Employment / Recruitment agencies

[strange6]

Anybody have any dealings with them? I have and I'm not very impressed at all both as a recruiter and as a candidate. My biggest gripe with them is that most of their staff just don't know what they're doing, especially among the specialist agencies. All they seem to be concerned about is putting you into any vacancy and getting their extortionate commission. They never, ever get back to you if you submit your details for a vacancy unless the recruiter want to interview you. More from this insider

http://www.weeklygripe.co.uk/a489.asp

Best applying for jobs directly if you can and cut these people out of the equation

 

[rail-britain]

For some people working for an agency suits them
Equally, from an employers point of view we can have "bodies" to ensure that the quota is met (although typically to the detriment of quality of work)

However, we have found some really good staff through the agency
Up to now they have had to stay with the agency (due to terms of contract) but once they have quit the agency and not worked for some time, we have taken them on directly

There is very little difference between the pay and benefits between the in-house and agency staff
However, there is a big difference in the management positions, and for those reasons we tend to avoid getting agencies involved, but for some positions we really struggle
As a result we have an opt-out with the agency, such that if the person they supply stays with us for in excess of eight weeks they can transfer to us, and we then pay the agency the finders fee (saving us on recruitment, interviewing, training, etc)

As an aside, the agency we currently use is a family owned business and has been very good
The previous one was a large company and they just sent us anyone, in some cases we had to send people away as they had no interest (extremely slow or not even doing the job, reading newspapers, talking on mobile phones, taking excess breaks, arriving late, wanting to leave early, etc)

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Anybody have any dealings with them? I have and I'm not very impressed at all both as a recruiter and as a candidate. My biggest gripe with them is that most of their staff just don't know what they're doing, especially among the specialist agencies. All they seem to be concerned about is putting you into any vacancy and getting their extortionate commission. They never, ever get back to you if you submit your details for a vacancy unless the recruiter want to interview you. More from this insider

http://www.weeklygripe.co.uk/a489.asp

Best applying for jobs directly if you can and cut these people out of the equation

Yes I know what you mean, I have just been made redundant after working for one firm for over 21 years, the firm went into administration, some of the jobs I am being offered are just not suitable inspite of my full detailed CV and conversations I have had with them about what I have being doing for all these past years and what I can and can not do. Here's hoping for the big one to come up on the lotto soon.

 

[tempests1]

Speaking from personal experince the railway recruitment agencies I have used are totally useless, everytime I have my CV to them I may as well have not bothered, they only contact you again if the employer wants to interview you. You recive no feedback. I must have applied for twenty or so jobs in the last year through agencies & only once did I get rung back for an Interview. If you do waste your time ringing them to chase things up. They may tell you the person that has got an interview has worked with the company before:roll: but others may have a totally different experience of them?