Recruitment Agencies Are Useless!!

CCFC_80

hardboiled wrote: »

You can't keep in contact with agencies. they just stop answering your calls and don't reply to email. The JSA people are completely out of touch with the real world.

Tell me about it. A couple of them even used to block my email address. It never ceases to amaze me how Thick Recruitment consultants must be. Today's candidate could be their next weeks client. If I was a recruiter and it came down to a straight choice between an agency that treated me decent & one that treated me like c**p, I know which one I will choose to try and fill the role.

mattcanary

CCFC_80 wrote: »

Tell me about it. A couple of them even used to block my email address. It never ceases to amaze me how Thick Recruitment consultants must be. Today's candidate could be their next weeks client. If I was a recruiter and it came down to a straight choice between an agency that treated me decent & one that treated me like c**p, I know which one I will choose to try and fill the role.

Trouble is, the agencies that are unhelpful to job hunters, are also probably the ones that are as nice as pie to the recuiters.
By their nature, I would suggest that such recruitment consultants are cynical, status obsessed people just wanting to get as much money as they can, however they achieve it.

hardboiled

They're always nice to your face, but they won't hesitate to drop you like a hot potato if you're not successful and usually won't tell you either. Now you're in a situation where you're not 100% sure if you've even been submitted, so now rec agency No2 comes along and say they're going to put in for the same position and same company what are you supposed to do now. You don't know if you were ever put forward in the first place and if you were did the other agency do a good job, did they change you CV. You don't know!This is quite a common scenario and pi$$es everyone off.
Some of these agencies just don't think... or if they do they're all sharing the same braincell.

devilhat

I've been jobsearching since last quarter last year, applied for nearly 100 jobs via agencies, and not had one interview. I've applied for a few dozen jobs directly this year, and had 4 interviews since mid-March.
Agencies, in my experience, are generally a useless bunch of vultures.

hardboiled

Why oh why do agencies insist on letting the junior do the ringing of potential employees and let them ask all the wrong questions then tell you at the end of the conversation "I'll pass your details on the consultant to see if he likes your CV".

So basically you've been talking to the monkey and not the organ grinder! This makes the assumption that the consultant ( the organ grinder ) is far too important to talk to you, he's got better things to do! Now you're going to have to answer the same questions all over again; which you have already been answered on your CV and said the the junior already , AND that neither of them can be bothered to read, and more than likely, don't even understand... yet a company wants to use them for recruitment!!

brightonman123

tweak cv a bit, and upload again to the listing sites (reed, totaljobs, cvlbrary etc).. load document with tags to make your skills come near (at?!) top of any recruiter search..

get busy on social media - tweet and search forrelevant positions.
twitter -include hashtag with #job #location desired, and your skills..
linkedin - think of it as a business version of facebook..
instagram> may be worth posting samples of your work, if appropriate!

Dreamscometrue

YellowA4 wrote: »

In my experience they are all terrible.

I have applied for many jobs advertised through recruitment agencies and every time have been ignored, brushed aside or found out the job doesn't exist after weeks of trying to get hold of them. Not once have I even been offered an interview.

I have also applied for 2 jobs which the actual companies have advertised directly. I have sent the same CV to them for the same positions as the agencies, each time have been invited to attend an interview and been offered the job! (one of which I have accepted)

Obviously the recruitment agencies are either lazy or stupid, if not both. I am obviously well qualified for the position and interview well, they may find this out if they made some effort to talk to me. As it is they can't even manage an email to tell you what the hell is going on or that they have even received you CV (maybe they think I am psychic)! If I ran a company it would annoy me that they treat potentially great staff members in this way and that my company was missing out on employing them..............

Anyone else feel the same?

I concur! I've been an IT contractor for over 20 years and despite an extensive CV the agencies constantly call me regarding roles that have nothing whatsoever to do with my experience. Some of them are also very rude. Unfortunately as a contractor I need them.

trukdiver

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

If they replied to each one telling them they weren't successful then they wouldn't have time to speak to the ones who have been successful.

Really? When I was looking for work 15 years ago, I always got feedback after an interview. These days, I often never hear anything! After a couple of weeks of emailing and phoning with no reply, I assume I didn't get the job... They are not all like this but it seems to be common.

hardboiled

I've come to the conclusion that I maybe expecting too much from rec consultants.

Darola

As others have said. I need the recruitment agencies as they represent most of the vacancies. My key learnings are:
- monitor job sites daily
- when you see a new role call the recruiter before you submit. Question them on the key requirements and tailor your CV - copy their exact words if you have to
- no reply = no good news, even after an interview or job submission to the client. Accept it and move on, don't even expect a reply just keep applying using the first 2 points above and when the client is interested there will be lots of comms!!

One recent tactic I've also been applying is to identify department heads (directors in my case as I'm a senior IT manager) for companies you want to work for/ are big in your area via linked in and email them direct. Although I've had no interviews off this yet I have had replies from some very senior heads, so it's only a matter of time before either 1. Somebody remembers the proactive guy, or 2. I time it perfect (right place, right time).

I can't wait to get back in to a senior role where I'm a hiring manager again, as the smarmy bas***ds that I've had to deal with over the last month or so will not be on my list... Whilst some are better than others, they ALL practise the silent treatment, so just accept it.

Good luck in your own career pursuits...