Agencies

DogTailRed2

I think the problem with agencies is because of the recession they are inundated with people who are not typical `agency` staff.

The agency rings you expecting a certain type of response. You, having no experience of agencies speak to them honestly and the agency just doesn't hear what they want to hear. What agencies should be doing is understanding this new market and explaining what they expect from you.

I vary rarely get a ring back from an agency probably for this very reason.
It is very frustrating.

sarah182xxx

hi guys just wanted to say iam feeling so much happier after reading this thread ! I have been looking for work since i qualified in accounting for a little while now and am so sick of signing up with agencies for jobs that never exsist. I have excellent grades in accounting, experience in an office doing their accounts and volunteer experience with dealing with accounts but nobody ever seems to bother with you once they have your details. i ring and visit them all twice a week and am getting disheartened at their attitude. I hope everyone here finds work soon and its nice to know agencies are not just a problem where I live xx

popadom

Personally, i dont like them. I went via one for a job. It was very rushed and i was assured it was full time training and then part time. I asked why the contract said full, and he replied "its just standard" as it was my first job, i thought he knew more than me. When i started, i was told i cant do training that week as there waiting for staff, then the next week, no other staff, just me. Found out i had to do 45 hours, not the 30 hours as told. So saturday aswell.
THe recuriment guy had said he had emailed the company, they deny this. Even though he said the lady was in a meeting that was why she didnt reply,. I presume they dont get great comission for partime.

Sorry, rant over. Just double check the contracts and that they give regular work... a friend used a teaching agency, and guess what? over 5 months got 10 calls... 4 of those were too far away and he had informed him to please not call for those jobs. I think the school paid £60 and he got 45 a day.

Sorry, so long..

RJP33

Generally the more hours you work the more commission the agency picks up.

The worst I have are timewasters, I’m older and wiser now but back after finishing university these people would reel you in, telling you you’re a cert for a job and to come along for an interview. What they don’t tell you is both they and other agents have put forward candidates as well and a lot of them end up having their time wasted as they don’t even get an interview but get stringed along.

Then all the stuff about being a ‘cert’, then the job miraculous gets pulled (you easily find out that it’s just been given to another agents candidate).

It’s a difficult game as some of them are very good, but I’ve found the majority just tell you what you want to hear and will ignore you unless there’s a chance of commission.

sexki11en

RJP33 wrote: »

Generally the more hours you work the more commission the agency picks up.

The worst I have are timewasters, I’m older and wiser now but back after finishing university these people would reel you in, telling you you’re a cert for a job and to come along for an interview. What they don’t tell you is both they and other agents have put forward candidates as well and a lot of them end up having their time wasted as they don’t even get an interview but get stringed along.

Then all the stuff about being a ‘cert’, then the job miraculous gets pulled (you easily find out that it’s just been given to another agents candidate).

It’s a difficult game as some of them are very good, but I’ve found the majority just tell you what you want to hear and will ignore you unless there’s a chance of commission.

Of course this is what happens! Does this surprise you in any way? Would a business place an ad directly then only interview one candidate? I don't think so. Of course we'll send 3 CV's for one role to make sure we get the placement.

The agency can think you are the best person for the job but if the client are using other agencies as well (as happens more and more frequently now) then they can't possibly know who or what you're up against.

I think a lot of you are confusing agencies with the jobcentre. They aren't, they are private businesses.

An agencies primary concern is to make money. The fact that you may get a job at the end of it is a happy coincidence for you. They are not there solely to help you unfortunately and it IS that black and white.

I am one of a (very) few consultants who actually do want to place the right person in the right job. I don't lie to my candidates. I don't place false adverts. I do have ad's in my window right now saying "we are always happy to hear from people with the following experience" because we are. We earn no commission from having people on our books as you all seem to think, but we can never find ourselves in a situation where the client phones for people and we don't have them. If you read that ad as an actual job then you should have read it a bit more thoroughly.

Yes, there are a lot of bad agencies out there but a lot of candidates really don't help themselves either.

SK x

RJP33

It's not the interviewing of more than one candidate that's the issue (who on earth wouldn't expect job competition?), it's agencies claiming to have jobs when they technically don't (as other more preferred agents are offering candidates for the same role).

They often just send a CV to an employer (such as myself) when the said employer is already using another agent.

Rach39

Sexki11en, thanks for commenting from the other side of the coin - my original post was a genuine 'how do they work' query as I honestly don't understand half the time! I'm sure there are many like you who do genuinely try to match people to jobs - my hubby's main gripe is that in his case his job is skill based and evidenced with paperwork (license to drive telescope, health and safety card etc) and yet even when a job comes in to any of the 6 or 7 agencies he is registered with they don't contact him to see if he wants to be considered but just proceed to advertise for people just like him to register with them!! I can see they want more than one or two appropriately qualified candidates but they don't contact him AT ALL - not even in addition to placing ad! I know some would say, well he's out of work why can't he check the vacancy list every day, and my reply is he does but it's easy to miss a vacancy by even an hour or 2 by which time the agencies tell you it's been filled or is now on hold (or, as I still suspect, did not exist in the first place!) Sexki11en, you don't place in N Ireland by any chance to you????

isplumm

Hi,

I have been reading this thread with interest .... I use agencies all the time ... infact over the last five years all the roles I have taken have been via agencies ... I work in IT / business project management ....

In my line of work, roles come up & are filled very quickly - agencies I use will often get 200 CVs within 2 hours of putting the job up - this is because there are so many people looking for work ...

For me, you need to have a good CV, then apply for the role & call them .... it is a pain, because as you say, agencies don't call you back ...

Mark

dave4545454

avoid agencies like the plague, total scum and leeches.

sexki11en

Rach39 wrote: »

Sexki11en, you don't place in N Ireland by any chance to you????

Honey, I wish I did!

Unfortunately, not a lot of agencies work like we do here. The reason we work like we do is that we're not targeted, which is almost unheard of in my line of work. Without the pressure of targets we are able to offer a decent service - to our clients and our candidates.

I do have to say though in all agencies defence (and it pains me!) - much as I have always done it in the past - it is physically just not possible to respond to every single e mail or phonecall that comes in at the moment.

All I can advise is to just keep plugging away. Maybe try some of the smaller agencies - you're not just a number to them. Any agency worth it's salt will hang onto a good candidate once they have them (and it sounds like your hubby could be one of them) by offering every bit of work they have.

Good luck!

SK x