Query on Recruitment Agencies

sandralovescats

Hi!

I have been self-employed for nearly 24 years and had to give up work due to health reasons and need to find other work.

I am looking for a new career and I signed up for a couple of online agencies.

I found a job on the totaljobs.com website which was, as usual, listed with recruitment agency, so I applied for it. I heard nothing so I emailed the contact at that recruitment agency. I was told that they hadn't passed my application or cv onto the Company I had applied to work for since they didn't think I was qualified for the job!

Is this usual for them to do this?

stressedoutmumof1

A recruitment agency will only put you forward for a job if they think you will be good at it, ie you have experience - they want to give their clients the best people possible so they will return for business. HTH.

sandralovescats

Thanks for the response!

I wouldn't have applied for the job if I didn't think I could do it!

I expected that the application would have been presented along with all the others, to be assessed in the same way.

I am really annoyed since I could have done the job with my eyes shut!

Never mind, if that is the way they work I cannot really do anything about it.

stressedoutmumof1

Have you not been into the recruitment agency and seen anyone? They should have interviewed you/got to know you and taken proof of your identity, ie passport, and taken references.

I would try and arrange an appointment with them so they know the "real" you - maybe your CV doesn't "sell" you enough?

sandralovescats

No, it was all done online!

I registered with totaljobs.co.uk which saves all the details you put into it, plus your own cv uploaded from my computer.

Then, when you want to apply for a job, you just click on the "apply for job" button and it is done for you!

So you think I might be better off going to see a recruitment agency face-t-face? I hadn't thought of that!

I worked in the medical field for 24 years and I have two doctorates.

The job mentioned in the first post was for a medical sales rep, which would have involved visiting GP surgeries and private sector nursing homes, to reorder goods and present new products from the range. No cold selling, all pre-serviced contracts. I would have been ideally suited to the job! Even if I say so myself!

Thanks for your input.

Astaroth

The important thing that too many forget is that the recruitment agencies works for the employers and not you.

One of the key reasons to use an employment agency to find perminant members of staff is the time saving aspect of it. Last time I advertised a job without using an agency I received in the region of 700 CVs in the first 2 weeks - there is simply no way that my team and I would have been able to read through them all even if we werent already snowed under by being a manager down. Next time I used an agency and received 10 "approved" candidates of which we selected 7 for first round interviews and it was so much simpler.

Whilst you may have been able to do the job in your sleep, if the agency had 5 other people who they felt had a better chance of getting the job because of experience, qualifications, age, gender, appearance etc then they would have been the 5 that they put forward out of the 30 on the books that could have qualified

It is also worth remembering that they only get paid for the time they spend with you if they get you a job. Too many I have known have thought agencies worked for them and were basically career advisors. They all were very disappointed when they went in to the agency saying they wanted a change in career but came out with interviews for the identical job they had been doing for the last 5 years.

sandralovescats

Thanks Astaroth.

All of that makes sense to me!

sandralovescats

I am going to find a recruitment agency near to me and make an appointment. I think that might be the way forward.

ManAtHome

I'm pretty sure the on-line (and these days a lot of off-line) agencies just scan CVs for buzz-words. Even going back 25 years they were a mixed bunch - very few of them ever wanted a meet more than 10 mins before the client interview.

As already mentioned, they're likely to have heaps of "possibles" for many if not most jobs and will cut this down to the number requested by the client (very few want more than half a dozen).

Sometimes you just have to laugh... A few years back after implementing a system, a couple of us put our details forward for a similar contract with a new client. I'd been been doing the (apparent) job for 2 years, he'd joined for the last 6 months to help with commissioning the final part of the system. Guess who got the contract - his experience was more recent than mine (apparently).

Anyway best of luck - and as Asteroth said, remember they're in business to make a profit out of you, not to help you.

sandralovescats

Thanks for the info and advice MAH

This is all new territory for me!

MissBehaving

Not sure what field you are in, but perhaps it would be a good idea to search for recruitment companies that specalise in that. That way they will know what your capabilities and experience is just by looking at the type of companies you worked for in the past.
It is also worth putting a very CATCHY front page cover sheet if you feel that you are suitable for the job.

I work in the hospitality industry and only send my CV to agencies that recruite in that field. That way they know the companies and they know you have experience in that market sector.

Also, its worth reading the 'small print' on their online adverts. Most of them say that they do not get back to successful applicants... so if you dont hear from them... you kinda know you didnt make the grade.
Dont get down ... just think... their loss!!!!
:wall:
Good luck by the way.... Fingers crossed!!!