Employment agencies aren't all bad

katerinasol

Happy New Year MSE'ers! I wanted to share with you a few stories about employment agencies. I know they get quite a lot of stick on here to the point where some people are wary about them but they Aren't all bad.

First story: I was unemployed, doing voluntary work. Was contacted by an in-house recruiter who found my CV on Reed and asked if I was interested in a job. They sent me through advice on how to prepare and what to expect. Went to the interview. Got the job - they even bent some rules to hire me.

Second story: Found out I was being made redundant. Put updated CV on Reed again. Was contacted by a recruitment agency who wanted to know if I was interested in a job that was much better and paid much more money. The employer took a while to get back to them but same story - agency sent me loads of tips on how to prepare, called me before to wish me luck and after to ask how it went and I got the job again!

I'm not sure if I've figured this out right but it tends to be if they contact YOU then they're probably pretty good at what they do and will probably push for you to get the job over other people. So good luck to all of you looking for work - you'll find it soon!

Acc72

I guess that if an agency gets you a job then they are great, and if they don't then they are rubbish !

From my personal experience, if the agent thinks that you are in with a good chance of getting a job (and therefore them getting a commission) then they will effectively stalk you night and day and try to become your new best mate.

On the other hand, if the agent does not have a job that they think you have a good chance of getting then they will be very elusive, never return calls or e-mails and you won't be able to speak with them for love nor money.

katerinasol

You're right, I just wanted to point out that they're not all bad

There is one thing that annoys me though and that's how underhanded they can be. I had a phone call today from an agency with an offer of a job - 2 months after they forwarded my CV on! When I declined, the guy on the phone was very keen to find out where my new job was. Needless to say, I didn't tell him.

Carl31

Theres one reason why an agency would be nice, youre a meal ticket. They found you for their benefit thats all


To add, they didnt get you the job, you did that yourself, they just pointed you the right way

brightonman123

when loading a cv to jobs sites such as Reed, Mosnter, TotalJobs etc, its always worth refereshing* it every couple of days, to keep your details near to top of the pile, for when agencies go looking!

* just a quick tweak of the odd word helps!

katerinasol

Carl31 wrote: »

Theres one reason why an agency would be nice, youre a meal ticket. They found you for their benefit thats all


To add, they didnt get you the job, you did that yourself, they just pointed you the right way

Obviously, but the point I'm making is that they're not all useless with phantom jobs to keep people on the books. Some can be very effective.

duckandcover

katerinasol wrote: »

Obviously, but the point I'm making is that they're not all useless with phantom jobs to keep people on the books. Some can be very effective.

Agreed. I think we're among the luckier one's with more positive experiences! In my case, I saw a couple of perm jobs advertised online, had never spoken to them before but rang up to express my interest, spoke for 15 mins on the phone, talked through one of the roles I'd seen which he was keen to put me forward for, e-mailed him over my CV, then 15 minutes later got a phone call saying he'd spoken to the client, talked through my CV and that I had an interview arranged for two days later!

Been there a couple of months now and loving it

**Juice**

When I first moved to Manchester I signed up with a ropey agency, then quickly left them and moved to another one, who were great - they had me do a few tests, then said I'd be better off aiming a bit higher than I was and put me forward for a role that day, to start the following Monday. They were really helpful and supportive, paid me on time every time. This role I was placed in ended up with my applying for a full time job I was in for 2 years, then was promoted within that.

So I had mixed experience with different agencies but overall I'd recommend trying them.

eamon

In the past I've had very good job hunting tips etc from an agency, in fact it was more like a consultation. I've also been "told off" by another recruiter after fluffing an interview but thats another story. Like many other posters I've also experienced the lack of communication.

Deep_In_Debt

I had a positive experience with Reed too. I got made redundant from my job in 2008 and applied on line for a job on the Reed website. Never thought they would contact me, but my c.v. was one of 6 from 95 applications that they pulled out. I'm a slightly more "mature" person (although I still have a good 20 years work in me before retirement) and I'd been out of the job market for a while so thought I didn't stand a chance.

They treated me very well but I guess they earned a fair bit of commission from me!

They got me in temping at the company on a very good hourly rate almost immediately and during the 4 months I temped, my hourly rate was frequently increased without me asking! I then got offered a permanent job at the company who offered me much more money than my previous job and more than the salary advertised - I couldn't refuse and I'm still there now.

bargainbetty

I've usually had really positive experiences and I've gone back to agencies I've used as a candidate to hire new people because I know the agency is good.

However, on one occasion I used a new agency to find a job. They sent my CV off, and the recruiter decided I wasn't quite right for it, and ended up withdrawing the job altogether. Six months later, I applied for a job with a different agency, different job role, different title etc, which turned out to be with the same company. The hiring company called the first agency as my name was linked with them on their records. That agency called the second agency and told them that they couldn't have me, since I was on the first company's books. I hadn't heard from them in six months and it was a different job!

The hiring firm eventually told the second agency that they wouldn't interview me, as the first firm were claiming they were entitled to a fee and made it really messy. The boss of the first firm called me and told me he would blacklist me and I'd never work in London again.

A year on, in my lovely new senior management job, I advertised a receptionist role and the first agency called to offer their services. I asked to speak to the boss. I reminded him of his behaviour, and told him that if he'd care to put his apology for the threat in writing, I'd consider using his services.... Oh how I laughed as he squirmed.