Recruitment Agencies Are Useless!!

[Deleted User]

I've had quite a positive experience with an agency recently. I've spoken to them in the past, so they've got a good idea of my skills and background - they had a client looking for someone with my skills so pointed them right at me. They do seem to know my industry and the people in it, quite well.

The agency has handled organising calls (3rd phone interview today..) and I certainly wouldn't have heard of this company or job without them.

Now, I do wonder how they'll handle the benefits/salary side of things. They obviously have a vested interest in me 1) taking the job and 2) getting the highest possible salary I can. Both give them commission/better commission.

bamgbost

mate, I thought the same that agencies would have a keen interest in securing you the highest salary possible. But the last 2 I have been with. Seemed less interested in pushing their client for more money and spent longer convincing me to take the salary as "its a good career move", once you have foot in the door "you can approach for rises", etc.

So I found this to be a bit weird. I thought higher salary is win-win for both parties. And that when u have an offer, the bargaining hand comes in my favour. - Not with those agencies it didn't!!!

Stylehutz

TheRecruiter wrote: »

This post cracks me up. Most of you have absolutely no idea what recruitment involves, the comments show your ignorance and it's no surprise that you've had no luck finding a job.

Complaining that the agency makes a mark up on your contract of £4 p/h haha - do you realise how little profit this is? IT's probably 15% - 20% ish - do you know how many other SERVICE based organisations work to this margin?? NONE!

Look at restaurants, do you ask to see how much their wholesale food costs them? You'll pay £5 for a desert that costs £1 or less but god forbid a recruiter makes 15% margin.

Good recruiters make a lot of money, £80k - £100k + isn't unusual, if they do so little for this money and it's so easy why don't you try it instead of moaning about how little they do for you.

The reality is that recruitment is difficult and it's made harder by idiots applying for jobs that they're completely unsuitable for then wondering why the phone never rings.

We get paid on commission, if you're any good, we'll call. If we don't call then guess what...

Your post cracks me up even more. If you had bothered to read previous threads on recruitments agencies to look at peoples experiences on whether they had positive or negative experiences I know where I would place my money.

Oh by the way, I did consider a career as a recruitment consultant but I developed a conscience:)

MNM2903

Ive used recruiters in the past when contracting. My understanding is they will have say £20 ph to play with i was getting work for around £15 ph but id imagine they have to put the feelers out and look for work your suitable for. Not to mention the after care when it comes to wages etc and other support they give you.

Seems like a tough job. Never really had a bad word to say about them and when somethings went wrong which was rare they were on the ball and sorting it out for me.

Problem with alot of people they expect things handed on a plate.

mattcanary

MNM2903 wrote: »

Ive used recruiters in the past when contracting. My understanding is they will have say £20 ph to play with i was getting work for around £15 ph but id imagine they have to put the feelers out and look for work your suitable for. Not to mention the after care when it comes to wages etc and other support they give you.

Seems like a tough job. Never really had a bad word to say about them and when somethings went wrong which was rare they were on the ball and sorting it out for me.

Problem with alot of people they expect things handed on a plate.

You didn't have any problem with them because your company is being paid by them.
Job seekers aren't paying recruitment consultants so it's not the same thing at all.

bouncer1966

I've lost track of the number of times I've sat in interview rooms and heard the job description that the agency gave me was wrong or had whole chunks missed out.

Effectively paid salesman with few ethics, who send jobs that don't match my skillset, don't reply when asked to, seem to want feedback the moment you leave the interview, before even the candidate has had a chance to work out if the interview went well or not.

I've spent serious money attending the agency first (no choice in this - otherwise they don't put you forward), spent ages with them, then spent the rest of the morning or afternoon with the company, only
to hear that the role was nothing like the job description given to me by the agency.

Have even been to one interview with a large online retailer who asked me as i walked in if i knew the role involved working nights - the agency didn't bother to tell me - so was out the door like a shot!

Incredibly I hear the BIS has relaxed all the rules on job websites and recruitment agencies so they can do anything they like to the candidate as no-one seems to care in government about the jobseekers, only the firms.

Labour, the coalition and the tories are all stuck in the neoliberalism way of life, telling us they didn't want to close down 631 jobcentreplus sites, but did it anyway.

Latest i hear is that the EU is now paying diversity £900 per person to come to the uk to take a interview.
If they are successful, the firm then gets £1000 from the EU.
No wonder the jobs market is so fierce where everyone has to go to loads and loads of interviews and it all just feels like a huge lucky dip as to whether you get a job or not.

Oh, and just as a afterthought, Iain Duncan Smith has actually claimed for haircuts and underwear - google it, it really has happened!

jbond

TheRecruiter wrote: »

This post cracks me up. Most of you have absolutely no idea what recruitment involves, the comments show your ignorance and it's no surprise that you've had no luck finding a job.

You crack me up, with your stupid post!

TheRecruiter wrote: »

Look at restaurants, do you ask to see how much their wholesale food costs them? You'll pay £5 for a desert that costs £1 or less but god forbid a recruiter makes 15% margin.

TBH, I think comparing restaurants to recruiters is quite absurd.

TheRecruiter wrote: »

and it's made harder by idiots applying for jobs that they're completely unsuitable for then wondering why the phone never rings.

I think this part of your post is quite insulting. Has it not occurred to you that perhaps if you put a lot more description in your job adverts, then jobseekers would be much better informed as to whether to apply for the positions or not? Something else that you may not have considered, is that due to the current benefits system in the UK, many people are being forced to apply for jobs that they perhaps actually KNOW that they are not suitable for, but are not given any choice but to apply? Have you thought of that one? T*ss*r!

TheRecruiter wrote: »

We get paid on commission, if you're any good, we'll call. If we don't call then guess what...

I think we all know you get paid on commission. Yeah, if YOU think we're any good! Not if the EMPLOYER thinks that. YOU make the decision as to whether WE are put forward or not. I have read a fair few stories where seemingly the jobseeker has got the upperhand after being rejected by an agency, only to then manage to find out who the actual employer is, apply direct, and then guess what.... get the job. Doesn't say much for you, does it!

jbond

As someone has previously said, one of the problems is that a very high proportion of jobs these days are through agencies, leaving the job seeker with little choice, unless they can find out who the actual company is.

I personally find Reeds current TV advertising rather sleezy and cheap, and hate it. (a bit like those cannon/ball ads for double glazing or whatever it is lol)

Some of the horrors I have read in this thread, I have actually come across myself.

NEVER give them any reference details until you have actually been to an interview with the actual hiring company. Even then, you could just supply them straight to the hiring company, if possible. If the agency gets *rsey with you over references, just don't deal with them any further. Even if that means not applying for the job. However I would always check to see where else that job has been advertised. Quite often you will find the same job advertised through another agency. I have.

[Deleted User]

jbond wrote: »

As someone has previously said, one of the problems is that a very high proportion of jobs these days are through agencies, .

I doubt that there's a genuine job behind every vacancy posted. Only the very naive think there's such an Eldorado of jobs in the UK labour market.

Anybody with a laptop and a domain can post a vacancy on any jobsite, as long as they pay the requested fee. Then ads are replicated though other jobsites and that generate a lot of affiliate traffic. The poster of the vacancy has at this point already made a profit from posting the vacancy. In many cases vacancies are created out of thin air by junior recruiters (usually young graduates on an unpaid internship) in the hope of creating a portfolio of contacts.

jbond

ciaccino wrote: »

I doubt that there's a genuine job behind every vacancy posted. Only the very naive think there's such an Eldorado of jobs in the UK labour market.

Anybody with a laptop and a domain can post a vacancy on any jobsite, as long as they pay the requested fee. Then ads are replicated though other jobsites and that generate a lot of affiliate traffic. The poster of the vacancy has at this point already made a profit from posting the vacancy. In many cases vacancies are created out of thin air by junior recruiters (usually young graduates on an unpaid internship) in the hope of creating a portfolio of contacts.

LOL, yeah, totally agree with that one, it's just that it certainly seems like every second vacancy you see, starts with those famous words, "My client....", or "Our client...". I cringe when I see those words!
Bizarrely I was on the phone to one agency a while back, and they actually told me who the company was!??? Although, I have to admit it might of been a temp role.