch they will turn around saying something on the lines of "there are no jobs". Not entirely true but not completely false. The number of available jobs are over-inflated and the genuine jobs are swamped down by hundreds of candidates.

I agree

Some very good posts unemployedJCP

MissRose

Um, no agencies will not sell on your details

Also, it is against the law for agencies to advertise jobs that do not exist.

I feel I need to add that if you are not being put forward by an agency for a job, it is because you do not fit the criteria that the agencies client is looking for. That is not the fault of the agency.

alanshave

Some of the posts and comments in this thread make for interesting reading..........

Time to add my value, as someone who works as a Senior Consultant with a very reputable construction recruitment firm. We only advertise positions that clients have asked us to work on & subsequently given permission to advertise. Further to this our consultants don't work to commission or targets.

- I ask a lot of questions when you register with me/the agency in regards to general work or a particular vacancy. This isn't to get sales leads or to pry. Essentially if I don't know where you are in your career/job hunting then how can you expect me to find the right position for you?

- We take references on every candidate that registers with us. Of course these calls often turn out to be new contacts but our exposure to the industry means that they are usually existing relationships. My clients expect me to have taken references on every candidate prior to creating a shortlist (they don't pay a fee for nothing......), hence I'll very rarely be able to help if you can't/aren't willing to offer this info.

Consider that I could write a CV that reads brilliantly but it's the references that back it up and confirm dates/strengths & weaknesses.

Don't get me wrong, like all industries there are firms who should be avoided but it is hardly reasonable to label every recruitment agency as 'scumbags'. In fact it's a fairly shocking attitude.

One of the main reasons that clients contact me at the moment is that my fee is very reasonable when compared to the time/cost of handling the vacancy by themselves. When you look at the cost of an advertisement (Circa £200 - £1000 depending on internet/written press etc), only to then get 100 applicants in 3 days to filter though. Suddenly it's attractive to pay a fee (only payable upon a successful placement) to a professional organisation that brings a pre-interviewed/referenced shortlist targeted to your company/vacancy.

As a job hunter in the current environment you have to do everything that you can to make yourself an attractive prospect and part of that deal is to work with recruitment agencies. You'll have more luck if you go in with an open mind.

A good place to start would be to try and select an agency from the REC (Recruitment & Employment Confederation) audited list:

http://www.rec.uk.com/about-recruitment/standards/rec-audited/audited-holders

Finally with regards to JCP's post. Agencies are governed by the data protection laws like everyone else, so they won't be able to 'sell on' your details.

Plus -

For example the £1000 available to employers whom take on unemployed people for 26 weeks at 16+hrs a week. I personally think a tax break/allowance would have been a better option. When giving cash up front you are asking for trouble. The worst thing is I could setup a company tomorrow get 20 unemployed people signed up, sack 17 in the first few weeks for being unproductive thus keeping £500 for each of the 17 unemployed people and the jobcentre will believe the employer possibly sanction the jobseeker.

Isn't true, employers are far from able to access this money at the beginning of the employment. Don't quote me on the exact figures but it is received in two parts. Do you actually think that £1000 is an attractive figure to many employers? It's a tiny figure when you look at the cost of hiring someone, hence the relatively poor uptake of this scheme.

MissRose

unemployedJCP wrote: »

Most agencies are scams. A lot of jobs advertised are to get you signed up and their matching techniques are all computerised. It looks great for an employer when their number of clients are so high.

Estate Agents work very similar. In my area anyway, when a property (residential or commercial) is filled they keep advertising it for another 3 months or so..... why? So you as a potential client, contact them, and they can try and flog you some of their other properties regardless of how inadequate they are for your needs. It also gives the impression that the company is more prestigeous and larger then they actually are.

Businesses no longer (not for some time now) work as a single transaction. It has to be all about a "solution". What else can we do for you?

If I want double glazing and only requested that I don't want a conservatory or a kitchen. Even at McD's and other fast food places they ask "Anything else? or Would you like fries or a drink with that?". Shops... Although you have just got groceries... "Hi Sir, Can I interest you in any batteries?" No, "Any mints?" No "Chewing gum?" Nooo...

Although most industries are very competitive, there is rather a lack of consumer choice where you are limited to an solution in most cases. I like to go and find a specialist at something and then for something else find another specialist. Not go to one or the other where they specialise at one thing and the other they have no idea about just trying to sell you more stuff!

What is happening here..... agencies dont want you to see a job advert and apply for it (just like a non-agency job direct to an employer) but through an agency.. they want to try and offer you a service; although most agencies "cherry pick" via automated processes and "park" everyone else to just increase their jobseeker client count.

This means alot (typically 2 in 3 - I read somewhere 68-69%) of agency job adverts are FAKE and solely an advertisement for THEM (not an employer) picking a niche template job to get people registered with them. You might notice a pattern of the different ranks of jobs promoted - you might realise why.

Sorry, you are very mis-informed in what you are talking about here.

Abbafan1972

I have registered with lots of Agencies in my time and most of the time got nowhere with them. Only ever got one job from an agency, that was Hays recruitment.

Like previous posters have said, they put you forward for unsuitable jobs or ones that are too far away.

Most of the time you hand them your CV and this is not the copy that goes to the employer, it's retyped into their own format and quite often contains little white lies!

unemployedJCP

Employment Agencies Act 1973 and Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 govern the 16,000+ agencies in the UK with just 24 Government Inspectors.

I couldn't find anything which specifically and namely outlaws spoof applications:

Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003

PART VII

MISCELLANEOUS

Advertisements
27. - (1) Every advertisement issued or caused to be issued by an agency or employment business shall mention in either audibly spoken words or easily legible characters the full name of the agency or employment business, and whether the services it advertises are those of an agency or an employment business, as the case may be.

(2) Neither an agency nor an employment business may issue or cause to be issued an advertisement about positions which hirers seek to fill unless the agency or employment business has -

(a) information about specific positions of all types to which the advertisement relates; and

(b) in relation to each such position, the authority of the hirer concerned to find work-seekers for that position, or the authority of an agency or employment business, which has such authority to issue the advertisement or cause it to be issued.

(3) An agency or employment business shall, in every advertisement for work-seekers issued or caused to be issued by it in which rates of pay are given, state the nature of the work, the location at which the work-seeker would be required to work, and the minimum experience, training or qualifications which the work-seeker would be required to have in order to receive those rates of pay.

This of course might be an overlook on my part. Hope this helps.

MissRose

Apart from Alanshave, I doubt that many people on this thread realise what agencies are actually for.

They agree with a client to provide (depending on the needs of the client) either permenant or temporary candidates.

Now, the client will expect the agency to screen and provide candidates of the calibre they expect. After all that is what they pay the fees for.

Therefore, if a consultant has 100 applications for a role and only 7 have been deemed suitable. Those are the 7 that will be put forward. And most clients would absolutely expect to hire one out of seven (actually any less and the agency would no longer have a client :rotfl:)

The client is paying the agency to do this for them. So again, it's not the agency at fault if you do not meet the standards required.

unemployedJCP

MissRose wrote: »

Sorry, you are very mis-informed in what you are talking about here.

Hi Rose

Can you clarify?

I notice a pattern with your comments and my posts. Please remain open to criticise when you counter what someone has said and not post something which basically says I disagree with you, why? Why am i misinformed? Tell us!

I like to point out that:

- the Estate Agents are from my own experience so the ones in my area ARE like that. You are welcome to try your area for residential properties, find a few places, wait a month if they still advertised ring up and request a viewing they will tell you the "property is no longer available" or "under offer"

- most businesses offer "solutions"

- "cherry pick" and "park" exists the good enough ones get chosen the others get left. Agencies don't reject these poor applicants they just accept and avoid/ignore them, that is parking them.

- Fake Agency Ads are a BIG problem (I don't state for one second that all agencies are like that most are genuine so its not a big digg at all agencies) BBC Scotland had an investigation on this earlier in the year I believe. They recommend people to report such agencies to BERR.