Do agencies lie in their contract postings?

[SpontaneousOrder]

I've been surprised recently with the number of agents who contact me and tell me who the client is straight up. And often when I check their website out and look at the careers age it looks like it;s probably legit.

[TheLordDave]

Ah computer futures. apply for the role the agent will call you, pump you for info, insist you have been put forward, then refuse to answer your calls or reply to your emails. I just send all their email messages to the spam folder these days.

[Bluenose]

Ah computer futures. apply for the role the agent will call you, pump you for info, insist you have been put forward, then refuse to answer your calls or reply to your emails. I just send all their email messages to the spam folder these days.

Sadly, this is my experience with CF as well.

[Andy Hallett]

And Andy can you kindly lead us to at least two instances in the last 20 years that the toothless regulatory bodies have sanctioned companies or people for fictitious advertising or other breaches of employment agency regulations (excluding gang master offences)?

I doubt you can because, despite being hounded by government for all sorts of perceived 'crimes', particularly concerning tax, contractors are a singularly UNPROTECTED species. We cannot (through lack of funds usually but also because of lack moral support from our elected representatives-MPs) even hope to successfully sue agents or clients for frequent and rampant offences.

Not even do we hear of the agency bodies ejecting members.....Why? it can't be because they are all so clean ... can it?

Not every agency is clean, but the agency bodies do have some decent codes of conduct which their members have to follow. We are members of APSCo and are bound by their code on the website. I am quite sure we'd be booted if we flouted it.

Ah computer futures. apply for the role the agent will call you, pump you for info, insist you have been put forward, then refuse to answer your calls or reply to your emails. I just send all their email messages to the spam folder these days.

Sadly, this is my experience with CF as well.

I am really sorry to hear this. Please PM names of consultants who you believe do this. As I have always stated, if I know about it we'll deal with it.

[TheFaQQer]

<offtopic>Did you know that there's an Andy Hallett that works at Computer People? He keeps sending me irrelevant jobs</offtopic>

[No2politics]

Sadly, this is my experience with CF as well.

This is also my experience with computer futures.

[psychocandy]

Fair play for Andy coming on here like this.

However, IMHO, its the individual agent who is usually the ones who pull they're funny games.

I had real hassle a few years ago with some twat at an agency and ended up speaking to area manager about the issue. (Some agent swore at me - called me an unprofessional p@ick who thought I knew it all - because I insisted the contract get sorted before I turned up on client site).

I get the impression that they are mostly left alone to their own devices by management at the agencies as long as they are bringing in the wonga. The management then try to say that its not on and they would never do that blah blah blah but I think they know the score and turn a blind eye.

Deniability and all that. Tell agents not to do it, they do anyway, and they know it. If it all kicks off, blame individuals.

[BolshieBastard]

I know for a fact a contract for a 'greenfield build' with a well known north west university was first advertised before Christmas. The post was supposedly filled. Then the post was advertised again early in the New Year when the incumbent supposedly had to leave urgently due to a 'serious family illness.'

Interviews took place and suitable candidate selected as they could start the next day. 2 weeks later, the same role is advertised again. This time on permie terms.

Yesterday, I saw the same role is being advertised on jobswerve again on a contract basis, again.

All the adverts are placed by the same named agency contact.I'll avoid her in future. I just dont believe this sequence of events particularly the last advert. The agency must be lieing especially over the last advert and they've been economical with the truth at best about what has gone on from day 1.

[northernladuk]

(Some agent swore at me - called me an unprofessional p@ick

Good to know there are a few agents out there that do know what they are doing...

[No2politics]

This is also my experience with computer futures.

In the interests of fairness thought I would you know that computer people called me today with what would seem a genuine role. Well they gave me the clients name anyway.

I guess the CV harvesting they did last year using fake jobs may have been worth it after all.