Agents call

[Ltd]

I always found it hard to answer 20 agents' calls a day in office hours. Even worse, agencies are probably have unlimited resources to keep calling everyone once they find a keyword in your CV they downloaded from somewhere 10 years ago.
How do you manage that? Do you ignore calls in office hours, do you answer all 20 a day no matter what your client thinks about it? If you do answer them how do you answer the questions on your current and expected rate and other things you are reluctant to discuss in proximity of client's ears? Do you not provide your phone number at all?
Yes, you can have a separate sim card and a second phone in your pocket and switch it off when you are not looking for a new contract. But what if you are looking for new one but still need to complete an existing one?
Another thing, agents send you email every time a single keyword matched between your CV and Junior PHP tester position so you end up with 50 emails a day and just 0.1% of them are useful. Do you spend an hour a day reading them all?

[northernladuk]

20 a day? Haven't we had this discussion? Lol... I certainly get no where near this number of calls or mails. I do get the random roles that don't match my CV at all which is always a but odd so appreciate it happens.

Are you looking for a gig? If not why would you answer then?

[jmo21]

If I am not looking for a role, I don't answer my phone unless the caller is in my phone book and I need/want to answer. (if it's urgent they can leave a message and I'll call back)

If I AM looking for a role, I'll decide based on what's happening around me, and I'll step outside to take the call. I will usually be pretty abrupt in order to try and figure out whether it is a real role, or just a fishing exercise.

If I don't answer, I'll happily listen to any voicemail left, if they sound genuine, I'll immediately try and call back, or wait a little while.

[gigahoe]

If you're not looking at the time then answer your phone and you can just say "No thanks" or that you're not currently looking without offending the client (unless they're very old school and don't like you being on your phone at all).
When you are looking but are still on site how you handle will depend on how your office looks. I've been lucky that I've always worked places where there are a fair few rooms that I can slope off to to take a call. It's not the most subtle thing, and if you're doing it 20 times (really?!) then they may get funny but once or twice a day could easily be thought of as just taking personal calls.
I certainly wouldn't brazenly sit at my desk and shout my contract end date down the phone!

[Ltd]

(if it's urgent they can leave a message and I'll call back)

Well, I used to have a voicemail on my recruitment sim card but one third of agents are incapable of leaving their name and phone number properly, another one third are not available at the time I call them back, and the rest start asking the questions - who are you, when did I call you and can you read me your CV aloud over the phone.
So voicemail has no benefit in dealing with agents, they can only remember you if your CV is now on their table or if they are close to getting their commission.

[BolshieBastard]

If you're getting 20 calls a day, then your preferred rate is way too low. Everyone will chase the bottom feeders.

[Ltd]

If you're getting 20 calls a day, then your preferred rate is way too low. Everyone will chase the bottom feeders.

90% of those who call probably do not care about rate, sometimes I think all they need is to check box that they have made 100 calls so their manager is happy.

[northernladuk]

Am I the only one that doesn't get these volumes then? I still find it a tad hard to believe unless something is fundamentally wrong.

[FatLazyContractor]

How do you manage that? Do you ignore calls in office hours, do you answer all 20 a day no matter what your client thinks about it?

You understand that you are not a permie and hence you don't have a line-manager, do you? Besides, why would you answer calls at your desk when you know it is an agent?

I, personally, would walk away from my desk to a more "secure" place and have my discussion. No agent (who can distinguish between an elbow and an arse) will say NO if you ask them to wait online for a moment.

If you do answer them how do you answer the questions on your current and expected rate and other things you are reluctant to discuss in proximity of client's ears

You NEVER tell them your current rate unless you want to have a back foot in "negotiation". End of. For the rest of it, refer to my previous point.

Another thing, agents send you email every time a single keyword matched between your CV and Junior PHP tester position so you end up with 50 emails a day and just 0.1% of them are useful. Do you spend an hour a day reading them all?

You just ignore. Part and parcel of the process.

HTH

[FatLazyContractor]

Am I the only one that doesn't get these volumes then? I still find it a tad hard to believe unless something is fundamentally wrong.

Guess you have some company here. I don't remember getting more than 4 or 5 calls a day.

I think it comes down to capabilities and we both are pretty useless. Like .... just saying!