[Rant] Job agency types

BenS1

Right, I wish to offer my future apologies to anyone who gets offended by this. These are my opinions which have formed looking for a job since August.

There are several types of job agencies about:

1) Those who actually give a **** about you. The ones who actually have real jobs that their clients need filling. You guys are great, I applaud you and any contact you've made for job applications I've made and passed my CV on to potential employers.

2) The employers themselves. They are about, just few far and between even through I've applied for the thousand jobs I've applied for. You ain't too bad either, I've had a few telephone interviews, and even 2 interviews for a family business where the role was very remotely what I had graduated in.

3) The one's who post fake vacancies up, just to get jobseeker's details. Very unethical, and immoral. **** you all who fit in this category. Do you think I am ******* stupid to not be able to remember what jobs I have applied for? Or even, what the **** I have applied to? My covering letter below for such a vacancy is shown:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I note that the advertisement for this role has been relisted on this website since November 2009. I am therefore abit surprised that a suitable candidate has not been found, and would like to forward you my CV for a second time.

**** that agency in particular, I just did a google on your name and found how many times that fake vacancy was listed.

Rant over, and once again I would like to say this had to come out. No hard feelings to any readers.

Oh, and if anyone has spoted any other agency types then why not list them too.

edgex

'recruitment consultants'

consultants used to actually know a lot about the area they worked in, its what you became after many years of work, building up knowledge, experience & expertise


now you get the ones that dont even know what relevant qualifications are for their area of 'expertise'

Snakeeyes21

And with an attitude like that its not surprising a recruitment agency doesn't want to help you.

Maybe they don't want to fill vacancies with people who curse and swear.

justcat

Your CV probably wasn't suitable or they put a hold on recruiting for some time.

It happens.

Your cover letter would come across a bit rude now so if they see that is how you contact someone professionally, then they wouldn't want to submit your CV.

mr_fishbulb

I'm on the side of the OP. They are called "ghost jobs" and are there purely to harvest contact details so the agencies have people they can call just in case a job requiring those skills comes in.

justcat

mr_fishbulb wrote: »

I'm on the side of the OP. They are called "ghost jobs" and are there purely to harvest contact details so the agencies have people they can call just in case a job requiring those skills comes in.

I do kinda agree as I am in the process of job hunting but I'm just giving the other scenario.
If it is real, his email sounds a bit offish.

BenS1

Snakeeyes21 wrote: »

And with an attitude like that its not surprising a recruitment agency doesn't want to help you.

Maybe they don't want to fill vacancies with people who curse and swear.

You obviously don't realise that I have kept a positive attitude throughout my job search. I'm always looking at ways to enhance my chances of employment, went to a job fair a few months ago and am taking a professional exam very soon after reading a booklet picked up. Those who are around me have said a job is right behind the corner for me. It's just the fact that I've seen two vacancies I've applied to posted up again on the same day that is annoying.

justcat wrote: »

Your CV probably wasn't suitable or they put a hold on recruiting for some time.

Sometimes. I got contacted for a telephone interview for a vacancy back in early December which I applied for back in late October.

I will be bringing a printed copy of my CV to the Job Centre next time I sign on, had already asked about CV refining last time I was there since it is 3 pages.

By the way, if anyone is curious which vacancy it was I mentioned in the OP then it is listed on Reed. Have a search for: Witham, Essex for location in the IT Sector. You'll find most of the listings are duplicates.

dizziblonde

Yep I've seen the ghost jobs where they're just trawling CVs too. It's not fair on those who put the time into applications and it's flipping crud to be on the applicant end of it. I temp-work in a specialist area, and I'm currently struggling to get work - despite a proven record of being very good at what I do - just because the consultant's changed and this one doesn't like me as much as the old one did - not a nice feeling but it's the way it goes being a disposable worker.

Thankfully one of the agencies I work for has a consultant who's honest about how much work's out there and does actually do what he says he will - it's a refreshing change to have someone pick up the phone and say "yep it's dire this month" rather than promise you the earth when you and I both know it's lies.

FatAndy

I was unemployed for five months last year and applied for lots of jobs via agencies. I'd be surprised if more than 5% of them actually existed. I remember applying for one job that appeared on the website of an agency I was already registered with and which showed the person dealing with that vacancy was a member of staff I'd spoked to on numerous occasions before. I didn't hear anything back but about a week or so later the same member of staff phoned me to ask if I was still looking for work and made no mention of the 'vacancy' advertised on their website.

My experience is that some agencies are very keen and keep in regular contact, some appear to forget about you and some never reply in the first place. I'd just suggest registering with every agency you can find in the hope that maybe two or three of them will take an interest.

bap98189

edgex wrote: »

'recruitment consultants'
consultants used to actually know a lot about the area they worked in, its what you became after many years of work, building up knowledge, experience & expertise

Some recruitment consultants are very good. Generally only at the higher end of the job market. The problem is that the title "consultant" is used too readily. It used to mean a professional, an expert or something similar. Nowadays everyone who uses a phone seems to be labelled a consultant.

vyle

Ah yes, I remember a lot of these when I was job searching. Initially I didn't think much of seeing a job re-listed, or of me getting a call back just minutes after sending my cv to be offered a position completely different to the one I applied for.

I did, however, start to grow weary of it when I got a call back from an agency offering me a completely irrelevent job I had no interest in.

Me: Thanks for calling, but I didn't apply for that position, I applied for THIS one, ref xxxxxxxx"

them: oh, that position was filled last week.

me: But you advertised it TODAY.

them: Old advert, but it's still on the site from last week.

me: You misunderstand, the advert was posted today, and another one yesterday, and the day before that. That's the job I'm applying for, if it's been filled, why is it still being posted every day?

them: Do you not want the toilet licker job?

me: NO!!!!

I hate agencies with a passion. The one time I did accept a job one offered, despite my better judgement because I was desperate, it caused me huge health problems.

It seems that although I listed in my application and at every single interview and discussion that I'm disabled and have severe back problems and therefore cannot work full time, and need to sit in a sensible chair (there are a few health requirements which I won't go into), their smiling, nodding, and constant assurances that it was all going to be taken into account were actually lies.

The job I was placed in was a very intensive data entry job for 9 hours with one half hour break and I was given a chair that saw so worn that it had no padding and caused me severe discomfort. The job was labelled as a web administrator position but was effectively data entry into front page.

I called first thing the next day to say I couldn't go back to the job because I could hardly walk and they moaned at me for "misleading them" by accepting the job, when they'd misled me.

Blue arrow are awful.

/rant.