Unknowingly applying for the same job through 2 agencies

saveloysausages

I'm wondering how to avoid this situation and how bad it is?

There's been 2 occasions the last 2 weeks where an agency has found me online, told me about a job and put me forward for it with my agreement.

They've then contacted me, a bit annoyed, to say that the company has already got my CV through another agency. In both these cases, only 1 of the agencies for the job has told me the name of the company, so I wasn't to know that I'd applied for (or been put forward for) the same job twice.

How bad is it when this happens? The agencies sounded quite suspicious of me and I'm not sure if I'll be blacklisted because of this? Anyone else experienced the same?

jobbingmusician

Agencies are notoriously stupid. Ask the one who didn't tell you the name how the hell you were supposed to know that you'd been put forward by more than one agency. Tell the other one that the other agency submitted you without telling you the name. They are not going to blacklist you since you are obviously a strong candidate!

(Ooo, and maybe get the name of the company if agencies say they are putting you forward in the future.)

Comms69

It's not bad per se. Agencies often hide the employer name so that you don't go direct.


But if two calls with similar sounding jobs come up, it's worth double checking.


Couldn't say re a blacklist.

Claddagh_Noir

This is one of the many things I despise about recruitment agencies. How were you to know that you were put forward twice to the same company? How dare they be that way with you. I think they are more upset that you were 'poached' by a rival competitor but still. All the agency are thinking about is you getting the job so they can earn their commission.

You did no wrong. If and when I ever have to job hunt, I would always cut out the middle man.



I wish you luck in your search.

Doshwaster

saveloysausages wrote: »

I'm wondering how to avoid this situation and how bad it is?

There's been 2 occasions the last 2 weeks where an agency has found me online, told me about a job and put me forward for it with my agreement.

They've then contacted me, a bit annoyed, to say that the company has already got my CV through another agency. In both these cases, only 1 of the agencies for the job has told me the name of the company, so I wasn't to know that I'd applied for (or been put forward for) the same job twice.

How bad is it when this happens? The agencies sounded quite suspicious of me and I'm not sure if I'll be blacklisted because of this? Anyone else experienced the same?

I wouldn't worry about it. Must happen all of the time. If agencies won't tell you who the employer is (though in small industries you can usually guess) then it shouldn't be surprising if two different agencies have found you.

I've even had the same agency approach me about a job that they had already put me forward for a few week before but hadn't been shortlisted. The recruitment "consultant" just couldn't remember having spoken to me already.

eamon

Its been going on for years and will not end without regulation and big fines + jail



Us as one of the end users (employers are the other) we can't possibly know until we start getting email alerts from agencies that we haven't signed up with. By that stage its too late to do anything about it. It truly is a wild west and comparable to ambulance chasing lawyers/accident management companies. Lots of people are in serious breech of GDPR and willfully selling our data.


For job seekers it inflates the number of vacancies and that is infuriating.

[Deleted User]

I wouldn't worry - it is a rather old fashioned problem and your more likely to find them interested in who you currently work for I've found.

To be honest I wouldn't wholly trust recuitment agencies - said she who was strung along for 3 weeks before getting an answer finally that there wasn't going to be a second interview - the agent confessed to carrying on getting more first stage interviews lined up each and every week which was baffling when I thought they had a onetime 'interview day' well that was what I was lead to believe, all I can say is I'm glad I didn't rely on that situation. I can't blame them but they will look after themselves first.
In the end it was said they went with 'someone local' but at the time of the agent first getting in touch, I was also a 'local candidate' being literally just a few miles drive away. I'd waited so long to hear and come to my own conclusion that all I could do was smile and be so kind down the phone (less when I was chasing them LOL). Still least I came 2nd out of 5th for a sales job. And the agent finally got truthful. next!!! I had fun telling them what I planned to do next in the end.

They will do something to annoy you I guarantee. Not worth the thinking space.

BK123

I'd actually say your friend should be grateful they got back to them! My experience of agencies is that they wouldn't get back to me if they aren't processing my application anymore. The problem with agencies is it's essentially sales, so they can sound "all that" over the phone as they'll have got the right people for that. You just have to judge their actions on face value and treat them as such next time. I know it can be difficult as they'll be pally when they need to be and act super-important when they want to to make a sale (get you a job), but I would be very surprised if 1) an agency blacklist exists, and 2) if it does exist, it even matters to employers (I say that last statement having been a member of a goverment-approved agency for 4/5 years, working in roles with high risk adults, and even vulnerable children/adults sometimes).

Dox

If an agency says they are putting your name forward for a job, ask the name of the company. If they say they can't tell you that, point out that other agencies have your details and you wonder how the situation could be avoided where.... (i.e. put the ball in their court to deal with the matter).

charlie792

To be honest I've never had much luck with agencies - either end up going to interviews for jobs that then suddenly don't exist, or you tell them your salary expectation, get down the line to point of offer and end up being offered way off the mark. Once had an agency tell me that I should accept a £5k pay cut because 'its what your skills are worth' - despite me currently being paid £5k more and I had been upfront about what I would need to leave at the very start.


A lot of the time I don't think agencies even read CVs - I work in law but no where does it say on my CV I am a qualified Solicitor, yet I used to get put forward all the time for roles requiring a qualified Solicitor with 5+ years experience and they seem miffed when I say I'm not a solicitor!


I even had an agency cold call and suggest I put forward my CV for a role. it sounded familiar so I pressed for more info. Was the firm I had left two years prior. There in black and white on my CV I worked there.

On the subject of 'blacklisting' - I've no idea if it really exists but I have been told I am not welcome to apply for jobs via a particular agency. Basically they cold called my house phone, spoke with my partner and wanted to discuss the 'sales job' I had applied for - he said there was a mistake as I don't work in sales. Had a quite short email from the agency then saying how rude my partner had been, and why was I wasting their time applying for a job I wasn't interested in. I politely emailed back saying I hadn't applied for any roles with them, and certainly not a sales job, and I wasn't looking anyway, to which I got an incredibly rude email back saying I was not welcome to use them because I was clearly a time waster!

Personally I've learned over the years to avoid agencies.

From a recruiter point of view though, it makes no odds to me if I have the same CV twice from different agencies (other than a quick scan more to see what's been edited - seriously). If a candidate comes direct and comes via an agency and we want to interview, we just proceed down the route as to whichever came to us first and we make that clear at the outset. I certainly wouldn't think less of someone because their CV came to me twice via different sources.

gettingtheresometime

The danger in this situation is that you won't even get an interview as the company won't want to risk having an argument with the agencies as to who gets the fee