Agent - can you explain his actions?

[BrilloPad]

It is probably a breach of industry conduct code e.g. REC but it is a case of can you prove it?

Also if you can, the only way to drive home that the agency has screwed up is for that agency to lose the account with that company. This means the OP has to complain to the hiring manager. The hiring manager in turn needs to tell HR. However as recruitment processes are suppose to look "fair" on paper this may cause a problem unless the OP is in a minority group which none of the other candidates fit.

Very few companies care. The only one I ever came across was Goldman Sachs. I discovered about 40 contractors were being ripped off by Modis(year 2000) by 15%. HR politely asked Modis to give us the 15%. They declined. GS threatened Modis with losing the global account. We got the 15%. A few Modis sackings.

I am sure there are other companies that care.

[SueEllen]

Very few companies care.

The OP was a shoe in for the role. That's hardly a fair recruitment process so the hiring manager isn't going to say anything unless the OP is for example is transgender of either gender and all the other candidates were cis-male.

[pauldee]

No laws broken. There are no industry conduct codes. As people taking contracts via businesses(not employees), fewer rules apply.

If you can't do your research and get conned, go back to being a permie.

Yes but what do you suggest? Id has been demonstrated that the "my mate said it was in the bag" trick doesn't work, and following up with the hiring manager is dependant on the fact that you know who the hiring manager is and that he or she will be receptive to potential candidates bypassing the agent to contact them.

[northernladuk]

Just to play devils advocate here. There is the fact that the OP wasn't the only one that looked a dead cert for the role. I make sure when my CV goes in it looks like the spec has been written just for me and I'm the perfect candidate as I am sure many do.

I'd suggest the OP could be underestimating the competition.

[Lance]

I called the agent who said that he could only submit two people and I wasn't one of them: the others had come in last minute and were a better fit in his opinion (despite the role description being written for me).

I suspect the agent could also be lying about his lie.
Here's another scenario.
1. You contact agent and provide your perfect CV for a role they are advertising.
2. They've already sent their 2 CVs in so you're too late.
3. Agent wants to block you so he lies at this point
4. When you chase it's easier to lie about your CV being not quite right than to admit to have totally misrepresented that they were to going to submit it.

That to me seems more understandable but still a t***t's trick.

[psychocandy]

The agent already had already filled his quota of applicants (who were probably cheaper, as Mal said) and so he lied to you so that you wouldn’t go to another agent to spoil his candidate’s chances.

cojak is spot on. He prefers to get one of the other two into the role. You might be a shoe in but hes confident he can get one of these two in. Of course, he thinks you're out of the picture now.

No agent is ever going to tell you he hasnt submitted you.

[uk contractor]

Seems a bit odd tbh.

Surely an agent completes the deal asap with you, the guaranteed applicant, ahead of candidates from other agencies and moves on to his next role?

You should have phoned your mate and said "agent x has my cv, if you don't receive it let me know".

Edit: you got the role anyway so I suppose it doesn't matter. Wonder if someone at agency made a mistake, e.g. The guy you told you knew the client was off and someone missed the note on your file

I never got the role it went to another agency who lowballed their quote so their candidates were £150-170 a day cheaper. By the time the hiring manager saw my cv the role had already been offered to another candidate so I was already out of the picture. The (junior) agent I had to go with made a basic mistake & also compounded the error by going on holiday without handing over to a colleague as he assumed I was a shoe-in (despite his quote being too high & 2 other agencies undercutting him by 25-30% ). It was a tragic comedy of errors all round really I made sure the senior management at the agency also knew they had blown the potential up to 24 months revenue stream as well & it seems the junior agent is no longer working for them as a consequence of this

[billybiro]

Agent - can you explain his actions?

Agent blatantly lied when he said he had submitted me for a role when he hadn't.

His actions are explained thusly: He's an agent.

[billybiro]

Had no choice as HR insisted on going via an agency on their PSL. I found out AFTER not before my friend just assumed like I did the agent sent the CV to the hiring manager so both of us did nothing to hassle him over why no interview request as obviously did not want to rock the boat as my friend is still onsite. We both assumed to trust the agent big mistake I know but they cannot all be blatant pathological liars can they...............!!!

[Stevie Wonder Boy]

The OP was a shoe in for the role. That's hardly a fair recruitment process so the hiring manager isn't going to say anything unless the OP is for example is transgender of either gender and all the other candidates were cis-male.

What is "fair" about the hiring process ...lol... - Why should it be "fair"?

The purpose of this whole dog and pony show is to identify a candidate who can do the role. If the hiring manager personally knows you, you are available and happy with the rate and role then why bother with anything else?