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Candidates - Things To Be Aware Of When Using A Recruitment Agency
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RedSoleShoes
Posts: 456 Forumite
I recently went for an interview for a role through an agency (company 1). I also went for an interview for a role which I found myself (company 2). Both called me back for second interviews however company 2 offered me the role before I got to the second interview for company 1. I delayed giving them an answer and went for the 2nd interview with the other job.
That afternoon, I called the agency and said that I would need an answer that day as I had been offered another role and had to also give them an answer. The agent asked me where the role was so I told him. Within one hour, he was on the phone to company 2 to tell them he had a number of candidates suitable for the role they were trying to fill :mad:
Luckily, I knew someone at company 2 and she knew that I was using this agency so she told me. I called them and accepted their role and emailed the agent to tell him that I didn't want his role and that I knew he had called!!
This is just a little warning to others who are using agencies - do not tell them ANYTHING that they do not need to know. They are ruthless and will stab you in the back.
Addition to the above, added 12/12/10
You may not have time to get through the large amount of posts on here so I will summarise for you.
Recruitment Agencies are there to make money from you. This may seem obvious but if you keep this in mind throughout your dealings with them, you will keep one step ahead.
When they question you about your other job applications, they are going to use this information to send other candidates to that company, possibly for the role you are applying for.
They are not asking you because they are interested in you - they are NOT interested in you.
Recruitment agencies can be useful, especially for temporary work, but they DO NOT need to know about your other job applications to put you forward for jobs with their clients. So what if your CV gets submitted twice? The client is intelligent enough to know that if they use agencies and also advertise, they will get repeat CVs. This cannot be of detriment to you so do not let anyone tell you otherwise.
Give the agencies only essential information needed to register and apply for jobs. Any other information that they try and coax from you is purely for their benefit, not yours.
Keep this in mind and you should not find yourself in the position I did.
PS. There are one or two trolls appearing throughout this thread so use your common sense when reading!
That afternoon, I called the agency and said that I would need an answer that day as I had been offered another role and had to also give them an answer. The agent asked me where the role was so I told him. Within one hour, he was on the phone to company 2 to tell them he had a number of candidates suitable for the role they were trying to fill :mad:
Luckily, I knew someone at company 2 and she knew that I was using this agency so she told me. I called them and accepted their role and emailed the agent to tell him that I didn't want his role and that I knew he had called!!
This is just a little warning to others who are using agencies - do not tell them ANYTHING that they do not need to know. They are ruthless and will stab you in the back.
Addition to the above, added 12/12/10
You may not have time to get through the large amount of posts on here so I will summarise for you.
Recruitment Agencies are there to make money from you. This may seem obvious but if you keep this in mind throughout your dealings with them, you will keep one step ahead.
When they question you about your other job applications, they are going to use this information to send other candidates to that company, possibly for the role you are applying for.
They are not asking you because they are interested in you - they are NOT interested in you.
Recruitment agencies can be useful, especially for temporary work, but they DO NOT need to know about your other job applications to put you forward for jobs with their clients. So what if your CV gets submitted twice? The client is intelligent enough to know that if they use agencies and also advertise, they will get repeat CVs. This cannot be of detriment to you so do not let anyone tell you otherwise.
Give the agencies only essential information needed to register and apply for jobs. Any other information that they try and coax from you is purely for their benefit, not yours.
Keep this in mind and you should not find yourself in the position I did.
PS. There are one or two trolls appearing throughout this thread so use your common sense when reading!
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Comments
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name and shameI
MOJACAR0 -
The agency is Hays but I suppose I had better not name the agent. Located in the Oxfordshire region!0
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They all do that. It's common practice to try and poach jobs if they can. And if you put references down often they'll contact them to try and get them to take people.0
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LilyDeTilly wrote: »The agency is Hays but I suppose I had better not name the agent. Located in the Oxfordshire region!
Hays, oh groan, they are not much better than a sack of horse dropping to deal with - really, keep them at arms length. I speak from both sides of the fence (having worked via them AND having employed via them).
They seem to have this habit of advertising big name positions that they have *not* been asked to fill. Nothing unusual in that for an agency, but it is the repetitive nature of them doing it that is so sickening.0 -
I too have had some really bad experiences with Hays, but also some very good experiences.
In this area, it is very common for the consultants to switch agencies every couple of years or so.
Every one of the jobs I have had in the last 10 years have been via one recruitment agencies or another.£400+ in my £2 coin tablet fund0 -
Welcome to the real world. All recruitment agencies must be struggling in this downturn. Most companies are just advertising through their own website or through newspapers. It is much cheaper than paying £3k or less to use recruitment agencies.Motto: 'If you don't ask, you don't get!!'
Remember to say thank you to people who help you out!
Also, thank you to people who help me out.0 -
Hays have tried to convince me in the past that I'd been lied to and didn't have an interview with a company... and them promise to sort it out with the company and get me an interview. I'd told them not to contact the company on my behalf as I was already entered and they did anyway so I was very annoyed and made a complaint via the other agency who did get me the interview.
The then tried to claim the placement fee for me when I got the job through the other agency. I refused to work with that agency ever again.0 -
Not_a_Newbie wrote: »Every one of the jobs I have had in the last 10 years have been via one recruitment agencies or another.
No disrespect meant (please don't take any) but do you see the irony in that? It kinda suggests a bad match if they've not found you that 'killer' job where you want to stay more than a short period of time.0 -
No disrespect meant (please don't take any) but do you see the irony in that? It kinda suggests a bad match if they've not found you that 'killer' job where you want to stay more than a short period of time.
No offence taken. I'm an accountant and think the best way to get an all round experience is to work for different types of companies (added to the fact that we moved from Hull to the North East).
Now that I am qualified I do intend to look at a role as a more long term prospect.
When I say all the jobs, in the past 15 years since I graduated I have worked for 7 different companies, of which I was at one for 2 years, then another for 6 years, then 3 years, the other roles I had we're short term temporary contracts.£400+ in my £2 coin tablet fund0 -
It’s true, agencies can’t be trusted as far as you can throw them but for the likes of me, they are a necessary evil. Every job I have had in the last 10 years or so has been through an agency.
Hays too tried to burn me after I had already secured a job and had already started. I once got the job through a different agency but happened to be registered with Hays also, who were also trying to fill that same role.
No doubt they felt sour grapes that they never considered me for the job but a different agency did and I got it!
Hays called up the HR dept of the company I joined saying "We know sujman very well, worked with him before and we are surprised that you have taken him on as we didn't think he was good enough, hence we never put him forward ourselves! Are you sure that he will stay as our experience with him is that he is looking for something different."
Needless to say, I found out and made a complaint with the body that supposedly manages recruitment agencies and their practises but nothing came of it. So now, I never share any information with any agency about anything they don’t already know!0
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