Recruitment agencies - name, shame (and praise)

Mr. Loverman

aine92 wrote: »

God, 99% of these reviews are awful, all I want is a crappy part-time job to do me until the summer, who knew it'd be this hard to find one!!

What have you done so far to find one?

john_cork_

adecco. they rang me to do a catering job in one of corks top clothes retailers. i got there and the kitchen was like a shanty. i worked just one day and walked out. there wasnt even an extractor fan in there....... they then rang me and told me i wouldnt be paid. b***ards

Dempo1

Faith+1 wrote: »

It seems they are on Christmas break every day of the bloody week :mad:

Yes it seems a few agencies have ceased trading "One wonders why" ****ers the lot of them!

Dempo1

john_cork_ wrote: »

adecco. they rang me to do a catering job in one of corks top clothes retailers. i got there and the kitchen was like a shanty. i worked just one day and walked out. there wasnt even an extractor fan in there....... they then rang me and told me i wouldnt be paid. b***ards

A good old Adecco, renowned for acting the Bollox and for delaying and or non payment! Avoid like the plague!

Dempo1

aine92 wrote: »

God, 99% of these reviews are awful, all I want is a crappy part-time job to do me until the summer, who knew it'd be this hard to find one!!

Awful but true sadly, I would not be holding my breath dealing with agencies for Part time work. Its hard enough for these companies to fill full time roles let alone part time positions.

Pat McGhee

ABajaninCork wrote: »

I've been on Hays' books for nearly three years now. Not so much as a dicky bird. They were having a Temps reg day, which I went to. Complete waste of time, the competence test they gave me wouldn't work with my browser, but hey! Probably another CV harvesting exercise, but you've still gotta try -right?

Anyway - fast forward to this week. I'd seen a job on another website for which I applied which seemed to done by the employer themselves. Fair enough.

What did I see on Hays' website? The very same job which they've lifted practically word for word!! I couldn't be bothered with the old pony the girl was talking, so I got off the phone quick. Useless doesn't begin to cover it.

Ah well...

I applied to Hays for a job last week - I ticked all the boxes experience wise, etc... FIFTEEN mins later they send me an email to say my application was unsuccessful.

Disgusted...... They're all a scam, I f*cking hate recruitment agencies. I'd avoid them altogether if I weren't so desperate!

Dempo1

Pat McGhee wrote: »

I applied to Hays for a job last week - I ticked all the boxes experience wise, etc... FIFTEEN mins later they send me an email to say my application was unsuccessful.

Disgusted...... They're all a scam, I f*cking hate recruitment agencies. I'd avoid them altogether if I weren't so desperate!

My god, Breaking news! some one at Hays can actually use a computer:D

ABajaninCork

Dempo1 wrote: »

My god, Breaking news! some one at Hays can actually use a computer:D

Well they can't use a telephone! Got another job through whoch sounded suspiciously like the lifted one, they just changed the job title. Decided to call to see if it is indeed the same one. When I asked the question, the line went dead...

CV harvesting anyone?

Dempo1

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Well they can't use a telephone! Got another job through whoch sounded suspiciously like the lifted one, they just changed the job title. Decided to call to see if it is indeed the same one. When I asked the question, the line went dead...

CV harvesting anyone?

Don't these ****s just crack you up. Any predictions on Recruitment agency failures in 2011

needcar

Dempo1 wrote: »

A good old Adecco, renowned for acting the Bollox and for delaying and or non payment! Avoid like the plague!

what experiences have you had with not getting paid? i have worked for them in the past during college and found them great- never missed a pay day?

done4now

I made contact with an CPL agent for since Sept, when I first got in contact with her she wanted to apply me for a job I already had an interview lined up for. Then she got me to call in to see her as she wanted to meet me face to face about a job she might have lined up. I went in to see her and she told me that I wouldnt be getting an interview for that job. I give her one of my friends contacts and she ignores me for a few months while she send him off to interviews. Then out of the blue she rings me again last month about a job and I hear nothing from her until last week. When she wanted me to apply for a job in a small office and the job wanted skill I have no experience in but some how they agreed to meet me and it was only at that point did I get the job spec.

I went to the interview and the guy said to me so you did Java while developing this website . I said told them that shouldnt be there and I must have made a mistake (I felt so bad for such a big mistake on my CV and had only now been pointed out to me now) and showed it on my CV where it was written.

When I got home I check my CV and that line is now in any of the copies on my CV I also doubled checked with the CV I sent to her and it isnt there either. She CHANGED my CV without my consent and LIED on it making me feel like a complete tool on the interview. :mad:

My friend who she sent for ahead of me for interview said to me he would never deal with her again. He also got a job with a massive company by doing the work all by himself.

anndub

RFT Group - sent me for an interview a day late. Unfortunately the job had been offered to one of the other candidates that morning. Afterwards when I tried to recoup travel expenses from my futile 180 mile round journey, the consultant tried to blame the company for giving him the wrong date. He even went so far as to say he was looking at the confirmation email he had recieved from them and that was the date they had said. I asked him to forward me on the email at which point he hung up on me!

Dave!

Dunno if this is the agency or the company who specified this, but look at the requirements for this graduate software developers job:

http://jobview.monster.ie/Graduate-Software-Developers-Job-Dublin-Ireland-95873121.aspx

-A minimum of a 2.​1 honours degree in Computer Science/​Maths/​Theoretical Physics

-A minimum of 450 CAO points in your Leaving Certificate

-Development experience with Java/​C+​+​/​C or a demonstrated interest IT

-ntern experience is a advantageous

-A outgoing, confident, innovative and career minded graduate

-Not afraid of hard work, long hours and a steep development plan

So after you've earned a 2.1 in a 4 year degree programme, your Leaving Cert results are still important? :rolleyes: Idiots

dazberry

Dave! wrote: »

Dunno if this is the agency or the company who specified this, but look at the requirements for this graduate software developers job:

This has been discussed here. It's from the company themselves.

D.

Mr. Loverman

Dave! wrote: »

So after you've earned a 2.1 in a 4 year degree programme, your Leaving Cert results are still important? :rolleyes: Idiots

I personally think 450 points is a lot more impressive than the toilet roll that is a 2.1 degree.

But I agree with your sentiments.

diego ribas

allandanyways wrote: »

Had an interview with FirstStaff where one of their staff members had advertised for a Junior Position and said I was perfect for it, and she would be in touch the next day.

That was 4 weeks ago. I have tried to contact her several times and she is ignoring me. Extremely unprofessional.

I've the same issue with recruiters.ie

Shame as they go to the trouble of organizing an interview with you, tell you that you have a great chance of making the cut and simply ignore you after

salesjobs.ie

While I fully appreciate the frustration many job seekers have with recruiters, my experience from being in IT recruitment for over 12 years and running job boards for the last 8 - I have been able to see this thorny issue from both sides & this is one that gets both parties hot under the collar.

Yes, there are a lot of unprofessional recruiters whose only aim is to make a fast buck & if their reluctant client (who doesn't return their 15 calls / emails !!) is not interested in your Cv, chances are, neither will the recruiter.

Your job as a job seeker is to find the best 5 recruiter's for your chosen career and stick with him / her like glue thru all the years to come-esp when they move agencies - esp with the ones that place you as they believe in you already and know they can make a placement - again.

Your job is also to find those professional recruiters out there - of which there are many - running very very busy desks and under huge pressure to hold onto their own jobs by making placements. So if they don't return calls, DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY - just ring them again in a day - early - then again the next day - late - then a few days later and then kick to touch and move on to the next recruiter - currently 5,000 in Ireland - down from 10,000 a few years back.

Hope this helps,

niall

Dempo1

salesjobs.ie wrote: »

While I fully appreciate the frustration many job seekers have with recruiters, my experience from being in IT recruitment for over 12 years and running job boards for the last 8 - I have been able to see this thorny issue from both sides & this is one that gets both parties hot under the collar.

Yes, there are a lot of unprofessional recruiters whose only aim is to make a fast buck & if their reluctant client (who doesn't return their 15 calls / emails !!) is not interested in your Cv, chances are, neither will the recruiter.

Your job as a job seeker is to find the best 5 recruiter's for your chosen career and stick with him / her like glue thru all the years to come-esp when they move agencies - esp with the ones that place you as they believe in you already and know they can make a placement - again.

Your job is also to find those professional recruiters out there - of which there are many - running very very busy desks and under huge pressure to hold onto their own jobs by making placements. So if they don't return calls, DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY - just ring them again in a day - early - then again the next day - late - then a few days later and then kick to touch and move on to the next recruiter - currently 5,000 in Ireland - down from 10,000 a few years back.

Hope this helps,

niall

My god, are there that many recruiters in Ireland?

Your sentiments help a little but don't resolve the fundamental issues raised throughout this forum regarding the behavior of some recruiters, sadly such behavior is not only to be found in back street operations, some well known and supposedly respects agencies feature in some horror stories. I still fail to see why it is so difficult for agencies to be more honest in their dealings with candidates, surely in this modern age and simple email, return of call or feedback, good or bad would not be too tasking. I find it hard to believe any company is firstly busy but mainly too busy to deal with their candidates (some of whom have gone to great lengths with applications) in a more professional and courteous manner.

ABajaninCork

Take a look at this thread...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056153641

Says it all really!

th3 s1aught3r

They are all scum. It amazes me why so many companies continue to use them, as having a HR department should be able to manage recruitment except in more specialised cases
Dont go near if you can help it

allgirlz

Sigmar- I got a job through them but the lies they told me! Firstly they swore blind on 3 seperate occasions that I would not be subject to the pension levy (I was) when I entered into negotiations about my salary they basically told me that I was financially motivated and that I would want to take a long look at myself. In fact when I bypassed them I was successful in my negotiations. They did not know the job properly and when I pointed out their errors I was called unprofessional. I sent in two written complaints to their CEO but never heard back, I would never deal with them again, shower of chancers!

Dave!

Have had good experiences with CPL so far No jobs yet, but they've given me some good advice and are a nice bunch of people

Ulysses Gaze

th3 s1aught3r wrote: »

They are all scum. It amazes me why so many companies continue to use them, as having a HR department should be able to manage recruitment except in more specialised cases
Dont go near if you can help it

The problem is HR in companies now tend to look after Learning and Development strategy of current employees. God be the days when they were know as Personnel and actually sifted through CV's!

Recruitment Agencies are nothing more than Middle-Men. Uneccessary but somehow have wormed their way into the employment process.

The La Creme thread was shocking. The Principal of the Company comes onto boards.ie to defend her comapny and makes an absolute hames of it.

Jesus, and these people constantly quote the need for 'Professionalism' amongst job seekers?

daredevilfan

I agree why do companies keep using these useless agencies.
I have worked in a lab for over two years and made unemployed!
now when i go for a lab job in pharma labs they tell me i dont have the pharma experience fair enough....... however i know the regulations inside out and working in a clean room requires the extra attention to details. I have a food science degree and i know a load of people with just science and food science degrees are now working in the pharmaceutical industry andjust started recently????
Get this too.... I was told Ireland does not cater for Food Scientists by one crowd?? Is Ireland not a top agricultue and food country in europe??

dazberry

Had dealings with Adecco recently, and this would have been a very positive report until it came to light that they do not give out details of the employer to you until you get an interview. To clarify this you will not know the company your CV goes into, and never will unless you get an interview. This is apparently company policy. Absolutely could not and will not deal with an agency like that.

D.

Dempo1

dazberry wrote: »

Had dealings with Adecco recently, and this would have been a very positive report until it came to light that they do not give out details of the employer to you until you get an interview. To clarify this you will not know the company your CV goes into, and never will unless you get an interview. This is apparently company policy. Absolutely could not and will not deal with an agency like that.

D.

This normal practice and potential employer details are only disclosed prior to interviews being set up. Essentially its because agencies want to retain the position on their books, send their candidates and get the fee! Unfortunately there is one major problem with this approach, there is absolutely no loyalty from prospective employers and they will rightly use a number of agencies to fill particular positions despite agencies bull**** about "Our Client wishes too, Blaa Blaa Blaa. Unfortunately candidates can and do get caught in the cross fire say if they have registered with a number of agencies or in the worse case scenario if the employer advertises the position along side agencies which happens quite a lot.

Another example of shoddy practices by some agencies is them cloning existing Jobs postings by companies, claiming its their client, in some cases candidates will apply directly whilst possibly being put forward by agencies, its happened to me on more than one occasion and leads to a serious conflict of interest.

skimpydoo

I happened to be passing Adecco on Grafton Street a few weeks ago and they had a sign on their door saying they are recruiting temp and contract office staff. I went in to them and enquired about the job I saw. They would not give me any information about the job and I was told to email in my C.V. which I duly did. They got back to me later that day asking me to resend in my C.V. as they could not read it. I did this and heard nothing from them so 4 or 5 days later I emailed them back asking if they had read my C.V., resulting in them calling me to arrange an interview with them.
I went to the interview which mainly consisted of me filling in a form on one of their computers. While I was filling in the form I was shocked at how old it was. I was filling in my I.T. experience and it listed Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, NT, XP and even Dos but no Windows 7 or Vista. Once the form was filled in I then spoke to the girl who I had arranged to meet. She told me unfortunately there were no jobs at the moment. I had a feeling they were just harvesting C.V.'s so I asked her what about the jobs you have advertised on your office window. She replied oh yeah we have to check your references first. She then proceeded to tell me about a girl who had an interview last week with her and that an office job was available that was suitable for her but her references had to be checked out before she could be put forward for it. I was thinking WTF, surly you have other people you could put forward for that job. I said ok feel free to check out my bona fidies. 3 weeks later and I have not heard back from the. I think I will be staying clear of Agencies as they appear to just be harvesting C.V.'s.

Dunston

Anyone had any experiences with these?

Dempo1

Dunston wrote: »

Anyone had any experiences with these?

Never heard of them, but the name suggests stay clear!

Dunston

Dempo1 wrote: »

Never heard of them, but the name suggests stay clear!

Sorry I meant to say Executive Connections

Jollyrogerd

How's this one for size.. failed an aptitude test last year for a specific role. So this month applied for a different role with same agency turns out the same employer,but because I had failed the test last year I would not be considered to go forward even though the job is a perfect fit.The crux is the recruiters not allowing the right talent to proceed to the employer stage. Unfortunately there is no avenue to approach the employer directly. A good friend of mine previously a recruiter for the so called top names told me to go direct if at all possible :mad:

pollypocket10

Jollyrogerd wrote: »

How's this one for size.. failed an aptitude test last year for a specific role. So this month applied for a different role with same agency turns out the same employer,but because I had failed the test last year I would not be considered to go forward even though the job is a perfect fit.The crux is the recruiters not allowing the right talent to proceed to the employer stage. Unfortunately there is no avenue to approach the employer directly. A good friend of mine previously a recruiter for the so called top names told me to go direct if at all possible :mad:

Usually if you have to do an aptitude test it is because the employer requires it, and requires you to pass to be considered for any or certain roles. The recruitment company is paid to make sure that those who do not meet the requirements, don't get through the process and waste the employers time.

Jollyrogerd

pollypocket10 wrote: »

Usually if you have to do an aptitude test it is because the employer requires it, and requires you to pass to be considered for any or certain roles. The recruitment company is paid to make sure that those who do not meet the requirements, don't get through the process and waste the employers time.

I appreciate your point and agree with the validity of aptitude tests. But surely one should be allowed to revisit and attempt again at a later stage for a different position than to be excluded forever more for applying with the company. Isn't it a form of discrimination. It doesn't take into account on the day nerves,unsuitable location which I faced due to have to listen to all the recruitment secretaries chatting about their day and every incoming call during the whole time of the aptitude test. It definitely hampered my chances of performing to the level I know I can achieve.
I trained a guy who got in through the same process so my intelligence level is of the standard to pass.

pollypocket10

Jollyrogerd wrote: »

I appreciate your point and agree with the validity of aptitude tests. But surely one should be allowed to revisit and attempt again at a later stage for a different position than to be excluded forever more for applying with the company. Isn't it a form of discrimination. It doesn't take into account on the day nerves,unsuitable location which I faced due to have to listen to all the recruitment secretaries chatting about their day and every incoming call during the whole time of the aptitude test. It definitely hampered my chances of performing to the level I know I can achieve.
I trained a guy who got in through the same process so my intelligence level is of the standard to pass.

An aptitude test isn't necessarily a measure of your intelligence. Depending on the business of the company they may require you to have a certain level of aptitude in a particular area. The fact that you trained someone who was successful in the test does not indicate that you are more intelligent than he or vice versa and nor does it indicate that you have greater aptitude than them in a particular area.

I am sure that other applicants had the same disturbances to contend with so I don't see your point. You simply weren't what the company was looking for and that is not the fault of the agency or the employer.

There is no evidence of discrimination, you were given an opportunity and failed to meet requirements. Why should the company have to spend resources on giving you another?

Stheno

Jollyrogerd wrote: »

Isn't it a form of discrimination. It doesn't take into account on the day nerves,unsuitable location which I faced due to have to listen to all the recruitment secretaries chatting about their day and every incoming call during the whole time of the aptitude test. It definitely hampered my chances of performing to the level I know I can achieve.
I trained a guy who got in through the same process so my intelligence level is of the standard to pass.

He passed, you didn't, therefore you are no longer eligible.

Anyway, I've had fantastic experiences with Hugh in Brightwater, Lindsay in CPL and a couple of guys in Hays.

Hugh in Brightwater was the agent I dealt with in my last job, and Lindsay in CPL for my current role, couldn't recommend them highly enough, pleasure to deal with, knew their stuff and followed through.

vicshepardnrs

Well said this all-ways happens in case of recruitment agency.I am not going to trust them any more.
_______
Vic
Surveys

R the recruiter

I am a recruiter and am moving back to Ireland to take a job. I have been at this for nearly 10 years so understand how it works. I just wanted to check to see how my firm faired and seems to be well regarded as it has a few positive comments and only one bad. The industry is not perfect by any means and there are some terrible recruiters out there but the good ones make up for it a huge way.
Few tips for dealing with agencies that seem to have been lost on most people.
1 - Our clients control the timeframe - Believe it or not we cannot make a hiring manager make a descision any quicker. If he is interviewing for the next 2 weeks then he wont have an answer until then.
2 - We are busy people. This is not trying to sound selfimportant but calling 4 times and sending 6 e-mials in an hour makes you a stalker not just eager. Ihave always been happy to get back to candidates but some days I cant for one reason or another.
3 - Bad Attitudes always come through - I know that some think recruiters are incredible stupid but actually we meet people every day to asses them and we can pick up on the basics of this guy is very hostile. If you hate the industry, feel it is a chore to come for a half an hour meeting and think your time is much more valuable then mine I will pick up on it. No mater how great you think you are at acting it is not hard to see. If you come across in this way I wont be putting you forward for any job. I will tell you that I dont think you will be a match, wont tell you the company if it hasn't come up and wont be calling you again. It takes about 10 hours of work to get someone from start to the fist day of work so why would I waste my time. If I think you are a dick then so will my client and you wont get the job.
4 - It is a sales job for us - Yes it is commision based but I dont see how this a bad thing. I work to get the placement and the money that goes with it. I work harder on your behalf and it doesn't cost you. I cant see the downside for candidates in this even if some do seem to think we shouldnt get paid.
5 - We back those we think can get the job - Our industry is not HR, it is not careers advice and it is not interview skills and cv preperation. Whilst we can do these if the candidate has the potentail it is not in our job description so dont expect it as standard.
6 - Breaks in communication - If I have no info then I wont call. If some one has been waiting for 2 weeks following an interview I will call, I always chase down my submissions so if this is taking longer expect an e-mail. Day to day communication to see how you are - not a chance. I already work 11-12 hours a day so I am not going to strech out my day any longer.
7 - Emails have no tone apart from that which you apply in your own mind. I have gotten accused of being rude, short and unpleasant in the way I write e-mails. I send quick, concise communications that accuratley relay the information. They are not rude but instead lack any emmotion all together. I also like to keep my phone calls quick and business like so dont be upset if your e-mails is less then 30 words and call less then 30 secs.

I dont believe I am a ruthless, rude and horrible person infact quite the opposite. I understand how frustrationg bad recruiters can be having worked with many over the years. We offer a fantastic and free service so I would advise everyone to use agencies (clearly I am biased) but to watch out for the bad recruiters. Some people have bad attitudes, bad experiences and bad luck with certain agencies that have given sometimes a false perspective. Some candidates I know are good candidates but I cant work with them due to personality clashes thats life but I would ask you to be carefull about posting info unless you are sure it is true.

Best of luck to all of you job seekers its a tough market but starting to change for the better.

Dempo1

R the recruiter wrote: »

I am a recruiter and am moving back to Ireland to take a job. I have been at this for nearly 10 years so understand how it works. I just wanted to check to see how my firm faired and seems to be well regarded as it has a few positive comments and only one bad. The industry is not perfect by any means and there are some terrible recruiters out there but the good ones make up for it a huge way.
Few tips for dealing with agencies that seem to have been lost on most people.
1 - Our clients control the timeframe - Believe it or not we cannot make a hiring manager make a descision any quicker. If he is interviewing for the next 2 weeks then he wont have an answer until then.
2 - We are busy people. This is not trying to sound selfimportant but calling 4 times and sending 6 e-mials in an hour makes you a stalker not just eager. Ihave always been happy to get back to candidates but some days I cant for one reason or another.
3 - Bad Attitudes always come through - I know that some think recruiters are incredible stupid but actually we meet people every day to asses them and we can pick up on the basics of this guy is very hostile. If you hate the industry, feel it is a chore to come for a half an hour meeting and think your time is much more valuable then mine I will pick up on it. No mater how great you think you are at acting it is not hard to see. If you come across in this way I wont be putting you forward for any job. I will tell you that I dont think you will be a match, wont tell you the company if it hasn't come up and wont be calling you again. It takes about 10 hours of work to get someone from start to the fist day of work so why would I waste my time. If I think you are a dick then so will my client and you wont get the job.
4 - It is a sales job for us - Yes it is commision based but I dont see how this a bad thing. I work to get the placement and the money that goes with it. I work harder on your behalf and it doesn't cost you. I cant see the downside for candidates in this even if some do seem to think we shouldnt get paid.
5 - We back those we think can get the job - Our industry is not HR, it is not careers advice and it is not interview skills and cv preperation. Whilst we can do these if the candidate has the potentail it is not in our job description so dont expect it as standard.
6 - Breaks in communication - If I have no info then I wont call. If some one has been waiting for 2 weeks following an interview I will call, I always chase down my submissions so if this is taking longer expect an e-mail. Day to day communication to see how you are - not a chance. I already work 11-12 hours a day so I am not going to strech out my day any longer.
7 - Emails have no tone apart from that which you apply in your own mind. I have gotten accused of being rude, short and unpleasant in the way I write e-mails. I send quick, concise communications that accuratley relay the information. They are not rude but instead lack any emmotion all together. I also like to keep my phone calls quick and business like so dont be upset if your e-mails is less then 30 words and call less then 30 secs.

I dont believe I am a ruthless, rude and horrible person infact quite the opposite. I understand how frustrationg bad recruiters can be having worked with many over the years. We offer a fantastic and free service so I would advise everyone to use agencies (clearly I am biased) but to watch out for the bad recruiters. Some people have bad attitudes, bad experiences and bad luck with certain agencies that have given sometimes a false perspective. Some candidates I know are good candidates but I cant work with them due to personality clashes thats life but I would ask you to be carefull about posting info unless you are sure it is true.

Best of luck to all of you job seekers its a tough market but starting to change for the better.

This is all terribly insightful and perhaps you should consult with some agencies mentioned here. There is no excuse for the continuing shoddy, obnoxious, unhelpful, UN professional, incompetent approach recruitment companies have to candidates generally. I doubt most if not all contributors to this thread need any advice on how agencies should behave, let alone what their role is. I'm afraid it the disgraceful approach to candidates not lack of success in applying for positions that annoys and disgusts people most.

As an aside, i note this was your first post, perhaps consider using your spell checker, it might inspire a little more confidence in candidates.

Faith+1

Dempo1 wrote: »

As an aside, i note this was your first post, perhaps consider using your spell checker, it might inspire a little more confidence in candidates.

No love lost between you and recruitment agencies there Dempo! Lol

Dempo1

Faith+1 wrote: »

No love lost between you and recruitment agencies there Dempo! Lol

LOL, I hate these sanctimonious first posts by so called experts, patronizing people who clearly know from experience what these so called recruitment agencies role should be. You would at least this supposed 10 year veteran of the recruitment sector would take the time to spell check.

No love lost for sure and posts by this clown further add to my love of recruitment agencies! :D

Dave!

Thanks for the advice, R!

You work in IT recruitment by any chance?

I'm registered with 4 agencies now, but no joy so far. Maybe I could send you a CV?

R the recruiter

Dempo1 wrote: »

This is all terribly insightful and perhaps you should consult with some agencies mentioned here. There is no excuse for the continuing shoddy, obnoxious, unhelpful, UN professional, incompetent approach recruitment companies have to candidates generally. I doubt most if not all contributors to this thread need any advice on how agencies should behave, let alone what their role is. I'm afraid it the disgraceful approach to candidates not lack of success in applying for positions that annoys and disgusts people most.

As an aside, i note this was your first post, perhaps consider using your spell checker, it might inspire a little more confidence in candidates.

point taken on the spell checker. I just wanted to put out there that plenty of recruiters are great at what they do, respond to candidates when they have news, don’t lie, and work incredible hard for the job seekers. Personally I have always tried to only put forward those that I know could be successful in a position and not pile cv's in hoping one will stick. The industry has changed in the last few years with many more candidates seeking work. As a result we don’t have the time physically to get back to each and every candidate with more than an auto text response if they are unsuitable.
In terms of how people are treated I would put out that some are a bit too sensitive and already have a terrible preconception. This preconception comes from the terrible guys and girls that make up a percentage of our industry but the point I wanted to make was if this comes across to good recruiters then we can perceive it as difficult and bad mannered and choose not to represent you. This is unfortunate but we do have to play the percentages to a certain degree.

This is a great idea for a thread but I felt when I read through some of it that it was full of irrational and unhelpfull comments made by people who clearly have a vendetta against agencies and hide the positive points people made for some. Comments such as all recruiters are scum and I hope that they all loose their jobs and die are not helpfull and show more about why the poster is has difficulty dealing with recruiters then anything else.

R the recruiter

Dave! wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, R!

You work in IT recruitment by any chance?

I'm registered with 4 agencies now, but no joy so far. Maybe I could send you a CV?

No, I work in Sales and Marketing. I will be starting into my new company in 2 weeks time so thus the reason for being on. Best of luck with the job hunt.

Dempo1

R the recruiter wrote: »

point taken on the spell checker. I just wanted to put out there that plenty of recruiters are great at what they do, respond to candidates when they have news, don’t lie, and work incredible hard for the job seekers. Personally I have always tried to only put forward those that I know could be successful in a position and not pile cv's in hoping one will stick. The industry has changed in the last few years with many more candidates seeking work. As a result we don’t have the time physically to get back to each and every candidate with more than an auto text response if they are unsuitable.
In terms of how people are treated I would put out that some are a bit too sensitive and already have a terrible preconception. This preconception comes from the terrible guys and girls that make up a percentage of our industry but the point I wanted to make was if this comes across to good recruiters then we can perceive it as difficult and bad mannered and choose not to represent you. This is unfortunate but we do have to play the percentages to a certain degree.

This is a great idea for a thread but I felt when I read through some of it that it was full of irrational and unhelpfull comments made by people who clearly have a vendetta against agencies and hide the positive points people made for some. Comments such as all recruiters are scum and I hope that they all loose their jobs and die are not helpfull and show more about why the poster is has difficulty dealing with recruiters then anything else.

I certainly do not agree with the descriptions you refer too but with experience as Both Client and Candidate, my opinions of certain recruiters is as low as it gets and I have to say the image of your industry is in fact getting worse by the week.

BuzzFish

Hey folks,

This is a good forum and having flicked through I just wanted to share my experience with Clarke Recruitment in Naas. I have dealt with Clarke on a number of occasions over the past 5 years and in particular I have dealt with Michael and Stephen.

Both are absolutely straight up and honest in their dealings. If they have something that will fit, they will work hard to get you in the door, if not they will keep you on file and touch base every now and then.

They do not make promises they can't keep which is refreshing.
When sitting and chatting to these guys you get a good sense that they understand what you want from your next role. They interviewed me and found out many of my strengths and weakness's. I got some great advice in terms of that I needed to sharpen up on while also pointing me to what area's of my skill-set I can focus on, and sell.

Overall, I could not recommend Clarke enough and they are really good players in a market full of b/s.

pollypocket10

R the recruiter wrote: »

I am a recruiter and am moving back to Ireland to take a job. I have been at this for nearly 10 years so understand how it works. I just wanted to check to see how my firm faired and seems to be well regarded as it has a few positive comments and only one bad. The industry is not perfect by any means and there are some terrible recruiters out there but the good ones make up for it a huge way.
Few tips for dealing with agencies that seem to have been lost on most people.
1 - Our clients control the timeframe - Believe it or not we cannot make a hiring manager make a descision any quicker. If he is interviewing for the next 2 weeks then he wont have an answer until then.
2 - We are busy people. This is not trying to sound selfimportant but calling 4 times and sending 6 e-mials in an hour makes you a stalker not just eager. Ihave always been happy to get back to candidates but some days I cant for one reason or another.
3 - Bad Attitudes always come through - I know that some think recruiters are incredible stupid but actually we meet people every day to asses them and we can pick up on the basics of this guy is very hostile. If you hate the industry, feel it is a chore to come for a half an hour meeting and think your time is much more valuable then mine I will pick up on it. No mater how great you think you are at acting it is not hard to see. If you come across in this way I wont be putting you forward for any job. I will tell you that I dont think you will be a match, wont tell you the company if it hasn't come up and wont be calling you again. It takes about 10 hours of work to get someone from start to the fist day of work so why would I waste my time. If I think you are a dick then so will my client and you wont get the job.
4 - It is a sales job for us - Yes it is commision based but I dont see how this a bad thing. I work to get the placement and the money that goes with it. I work harder on your behalf and it doesn't cost you. I cant see the downside for candidates in this even if some do seem to think we shouldnt get paid.
5 - We back those we think can get the job - Our industry is not HR, it is not careers advice and it is not interview skills and cv preperation. Whilst we can do these if the candidate has the potentail it is not in our job description so dont expect it as standard.
6 - Breaks in communication - If I have no info then I wont call. If some one has been waiting for 2 weeks following an interview I will call, I always chase down my submissions so if this is taking longer expect an e-mail. Day to day communication to see how you are - not a chance. I already work 11-12 hours a day so I am not going to strech out my day any longer.
7 - Emails have no tone apart from that which you apply in your own mind. I have gotten accused of being rude, short and unpleasant in the way I write e-mails. I send quick, concise communications that accuratley relay the information. They are not rude but instead lack any emmotion all together. I also like to keep my phone calls quick and business like so dont be upset if your e-mails is less then 30 words and call less then 30 secs.

I dont believe I am a ruthless, rude and horrible person infact quite the opposite. I understand how frustrationg bad recruiters can be having worked with many over the years. We offer a fantastic and free service so I would advise everyone to use agencies (clearly I am biased) but to watch out for the bad recruiters. Some people have bad attitudes, bad experiences and bad luck with certain agencies that have given sometimes a false perspective. Some candidates I know are good candidates but I cant work with them due to personality clashes thats life but I would ask you to be carefull about posting info unless you are sure it is true.

Best of luck to all of you job seekers its a tough market but starting to change for the better.

Congrats on the new job! I think you are wasting your time with your post here though. Most on this forum have their minds made up on us recruiters and will not listen to reason.

R the recruiter

pollypocket10 wrote: »

Congrats on the new job! I think you are wasting your time with your post here though. Most on this forum have their minds made up on us recruiters and will not listen to reason.

Thanks, just thought I would stick up a few ideas that jumped out at me. As always with forums the numbers that read are way in excess of those that post so it may be of interest to someone. Now that I am all moved in I have some time to kill and thought I would see if anyone had any questions. I guess not tho. Good to see a good review for Clarkes in Nass. I would sugest that posting what type of job you went for may be usefull.

flash harry

Dempo1 wrote: »

This is all terribly insightful and perhaps you should consult with some agencies mentioned here. There is no excuse for the continuing shoddy, obnoxious, unhelpful, UN professional, incompetent approach recruitment companies have to candidates generally. I doubt most if not all contributors to this thread need any advice on how agencies should behave, let alone what their role is. I'm afraid it the disgraceful approach to candidates not lack of success in applying for positions that annoys and disgusts people most.

As an aside, i note this was your first post, perhaps consider using your spell checker, it might inspire a little more confidence in candidates.

Telling someone to use there spell checker on a forum is the equivelant to chastising them for txt speak and does not in anyway add or take away from the validity or not of their point. I find it very "UN professional" (is this something to do with the United Nations?)

pollypocket10

R the recruiter wrote: »

Thanks, just thought I would stick up a few ideas that jumped out at me. As always with forums the numbers that read are way in excess of those that post so it may be of interest to someone. Now that I am all moved in I have some time to kill and thought I would see if anyone had any questions. I guess not tho. Good to see a good review for Clarkes in Nass. I would sugest that posting what type of job you went for may be usefull.

Very true! I am much more cynical having followed this for a few months but it's refreshing to see an enthusiastic post.

R the recruiter

pollypocket10 wrote: »

Very true! I am much more cynical having followed this for a few months but it's refreshing to see an enthusiastic post.

I wouldnt get to caught up in it if I was you. I have been given champagne and single malts to say thanks for doing a great job on the same days as being blasted out of it by people who I have deemed unsuitable. It all part of the way it works and you just need to have a thick skin and know that you are decent at what you do. I generally like it when people show their true stripes, lets me know I made the right call.