Recruitment agencies - name, shame (and praise)

IEG

Sadderday wrote: »

It pretty much is my first experience. Why do large companies that employ a HR team still opt to use agencies, anybody know?

Because for HR people, recruitment is only a small part of the job, they deal with all sorts of issues. Some companies dont have the databased as big as agencies to pick people from or they dont have access to irishjobs or monster. They havent got the time to fill all jobs themselves. And mainly they dont want to go through the piles of unsuitable cv that candidates send in. All the dirty work is left to us

L.Jenkins

Won't be conducting business with CPL from now on, for this one.

...Essentially I've been out of work since September. I've worked for IBM and Yahoo. I've trained in College as a Software Developer and worked on Financial Applications marketed to large Multimillion euro trading companies across Europe.

So I have the experience and I can prove it along with a couple of additional years experience as a Contractor and Freelancer. Que email response from a recruiter blasting me and my experience, similar to image provided. The recruiter went as far as calling me fúcking useless without saying it. I was told to stop applying through recruitment agencies and go directly to hiring managers or join a Graduate program. I've been working in the area of Software Development and IT since 2009....

L.Jenkins

I must be having all the bad luck lately when it comes to looking for a job. Yes I didn't word my initial message well, but the reply is uncalled for also, as you'll notice that the smart árse is Head of IT Recruitment.

gambit83

name and shame, that's what this thread is for

Mr. Incognito

IEG wrote: »

Because for HR people, recruitment is only a small part of the job, they deal with all sorts of issues. Some companies dont have the databased as big as agencies to pick people from or they dont have access to irishjobs or monster. They havent got the time to fill all jobs themselves. And mainly they dont want to go through the piles of unsuitable cv that candidates send in. All the dirty work is left to us

I'm sorry but if they don't want to go through CVs they should find another job.

Job recruiters are parasites. HR are just fixed parasites.

Mr. Incognito

Itzy wrote: »

I must be having all the bad luck lately when it comes to looking for a job. Yes I didn't word my initial message well, but the reply is uncalled for also, as you'll notice that the smart árse is Head of IT Recruitment.

I'd find his company CEO on linkedin and forward that linkedin mail to him and let him know what his HR staff are doing.

L.Jenkins

Lets just say I 'was' dealing with Felix Recruitment.

irishguy1983

Itzy wrote: »

I must be having all the bad luck lately when it comes to looking for a job. Yes I didn't word my initial message well, but the reply is uncalled for also, as you'll notice that the smart árse is Head of IT Recruitment.

I find it so hard to believe this actually happened.

how could someone be head of recruitment and do this??? I know recruiters are cowboys but this is too much!

L.Jenkins

I thought his account may have been hijacked, but I received a mail of apology and a phone call. The man is a human being and this sort of shíte is not beyond the realm of possibilities.

Caliden

He's probably keeping an eye on this thread.

Mr. Incognito

Caliden wrote: »

He's probably keeping an eye on this thread.

IF I was him I'd be hoping his boss isn't.

compo1

the_syco wrote: »

For future reference, you may need to reword what you did on your CV, as some people will assume Dunnes equals retail, and not customer service...

Subsequent to this, I applied for a back office vacancy with Abtran, again through la Crap; sorry, La Creme.
I got called for an interview, at La Creme's office on Lapps Quay. Half-way there, I got a call telling me that Abtran had decided, on the grounds that I failed to be employed for the customer service position earlier, that I was "totally unsuited" to back-office work, but an "excellent fit" for custmer service.
Work that one out!

ABajaninCork

compo1 wrote: »

Subsequent to this, I applied for a back office vacancy with Abtran, again through la Crap; sorry, La Creme.
I got called for an interview, at La Creme's office on Lapps Quay. Half-way there, I got a call telling me that Abtran had decided, on the grounds that I failed to be employed for the customer service position earlier, that I was "totally unsuited" to back-office work, but an "excellent fit" for custmer service.
Work that one out!

La Creme all over I'm afraid. I bet it wasn't the client who said this either. Out and out liars and totally unprofessional...

Legend2014

just so ye know guys, abtran are owned by the same people that own LA crème or maorgan McKinley as theyre known now!

ABajaninCork

Legend2014 wrote: »

just so ye know guys, abtran are owned by the same people that own LA crème or maorgan McKinley as theyre known now!

Interesting...Do you have a source?

Legend2014

its the same family that own both Abtran & Morgan McKinley, hence all the recruitment folks in Abtran are La Crème/ Morgan McKinley folks.

Eoin

Itzy wrote: »

I must be having all the bad luck lately when it comes to looking for a job. Yes I didn't word my initial message well, but the reply is uncalled for also, as you'll notice that the smart árse is Head of IT Recruitment.

Um, but you're the one that used the correct spelling!

SPM1959

Job hunting at the moment and have found Sigmar and Manpower to be especially bad i.e they don't reply to emails or calls. Avoid.

Vego

Firstaff ...quite bad

CatFromHue

SPM1959 wrote: »

Job hunting at the moment and have found Sigmar and Manpower to be especially bad i.e they don't reply to emails or calls. Avoid.

The rule with agencies is that if you've to chase them they're not interested.

If they're interested they'll hound you!

SPM1959

CatFromHue wrote: »

The rule with agencies is that if you've to chase them they're not interested.

If they're interested they'll hound you!

I'm learning this the hard way.

ShaShaBear

Anyone have any dealings with FRS Recruitment? OH has an interview later this week and we've had serious trouble with a few different agencies before.

scheister

Came across this thread and really need a vent. Have been trying to find work for the last year since i finished college. Have been dealing mainly with 2 agencies one claims i am a priority case but have failed to get me an interview yet. I have seen a few jobs on their site that match what i am applying for but when i ring the company i have been told the job is another part of the country i said i was willing to travel did not make a difference. On another occasion the company had decided to recruit the job themselves but was still listed on the agencies website

A more recent one is with agency where i applied for one job did an online test for it was told i passed the test but the job was on hold but they had another job that might suit me. I went for interview for this but the feedback from the interviewer to the agency was that i was more suited to the 1st job. So i was told a date for the interview would be known by the end of the week, that was 3 weeks ago. I have rung twice since to be told that she should know by the end of the day and still heard nothing. The only time i have a positive story about getting a job with an agency i was offered the job myself but as it was an agency job had to register with them.

fret_wimp2

Not going into too much detail but i have had pretty regular dealings with a few recruiters over the past 6 months and here are my best and worst (at least from an IT Industry perspective):

Best:
Eolas - very professional. Dont call too much, but make each call count. dont pester you with roles that have nothing to do with your CV. Asked my expectations and didnt keep trying to push roles on me offering less than I wanted. Eolas put me forward for 2 roles, i got offered the two roles and took one. Great to deal with and are what recruiters should aim to be like.

Good:
CPL. I know some people dont agree, but I found them pretty good.
They dont call or spam email. They did try to push jobs that offered lower than my expectations, trying to say i could get more in the role after a year (never believe that). They only tried this once though. They made a good effort. If Eolas hadnt found me a role, im pretty sure CPL would have.


Not So Good:
Computer Futures: Spam spam spam. Emailing completely unrelated roles in fields that have nothing to do with my experience, offering less than half my asking rate, as many as 3 times a day. Tried to remove myself from their mailing list but kept getting an error. Had to ring them up to get it sorted.
Also had issues with them before trying ot claim the finders fee in a role i found myself ( because i had a brief chat with one of thier recruiters at one stage)


Recruit First:
Not a lot of dealings with them, all i see is spam ( 3 mails a day) often unrelated to my field of experience.


Unsure:
Real Recruitment: They call a Lot, more than i would expect. Their roles were mostly applicable though. They did continually try to get me to lower my package expectations as they didnt have any jobs that matched. In contrast, Eolas asked once if i was willing to lower my expectations, i declined and that was the end of the issue. I think they could have found me a role, if they were not so pushy about me taking the roles they had there and then, rather than looking for the right role for me.

sebcity

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Not So Good:
Computer Futures: Spam spam spam. Emailing completely unrelated roles in fields that have nothing to do with my experience, offering less than half my asking rate, as many as 3 times a day. Tried to remove myself from their mailing list but kept getting an error. Had to ring them up to get it sorted.
Also had issues with them before trying ot claim the finders fee in a role i found myself ( because i had a brief chat with one of thier recruiters at one stage)

I agree with this.

dani27

Another review for La Crap. I have been in there three or four times over the past few years and down the excel and word test with them. I applied for a job a few weeks ago but didn't realise it was through them. I got an email from La Crap saying I wasn't suitable for the role but to please come in and register and meet them. I emailed back saying that I'd already been there and signed up with them three times previously. I got an email to say that she could see that I'd meet up with FOUR of her colleagues in the past 2 years and to still come in to register WTAF!!!

daheff

I've applied to numerous 'jobs' that The Panel have advertised. Every time without fail (that they bother to acknowledge my application) I get told that the role is no longer being actively recruited (why put up a job advert), its on hold (why continue to advertise it?), sorry you are too late its gone to the next round of interviews (really? and you've advertised this today??) etc etc etc


and these are roles that I would be perfect for (if they existed). The frustration of it all really does my head in...wouldnt deal with these guys again.

Have to say that most agents are like this though.....and i usually only get called for a role thats nowhere near where i want to work or a role thats totally unsuitable for me.

starlit

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Not going into too much detail but i have had pretty regular dealings with a few recruiters over the past 6 months and here are my best and worst (at least from an IT Industry perspective):

Best:
Eolas - very professional. Dont call too much, but make each call count. dont pester you with roles that have nothing to do with your CV. Asked my expectations and didnt keep trying to push roles on me offering less than I wanted. Eolas put me forward for 2 roles, i got offered the two roles and took one. Great to deal with and are what recruiters should aim to be like.

Very mixed from them not had much dealings with them.

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Good:
CPL. I know some people dont agree, but I found them pretty good.
They dont call or spam email. They did try to push jobs that offered lower than my expectations, trying to say i could get more in the role after a year (never believe that). They only tried this once though. They made a good effort. If Eolas hadnt found me a role, im pretty sure CPL would have.

Not dealt with them but they did do a talk one time when during my career search.

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Not So Good:
Computer Futures: Spam spam spam. Emailing completely unrelated roles in fields that have nothing to do with my experience, offering less than half my asking rate, as many as 3 times a day. Tried to remove myself from their mailing list but kept getting an error. Had to ring them up to get it sorted.
Also had issues with them before trying ot claim the finders fee in a role i found myself ( because i had a brief chat with one of thier recruiters at one stage)

They drove me bonkers with jobs that were unsuitable. I emailed them to get me off their list and stop alerts and so they did.

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Recruit First:
Not a lot of dealings with them, all i see is spam ( 3 mails a day) often unrelated to my field of experience.

Not used them

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Unsure:
Real Recruitment: They call a Lot, more than i would expect. Their roles were mostly applicable though. They did continually try to get me to lower my package expectations as they didnt have any jobs that matched. In contrast, Eolas asked once if i was willing to lower my expectations, i declined and that was the end of the issue. I think they could have found me a role, if they were not so pushy about me taking the roles they had there and then, rather than looking for the right role for me.

Not sure if I have dealt with them.

Mainly dealt with Harvey Nash, Bridgewater, Chase and Morgan McKinley and Irishjobs, recruit Ireland and a few others. The worst i've dealt with was Bridgewater, the same person rang me twice in the space of two days asked me the same questions I was ready the second time he rang. Haven't hear back since neither from Harvey Nash they rang a few times but not got back to me. Another place Quality recruitment not great. They contact you ask for CV give it to them and not experienced enough why bother asking for CV then!

My profile on other recruitment sites show my work history. Its irritating that some of them ask for CV and then don't really want it and others want to put you forward for jobs that aren't suited. They only look for buzz words in CV but likewise they not much help. Irishjobs and Morgan McKinley have been the only decent ones i've dealt with bar one job not advertised online or with company recruiter wanted to do an interview. Another time was asked to do interview but I was just in middle of exams they didn't want anything more to do with me cause I hadn't my degree at that point!

I'd rather use gradireland or other sites to be honest even the college job boards are better. Fas/solas are pointless never got anywhere with them. Publicjobs.ie has been the only site other than a few others i've had better dealings with. Its better to apply directly to companies and businesses.

neoblazzer

daheff wrote: »

I've applied to numerous 'jobs' that The Panel have advertised. Every time without fail (that they bother to acknowledge my application) I get told that the role is no longer being actively recruited (why put up a job advert), its on hold (why continue to advertise it?), sorry you are too late its gone to the next round of interviews (really? and you've advertised this today??) etc etc etc


and these are roles that I would be perfect for (if they existed). The frustration of it all really does my head in...wouldnt deal with these guys again.

Have to say that most agents are like this though.....and i usually only get called for a role thats nowhere near where i want to work or a role thats totally unsuitable for me.

Anybody else with similar or different experience regarding “The Panel“ recruitment?

Axel Lamp

neoblazzer wrote: »

Anybody else with similar or different experience regarding “The Panel“ recruitment?

I haven't used them myself so can't comment on the uselessness (or otherwise) of their service but would agree that they seem to advertise the same 'job' constantly and I mean constantly (especially in professional/trade magazines).... Which would seem to just be a mechanism for cv/candidate harvesting.

Blazer

Have to give great praise to Morgan McKinley.
I took redundancy from my previous job about 10 weeks ago and was just taking it easy as I haven't had a summer off since I was about 14 (25 years ago)
Applied for a job in some place in Cork and heard nothing more about it but another agent within the agency company (Morgan McK) rang me to tell me of another position within another company and that he thought I was perfect for the role due to my IT experience. Gave me a lot of tips/information on how to handle the interview process etc and got a callback for a 2nd interview which he again gave me details on the type of information they'd be looking for.
Rang me yesterday to confirm that I got the job which actually pays me more than my previous job did. Can't praise the guy enough for his professionalism and all the help he gave me.


IT is one of the very few industries out there that's still going strongly in Ireland so I was lucky in that regard. When I had applied for redundancy I was aware of this before pushing the button as to speak so was fairly confident of getting another job.

duffman13

Anyone here used excel? Any experiences either good or bad appreciated.

Annie1008

Has anybody got any experience with Reed in Dublin?? Got a call from a recruiter there and meeting them next week, just want to know if they are any good! Thanks...

Naggins

This may sound stupid, but how do you approach recruiters with Your cv?

L.Jenkins

Annie1008 wrote: »

Has anybody got any experience with Reed in Dublin?? Got a call from a recruiter there and meeting them next week, just want to know if they are any good! Thanks...

I'm baffled, why would a recruiter want to meet you in person?

Tarzana

Blazer wrote: »

Have to give great praise to Morgan McKinley.
I took redundancy from my previous job about 10 weeks ago and was just taking it easy as I haven't had a summer off since I was about 14 (25 years ago)
Applied for a job in some place in Cork and heard nothing more about it but another agent within the agency company (Morgan McK) rang me to tell me of another position within another company and that he thought I was perfect for the role due to my IT experience. Gave me a lot of tips/information on how to handle the interview process etc and got a callback for a 2nd interview which he again gave me details on the type of information they'd be looking for.
Rang me yesterday to confirm that I got the job which actually pays me more than my previous job did. Can't praise the guy enough for his professionalism and all the help he gave me.


IT is one of the very few industries out there that's still going strongly in Ireland so I was lucky in that regard. When I had applied for redundancy I was aware of this before pushing the button as to speak so was fairly confident of getting another job.

I found Morgan McKinley good in that they were really quick to get back to me to tell me I didn't have what they were looking for. That might seem like odd praise but in this situation a lot of recruitment agencies will either put you forward anyway or ignore you entirely.

Tarzana

Itzy wrote: »

I'm baffled, why would a recruiter want to meet you in person?

My boyfriend was prepped for an interview by a recruiter last year. Got the job too.

on_my_oe

Itzy wrote: »

I'm baffled, why would a recruiter want to meet you in person?

They go through your CV verbally (looking for 'white lies'), check your documentation, look over your personal appearance, and then if you look like you're on this side of normal and are capable of basic written English and maths, they may put you on a short list. The short list is the potential pool of candidates that may be interviewed by the client.

In short the recruiter is the gatekeeper to the real decision maker.

Annie1008

They want to meet me to go through my CV and take documentation and do a couple of tests before they put me forward... Has anyone used them before? Would love to have an idea of what they are like before I go, she seemed really knowledgable and helpful on the phone but have had this from recruiters before and after you meet them you never hear from them again.. Just want to see if reed are the same, don't want to waste my time... Thanks!

SPM1959

I have recently started a new job and had discussions this week where we agreed I will have to recruit a couple of more people to work in my unit. We are looking for very specialist skills so will need to get a recruitment agency/consultant to help us recruit. Based on my own experience in the last couple of months, there are numerous agencies I will ensure won't get this contract.

Recruitment agencies should realise that the above will happen if they continue to treat job seekers with a lack of respect, courtesy and professionalism.

Tarzana

^^^^^^^

Isn't a lot of the problem that a lot of recruitment consultants simply aren't knowledgeable enough in the area in which they are recruiting to find and put forward qualified, suitable candidates?

DeepBlueOcean

I am an unemployed HR Manager and have been searching for work for 10 months - I can confirm that agencies are absolutely useless. I have secured 5 interviews in that time!! Sick of hearing that I'm "too experienced".

This may sound bad but I cannot wait for the day when I draw up a PSL again. I know exactly which agencies will NOT be included. For 13 years I listened to agencies as an employer and I am ashamed to say I swallowed the **** they fed me. As a candidate of 10 months......I have seen the light.

ldavis

recruitment agencies are really condescending. I mean I haven't work in accounting in 4 years. I lost my job and started to study the professional qualifications. I have being working in the leisure industry as a way of paying my bills. I have passed 13 out of 14 exams. Any, at job fair for accounting, the recruitment agent says, you have no experience, we won't deal with. I go, where do I get experience, he says do an internship or jobridge. I get angry, I say, im far too experience for jobridge, I also say, If quit my job on the health and leisure how do I pay my mortgage. He goes silent

fguihen

ldavis wrote: »

recruitment agencies are really condescending. I mean I haven't work in accounting in 4 years. I lost my job and started to study the professional qualifications. I have being working in the leisure industry as a way of paying my bills. I have passed 13 out of 14 exams. Any, at job fair for accounting, the recruitment agent says, you have no experience, we won't deal with. I go, where do I get experience, he says do an internship or jobridge. I get angry, I say, im far too experience for jobridge, I also say, If quit my job on the health and leisure how do I pay my mortgage. He goes silent

You say your too qualified for the job bridge scheme, the recruiter says you are not. Unfortunately, if you are getting this from all recruiters, then they are probably being honest with you. What jobs are you applying for, and do you have the experience they are looking for?

And when you ask the recruiter how do you pay your bills on jobs bridge, that's unfair. He/she is trying to tell you how to get the experience to qualify for the jobs you are applying for, it's not their business to worry about your mortgage. That's your personal problem, don't try to make it theirs.

allibastor

DeepBlueOcean wrote: »

I am an unemployed HR Manager and have been searching for work for 10 months - I can confirm that agencies are absolutely useless. I have secured 5 interviews in that time!! Sick of hearing that I'm "too experienced".

This may sound bad but I cannot wait for the day when I draw up a PSL again. I know exactly which agencies will NOT be included. For 13 years I listened to agencies as an employer and I am ashamed to say I swallowed the **** they fed me. As a candidate of 10 months......I have seen the light.

What agencies have you been working with.
Some I have dealt with in the past have been ok, some shocking.

A big problem I know find with agencies is just there is so much competition in the market with too many agencies that the staff are either young people in their 1st or 2nd role and don't know much about anything, or else the recruiter isn't a specialist in the area of recruitment for the particular role, so cant offer much more than if the person matches 100% the role as given from the job spec.

I do work in recruitment and I do try my hardest to not only read the CV and cover letter, but also to match what the person can do with a small bit of training. For the years I have been in recruitment I have never seen someone be able to walk into a job and do it 100% from day one, there is still a lot to learn about the role and company, and many companies and recruiters don't seem to realise this.

NipNip

allibastor wrote: »

What agencies have you been working with.
Some I have dealt with in the past have been ok, some shocking.

A big problem I know find with agencies is just there is so much competition in the market with too many agencies that the staff are either young people in their 1st or 2nd role and don't know much about anything, or else the recruiter isn't a specialist in the area of recruitment for the particular role, so cant offer much more than if the person matches 100% the role as given from the job spec.

I do work in recruitment and I do try my hardest to not only read the CV and cover letter, but also to match what the person can do with a small bit of training. For the years I have been in recruitment I have never seen someone be able to walk into a job and do it 100% from day one, there is still a lot to learn about the role and company, and many companies and recruiters don't seem to realise this.

Can I send you my cv?
An old boss of mine once asked me when did I believe you knew everything about a role. My response was that you're usually three months before you have a full grasp of what is going on, both in terms of the specifics of the role, but nuances such as office politics, how colleagues operate etc but that you're always learning. I find it absolutely hilarious that a lot of employers these days seem to prefer grads rather than experience. Like as if a degree will give them some notion of what is going on, day one..

allibastor

NipNip wrote: »

Can I send you my cv?
An old boss of mine once asked me when did I believe you knew everything about a role. My response was that you're usually three months before you have a full grasp of what is going on, both in terms of the specifics of the role, but nuances such as office politics, how colleagues operate etc but that you're always learning. I find it absolutely hilarious that a lot of employers these days seem to prefer grads rather than experience. Like as if a degree will give them some notion of what is going on, day one..

It is always something I say to ANYONE, either client or candidate.

I am big believer that if given the right training and mentoring anyone can do any job within three months.
But I agree, it does take about three months in any job to get the different styles of company operations, reporting procedures, client handling etc.

One thing I have seen nowadays, mainly with sales roles, is that a company will want you to come in with an established client list already from previous employer.

Unfortunately the job market wants very instant results from new candidates and doesn't seem to notice the HR side of it and human potential. Many people might not be the best at role from day one, but in 2-3 months could be much better at it than someone who is great day 1 and then never improves.

And as someone with 7 years of College degrees, MA etc. and work experience, if you have one the employer will want the other.

DeepBlueOcean

I am registered with 15 dublin based agencies - there are only about 3 I would recommend and they are; Wallace Myers, Brightwater and Morgan McKinley.

Each of the recruitment consultants with the above mentioned agencies have significant experience and bags of cop on. They are very professional and don't suffer from amnesia like some of the others!!

Stay away from CPL - they are a disgrace to deal with. They adopt a superior attitude & rarely return phone calls....so frustrating.
Executive Edge - lazy approach.....rarely return calls.
HRM - rude, superior attitude, suffer from short term memory problems.

I know that it's up to me to make the calls etc but at this stage I feel like a creepy stalker!!!!

NipNip

Osborne Recruitment, CPL, Adecco, Pauline something or another. Not even the manners to tell you that you were not successful, never mind letting you in on 'why'.

Tarzana

Wouldn't rate Wallace Myers. The one consultant I talked to from there went on with the whole "Don't talk to other agencies" crap and was a total bullshítter.