Agencies

Rach39

Can anyone tell me how recruitment agencies work??? My husband has been out of work (construction industry, self employed) for some time. We check the job centre and numerous other websites every day and as soon as something in his field comes up he rings. Invariably it's an agency - at first he went through the whole registration thing with each of them as this happened until as it stands now he must be registered with about 6 of them! He NEVER gets phoned by any of them about any work even though they continue to advertise jobs which he is qualified to do! When he sees the ads now and phones he is always told "oh that post is no longer available but we will keep you in mind for the future.. are you registered with us?" we are starting to suspect that the agencies are more about getting as many folk on their books as possible and less about actually matching vacancies to folk with the appropriate qualifications, skill and experience!! Has anyone else found them a dead loss, or can anyone share any positive experiences so we don't give up altogether!! I should add that the types of job hubby is looking for are construction / plant machinery operator posts where specific skills are employed and which are normally short term temporary posts. (don't know if this makes a difference!)

Joe-A

Personally with agencies you have to be on at them on a daily basis so they don't forget you and in rather sad sounding way find that person a job just to get them of their case for job openings pretty sharpish.

For example there is 1 agency were i've pretty much befriended so it has got to a point that if anything comes up they give me a call BUT that is very rare to get, but if your hubby continues to bombard the agencies with calls and drop in visits they will find him a job but sadly it does involve alot of hassel from our side of the desk

Rach39

I just don't understand why when a vacancy comes in they would rather use their budget to put an ad on one of the recruitment websites instead of lifting the phone to people already on their books!!

Mr_Oink

Rach39 wrote: »

Can anyone tell me how recruitment agencies work???

Basically lots of bull/s... and advertising of jobs they don't fluidly have. The 'recruitment' market is swamped by scummy little (and in some cases large) 'agencies' that hassle / cold call companies asking if they want staff. In some cases they try and recruit staff for companies without asking them, offering CV's once they have harvested them. I won't bore you with some of the scummy ways they operate, but just be sure you are more likely to find a *bad* one, than a good one.

My advice would be trust only those that have walk in offices in your town where you can physically go in and front them out. Otherwise treat them like they are probably shysters and handle them with extreme care and buckets of salt. Be very wary of dodgy/amateur websites and hotmail/live/gmail addresses.

teabelly

If he phones for jobs the same day or soon after they're advertised and they're 'gone' or they're vague about where it is then they're fake. It is illegal to advertise a non existent job so he should report that agency to the Recruitment Industry Federation. I'm pig sick of useless agencies too!

Rach39

God Mr Oink that sounds like a whole new load of hassle to look out for!! The ones hubby's with are pretty much the big boys in NI (one in particular claims to specialise in construction industry) and all have at least 3 or 4 offices over here - still shysters tho as far as I can see and your explanation of trying to recruit for jobs that don't exist sounds v v plausible - especially since I would imagine most of them are on commission!

Joe-A

they all work on comission, probably the reason as to why they always take people in by the bucket loads as then it gives them more people to earn money off, about the fake jobs thats 100% true so if your hubby does come across anything like that he shold report them as previously suggested.

fairydiamond

Agencies lie about vanacies to get people on their books.

Mr_Oink

Rach39 wrote: »

... as far as I can see and your explanation of trying to recruit for jobs that don't exist sounds v v plausible - especially since I would imagine most of them are on commission!

I've been interested to see jobs requiring my businesses narrow skill set advertised with agencies, and then to get calls from said agencies trying to offer me staff. I won't name them, but one is a major player and you would find them in the High Street, and, in the end of a woodwind or brass instrument.

Lots of the smaller ones are just a continual PITA calling and offering CV's. Last time I got this I said, "I'll have the candidate in just to tell them we are not recruiting and you are advertising non jobs." they hung up then.

They are, ultimately, businesses that need to make money and the need to be licensed as an employment agency has been removed for years, so expect them to display the honour and integrity of Estate Agents, Loan Sharks and Used Car Salespeople :rotfl:

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

ok here's a little breakdown

Agencies work on percentage. Example: They will charge a company £15 for a temp but pay the temp £9 making a profit of £6 an hour.

If it is a permenant job then they charge a percentage of the yearly wage -example: £15k job, agency charges 20%, agency's "finders fee" is £3000

what will happen is a company will ring the agency for workers - they normally dont like waiting around so agency HAS to have workers on their books. Only way to get workers is to advertise potential jobs

SO:

Agency places job advert

Temps ring up/register

Company rings for workers / agency canvass C.V's in hopes of getting business

Company employs temp/perm staff

Agency gets money

(hope that makes sense)

Recruitment agencies are struggling because there is a lot of unemployed people so companies are recruiting themselves rather than using agencies.

Best way i find is to bug them (i used to work for an agency as a consultant, the more someone bugged me the quicker i found them work just so they would leave me alone!)

HTH

Me x

Rach39

But if agency has plant machine drivers on their books with a specific type of license and a company rings the agency looking for someone to do that specific job why don't they ring the people on their books instead of placing the ad!!! It's like you register with them with an interest in one job but as soon as that's filled they forget about you!! Hubby rings one particular agency nearly every day but still no closer to getting placed by them!