Recruitment Agencies Are Useless!!

A question about : Recruitment Agencies Are Useless!!

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?

Best answers:

• For starters, well done on the job! (I have just started a new one myself, after waaaay too long on JSA..)
  I guess the agencies have so many people after a job, they would only contact candidates who tick ALL the boxes in a job spec..
  To people still looking- DON'T EVER GIVE UP!
  
  its worth tweaking your cv on the various listing sites,to 'refresh' your details to the top of any search.. (Reed, monster, totaljobs, jobsite, cv-library etc).
  also-
  add any 'job wanted' ads you have put online to the Google submission page - www.google.com/addurl
  and pimp yerself (job wise only!) on twitter, facebook, linkedin..
• Its good advice but it is the fault of the agencies. The company I have accepted the job with said they received over 200 applications and they chose to interview me and one other. If they thought my CV ticked all the boxes why can't the agencies see it!
• People really need to realise what they are getting into when it comes to recruitment agencies. When you were at uni, remember those people who coasted into a 2:1 or 2:2 and couldn't get a job with their chosen field or any other decent professional job, well the ones that took the first thing that they could find, that's who you have working in recruitment agencies. Here's a trick for you. Google the name of the recruitment person followed by their recruitment company name. Guarantee that they'll have a public Facebook page along with LinkedIn details for all to see. You'll quickly realise that you've been dealing with some wannabe student who never grew up and couldn't get a real job.
• Recruitment agencies aren't there to get you a job. They are a business who make money by placing somebody in work, soonest. They will often have an agreement with an employer to send a short-list of about 3 people for interview. Therefore, once they've found the best 3 that they can contact/are good enough for interview, that's the end of working on that role as they're then on the phones to try to drum up more business.
  Once they've got their "3 people who we could get in contact with first and who sounded on the phone like they could do the job to an employable standard" they've moved on.
• I signed up with the 2 local agencies back in January when I was made unemployed, to date they have done exactly nothing for me, not even 1 days temporary employment, When I phone them "We have nothing at the moment" yet you see them listing jobs, when you enquire about the jobs "Oh thats gone" it never bloody existed to begin with, I'd love to know how they make money at this rate.
• typical 15-20% comish, on perm jobs, and screwing temps with low rates of pay, yet charging the firms they're placed at much higher-
  I saw my OWN temp fee invoice once, which had a Ј4 an hour markup (plus vat) = Ј160 a WEEK, to the agency.. i had very good rate of pay for the job, so wasnt that bothered..
  easy money.. for a making a few phones calls?!
• Lots of comments about recruitment agencies. And agree with most on here. Its all about meeting targets to keep their jobs. They will send CVs or register candidates just so they can tell their manager they have hit their target for that month. When you regsiter, they want all the information of where you've applied, and who you dealt with, so they can basically poach that company for themselves. If they think you are not sure about a role, they will not put you forward, they want a guaranteed margin you see by placing someone who they know will take the job and can do the job.
  Just so you are aware, there are some companies who will find your details on a jobsite and send it to their client without your permission, this is a breach of Data Protection laws and they should not be doing this.
  If they think you are unreliable, i.e. if you have previously had interviews, been offered a job and decided not to take it (which you are well within your rights to decline), they record this on their system and dont ever call you again. Some of the big recruiters do this, even recruiters like Hays.
  If you are really dissatisfied with a recruitment agency follow their complaints procedure (not that the branch managers are bothered really) because they dont want their divisional managers to find out! If unhappy with their response complain to the The Recruitment & Employment Confederation, any agency registered should follow a code of practice, available on the site,The REC also accepts complaints in regards to individual Members of the Institute of Recruitment Professionals (IRP) e.g. recruitment consultants.
  
  Also, useful but very lenghty legislation:The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 on legislation.gov. uk
  If enough people complain about poor service from recruitment agencies and consultants, the industry will have to change and start doing much much better!
  Good luck !
• Another dodgy recruitment agency to watch out for, again website appears to lack any kind of real information and poorly written. No mention of company no. anywhere on the site (am sure Ltd co's are supposed to post this on their site and letters?!)
  They don't have a clue about Agency Workers Rights (AWR) or how to pay their candidates once placed. They don't have a payment facilty, but don't tell you this until you're in a position where you have been offered a role and are more than likely to accept. Appear very unprofessional, pushy, and then start using bullying/threatening tactics, unaware that in a court of law they don't have a legal leg to stand on! They operate in an unethical manner telling you pay rates they have put other candidates forward for. Stay well away!
• ... that once day perhaps the candidates that they have messed around and given poor customer service to, may one day be in a position where they are looking for staff, and they will be going to ones that have given the best service. They also forget that candidates tell their colleagues and bosses which agencies and consultants are the better ones and which ones to stay away from. I have worked for a number of employers where I have had this exact disscussion with senior managers, who are in a position to recruit, so it works both ways. Don't forget to mention to your bosses, Directors, Heads of Dept which ones are the lousy consultants, becuase they do listen!
• I have lost faith in recruitment agencies, you are just a number to them and they ignore most communication with them. I would love to tell them to de-register me but that would be a silly move. Does anyone have any advice on how to make them work smarter for you?
• I have now been unemployed for 4 years for a number of reasons but previously had quite a high flying job in the City. I tried working locally but was made redundant. I have now been looking for a job since the beginning of this year. I specialise in law as a PA. I registered with legal agencies in the City of London but have found that these agencies do not seem to be at interested in people who can do a job, only their commission. They insist that you register and spend your time testing to see if you can do the job you have done all your life. Then you don't hear from them only occasionally after they have tried to send you for jobs that are not either in your area or your expertise or even try with temp jobs for days assignments. I find these places damn insulting. I have worked hard all my life and these agencies have taken hold and act as if they are the be all and end all and are extremely condescending to their clients. They do not help at all. Recently I attained 100 per cent on a test only to be ignored and when chased they said they had not heard anything but I mentioned that I knew that the position had been taken and they had not even kept me informed. My reply, I have been totally ignored by them since. No call, no email, nothing!!! I have lost faith in the agencies because once they were true to their word now it's a case of getting names on their books and if you don't fit the bill, best to ignore you completely. Why don't they do as they promise.
  Yes, I am very angry at these waste of space agencies. I have been employed all my life but companies only go through agencies, and the agencies think they are God. Treat people for what they can do not what you can get from them. I have lost all faith.
  You can only get employed if your CV is passed to the companies but of course if the agency does not think your are suitable you are not put forward and so it is the agency deciding which job is suitable. These places should have some sort of legislation as they discriminate against people and it's not up to the agency to decide which position would be suitable. They are a disgrace and I have absolutely not faith in them whatsoever. I wish I hadn't bothered. I have lost my self esteem and confidence even though I have studied for many years and attained certificates, they seem to stand for nothing.
• Like all industries there are good and bad recruitment consultants, its just a shame that the industry is seen as a stepping stone to a 'proper job' and thus attracts people who dont really want to be there.
  If it wasn't for the good ones I wouldn't have got where I have in my career, they have managed to open doors to organisations and sectors that were firmly shut to me.
• .I was in I.T and I ca tell you now they're "ALL" useless.
  They won't tell if they have or haven't put you forward for a position, they're sales people not I.T so they understand naff all about I.T .
  They only go by buzz words on your CV and almost never read a CV.
  If you haven't been successful they wont tell you.
  The list goes on.
  The problem is companies using them think they're providing a good service... they're not. They're worse than estate agents!
• Course they won't tell you. How many jobs do you think they have listed at a time and how many applicants do you think they get.
  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.
  I work in IT as well and never have a problem with them. It's simple; if you don't hear back then you've been unsuccessful but you don't just apply for one job and wait six weeks before applying for another. Apply for them all and wait till you are successful.