Dealing with recruitment agencies – advice

hcb42

Redbull wrote: »

I know, it really is laughable to have to be applying to jobs that we dont know what on the earth the company is or its location.

then why would you even agree to an interview? How does the conversation go? I dont understand this truly. Never been in this situation and I have recruited IT professionals in my time. Worked with big "High St" style agencies for mass recruitment too and never heard this being said. Perhaps it is a weird London thing :rotfl:

hcb42

It is worthwhile finding out who are the respected head hunters in your industry and getting to know them...by making them aware of you. that way they work for YOU not the other way around.

LadyMissA

hcb42 wrote: »

then why would you even agree to an interview? How does the conversation go? I dont understand this truly. Never been in this situation and I have recruited IT professionals in my time. Worked with big "High St" style agencies for mass recruitment too and never heard this being said. Perhaps it is a weird London thing :rotfl:

No you agree to the job spec being something you want to do and the salary hours etc and they put the CV over and you wait. IF you get an interview THEN and then only is when you find out who it is. If you ask before who it is they say we can't tell you unless they want to see you.

They are scared you will apply direct to them cutting them out of the process!

Redbull

hcb42 wrote: »

even more bizarre!

Job I just got is 40 mins from home at least even if I leave at midnight, say 50-55mins in normal commuting time (7am) I was delighted as last job was 2 hours. I got grilled from company about distance to work, but in a nice way, ie. how I would find it etc. Clearly this is important factor in recruitment so why would anyone not say this? Especially with fuel costs at moment, we do consider where people live and what their commute might be like ( I have just joined a start up operation so recruiting massively myself at moment)

What industry are you in? At what level? Just so I knows so I can avoid it as it clearly is not operating in the normal way.;)

You would think its common sense...but they remove all major details so you cannot find the job direct.

Im in IT, 10 yrs experience....avoid!

LadyMissA

Redbull wrote: »

You would think its common sense...but they remove all major details so you cannot find the job direct.

Im in IT, 10 yrs experience....avoid!

Accounts for bars/restaurants & some retail - 20 years + in payables

just avoid agencies ! LOL

Redbull

hcb42 wrote: »

then why would you even agree to an interview? How does the conversation go? I dont understand this truly. Never been in this situation and I have recruited IT professionals in my time. Worked with big "High St" style agencies for mass recruitment too and never heard this being said. Perhaps it is a weird London thing :rotfl:

I have actually never had ANY real job interviews in my whole career using a recruitment agent....yet managed to bag almost every job I applied to directly. I go through the same thing every few years with agents, its like ground hog day...and it could very well be a London thing as you say...the whole thing is ridiculous

925dancer

Redbull wrote: »

I agree, they never tell you who the job is with unless you get an interview. All you get is "Leading professional services firm near Liverpool Street requires blablabla Analyst" in my experience anyway

Never happened to me, I'm always told the company in the first conversation about a role, the agent wants to know that I'll bother taking the job if it's offered after all. There's also nothing to protect as they're putting my CV forward anyway if I agree so I'm not about to sneak around and apply directly when I'm already being put forward for the role.

This has been the case in both London and Edinburgh, with general recruiters and industry specific ones.

Can I also say LadyMissA, as hard a time as you are having looking for work (as I am), all of your posts are very angry, doesn't make for comfortable reading to think of someone that angry all the time. Can't help but feel it may taint your job searching in some way. Maybe not too but it's just an observation.

hcb42

LadyMissA wrote: »

Accounts for bars/restaurants & some retail - 20 years + in payables

just avoid agencies ! LOL

well I am in Hotel Revenue Management so not that dis similar, perhaps you need a contact list of which agents ACTUALLY know and have respect from the major employers Sis is a senior accountant in corp finance (banking/insurance sector), worked in london most of her days, and I know she would 100% agree with what I posted here though. Most of my friends are in IT roles, ( I actually did IT at college) and again don't suffer these indignities.

LadyMissA

Redbull wrote: »

I have actually never had ANY real job interviews in my whole career using a recruitment agent....yet managed to bag almost every job I applied to directly. I go through the same thing every few years with agents, its like ground hog day...and it could very well be a London thing as you say...the whole thing is ridiculous

only ever got one job via an agency then got made reundant 5 years later and look at me now lol

hcb42

925dancer wrote: »

Never happened to me, I'm always told the company in the first conversation about a role, the agent wants to know that I'll bother taking the job if it's offered after all. There's also nothing to protect as they're putting my CV forward anyway if I agree so I'm not about to sneak around and apply directly when I'm already being put forward for the role.

This has been the case in both London and Edinburgh, with general recruiters and industry specific ones.

Can I also say LadyMissA, as hard a time as you are having looking for work (as I am), all of your posts are very angry, doesn't make for comfortable reading to think of someone that angry all the time. Can't help but feel it may taint your job searching in some way. Maybe not too but it's just an observation.

I am glad someone has similar experience to me. I have also worked in both Scotland and England, but also on an international level (US/Africa/Australasia) and never had anything like these kind of experiences. Honesty is the best policy. Just before i took the current job, I was speaking with a regular agent of mine, and mentioned another job. THese things are important. If she is positioning me with a global international brand, as was potentially the case, she needs to know where my cv has been beforehand!:) After all, she was working for me, trying to position me for my next role. There is no way on earth i would go to an interview without being fully prepped for role/company.