Candidates - Things To Be Aware Of When Using A Recruitment Agency

CCFC_80

LilyDeTilly wrote: »

Quite funny that she had the time to respond (rather quickly) to ask me where my job offer was, but did not find the time to say "sorry, we have nothing right now" when I was enquiring about jobs.....

Exactly, so it makes complete nonsense of all this bulls*** about they don't have time to respond.To reiterate, They only respond when it suits them !!!!!!!!!!!

1984ReturnsForReal_2

andy46 wrote: »

Exactly, so it makes complete nonsense of all this bulls*** about they don't have time to respond.To reiterate, They only respond when it suits them !!!!!!!!!!!

Purpose of job = make money

Following up leads where businesses are recruiting = possibly make money

Responding to 200 emails a day giving candidates a personal update on the situation = doesn't make any money



& anyone that thinks any different is in denial about what a recruitment agency is & the purpose of its role.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

LilyDeTilly wrote: »

Quite funny that she had the time to respond (rather quickly) to ask me where my job offer was, but did not find the time to say "sorry, we have nothing right now" when I was enquiring about jobs.....

please refer to above.

I haven't got all day to a give personal responses to everyone else I wouldn't make money & get the sack.

Wellery82

I used to work for a recruitment agency myself for a few years and have seen it from the other side of the fence which may help some people understand their perspective, and the best way to deal with them. The best agents find a way to deal with the below and generally offer a better service, it is a cut throat industry though and most people in it won't delibately set out to offer you a bad experience.

The job is simple - to generate money which keeps your branch open and also keeps you in a job. It was bluntly laid down to us that if we didn't hit a certain target every quarter as a branch then we ran the risk of it being closed, which eventually happened, and on a personal level the risk of being sacked, as happened on a monthly basis for colleagues. Like most sales jobs it is highly pressurised, and the fact you are selling "people" makes it unpredictable and hard to forecast. For every person who has been let down by a recruitment agency they will be an agent who loses their job on the back of one too many people saying they will go to an interview but deciding not to bother for example. As a result it can be quite ruthless.

Anyway half of your job is finding companies who will deal with you, this can be difficult in some instances as companies may want to know "who do you have on your books" for example prior to agreeing a fee they will pay you, alternatively they may ask for CVs and then argue on a fee which the recruitment agent is not prepared to drop - this can be why there seem to be "made up" jobs.

As for each job they may be in competition with many other agencies they will be working on many at any given time to try and place some candidates. There can be hundreds of CVs arriving in an inbox on any given day for a recruiter and they have the dilemma- do you spend all day offering good customer service by replying if you don't have time to generate sales and keep you job?

Then often when you speak to an agent who puts you forward on the job they may find they themselves have no feedback on your CV as the company have received CVs from 10 agencies and can't be bothered to provide this. As a result the agent is left wondering if you are still a maybe, and can't even update you themselves.

In terms of finding out where you have left, where you are joining etc they are looking for leads. It is a sales industry and it isn't life but that is a reality, they will feel that for every person who is upset by this approach someone else will benefit

The best way to deal with them i would say is -

- Always hint you are registered with just one agency - they won't prioritise you if you may be out to interviews all over the place as they see it as a higher risk their time spent on you is pointless
- Be courteous to them - if you don't like them there is nothing to b gained from telling them that, try and work with them, not against them. Maybe even give them a lead yourself if you know of somewhere looking for staff you are not interested in applying for
- Drop them an e-mail every fortnight to say you are still on the market and give an update on your situation. Don't expect a reply but it keeps you fresh in their mind and also saves them embarrassment for them that they haven't contacted you in six months and are too worried to ring you when a job does come up as they know how poor the service has been
- be flexible - cancelling interviews etc makes the agent seem unprofessional and annoys their client. They are not likely to be that understanding of your needs
- If all else fails play them at their own game, if you know where they are putting you forward for a job and you are really unhappy apply off your own back - it will save the company thousands of pounds and they are more likely to interview/hire you as a result. Not nice for the agency but i am sure a few of you would like to do it!

Good luck!

teabelly

Best way to deal with them is to register and then forget about them. Don't bother applying for any jobs advertised by an agency if you're already registered. If they want you then they ring you up. Concentrate on directly advertised jobs. Don't waste time or energy wanting feedback. Simple answer is there was someone better than you or they've changed their mind about recruiting altogether. That's how it is. It makes little odds whether you contact them or not. They do automated searches and if you match the keywords they contact you. If not, they don't.

If they fish about other jobs applied for don't tell them what they are!

I've not been put forward for any job I have applied for. Ones where they ring me, I have.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

teabelly wrote: »

Best way to deal with them is to register and then forget about them. Don't bother applying for any jobs advertised by an agency if you're already registered. If they want you then they ring you up. Concentrate on directly advertised jobs. Don't waste time or energy wanting feedback. Simple answer is there was someone better than you or they've changed their mind about recruiting altogether. That's how it is. It makes little odds whether you contact them or not. They do automated searches and if you match the keywords they contact you. If not, they don't.

If they fish about other jobs applied for don't tell them what they are!

I've not been put forward for any job I have applied for. Ones where they ring me, I have.

Unfortunately that is not true with a majority of agencies.

They need reminding every couple of months that you are still alive.

If you can do it online it is a very good idea to update your profile every couple of months & this will indicate you are still looking.

When they get a vacancy in it is very rare that a consultant will search for candidates from 6 months + ago.

RedSoleShoes

1984ReturnsForReal wrote: »

Purpose of job = make money
Following up leads where businesses are recruiting = possibly make money
Responding to 200 emails a day giving candidates a personal update on the situation = doesn't make any money
& anyone that thinks any different is in denial about what a recruitment agency is & the purpose of its role.

I'm not sure I was ever in denial about their purpose, I think I was just a bit naive and mislead I guess.

Leading to the whole reason I started this post, to advise others who are in the situation I was in.



For those who don't have the time (or can't be bothered ) to read this whole thread, the message is:

• DO NOT TRUST RECRUITMENT AGENTS
• DO NOT RELY ON THEM TO HELP YOU
• USE THEM PURELY IF THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION
• IF YOU HAVE TO DO TEMPING, TAKE THE JOBS OFFERED OR THEY WILL NOT OFFER YOU ANYTHING ELSE AGAIN

and perhaps the most important point of all....

• DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER JOBS YOU ARE APPLYING FOR (even AFTER you have accepted/started a new job)

CCFC_80

LilyDeTilly wrote: »

I'm not sure I was ever in denial about their purpose, I think I was just a bit naive and mislead I guess.

Leading to the whole reason I started this post, to advise others who are in the situation I was in.




For those who don't have the time (or can't be bothered ) to read this whole thread, the message is:

• DO NOT TRUST RECRUITMENT AGENTS
• DO NOT RELY ON THEM TO HELP YOU
• USE THEM PURELY IF THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION
• IF YOU HAVE TO DO TEMPING, TAKE THE JOBS OFFERED OR THEY WILL NOT OFFER YOU ANYTHING ELSE AGAIN

and perhaps the most important point of all....

• DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER JOBS YOU ARE APPLYING FOR (even AFTER you have accepted/started a new job)

Great Post, and just to add from an earlier response if an agency should offer you any temp work, do not say you have any holiday booked if they ask you. If you have, you will almost certainly be ruled out of the role.They want people to work for short term contracts who have no holiday commitments. Just lie to them like they will lie to you and leave and take your holiday when necessary. Just remember they could well say to you that the role will be ongoing and then get rid of you after a few days calling you at one minute to five with no notice given to you at all.

omen666

teabelly wrote: »

Best way to deal with them is to register and then forget about them. Don't bother applying for any jobs advertised by an agency if you're already registered. If they want you then they ring you up. Concentrate on directly advertised jobs. Don't waste time or energy wanting feedback. Simple answer is there was someone better than you or they've changed their mind about recruiting altogether. That's how it is. It makes little odds whether you contact them or not. They do automated searches and if you match the keywords they contact you. If not, they don't.

If they fish about other jobs applied for don't tell them what they are!

I've not been put forward for any job I have applied for. Ones where they ring me, I have.

If they want new leads they will ring you up too. Some agencies that have called me have called me to say they hav e a role that is a definate fit for my experience and they would liek to send my CV over to the prospective client but they need my references first as this prospective client is their number one client and it is a requirement from them that references are obtained first.

Que the recruitment agency now hammering my references for providing future services.

Also the work is down to you in putting the relative keywords into sites so you get picked up. That includes spelling certain buzz or product words wrong as a lot of recruiters dont have a clue how to spell things or know how to spell words attributed to your industry.

Limiting yourself to driectly advertised jobs is limiting yourself. The majority of companies enlist the help of agencies especially within the corporate arena as they already have enough work on as it is. Especially if the role is contract based

Sorry but it is a horrendous piece of advice you have given

RedSoleShoes

One thing I have noticed about the replies on this thread is that there have been NO recruitment agents defending themselves......

it would be interesting to hear if any of them disagree with things that have been said here.

:xmastree: