BAD Agency! Most blatent fishing yet, What are your experiences??

[NickFitz]

Sorry Dodgy - couldn't resist that one

[DS23]

You guys are talking sh 1 te. These are NOT definitions of a bad agency.... There have been numerous posts on this forum from guys who are owed thousands of ponds by agencies that will not pay, sometimes the agencies go under. Sometimes the agencies deliberately go under, and write their debts off.

Those are the baddies FFS.

whs

[TheBigYinJames]

When you are looking for a job, it does get annoying when you get timewasted by an agent just fishing for contacts or sniffing around for leads, but bear in mind this is how they might find you YOUR next job, so don't be too hard on them.

My only rule of thumb is I never give out the name of my boss if I'm still actually working there - slimeball agents will nto only cold call them, they will use your name as a shoe-in, so best if that happens after you've left

[Gros]

Very interesting reading this thread.

Just makes me realise how naive and gullible I've been over the last year since I started contracting.

I do tend to fall for people who seem genuinely friendly and take a lot of interest in my personal situation. We have a lovely long chat, then it's only a few days later when I never hear from them again that I realise just much info I gave away during our nice chat.


Having said that, my current agent is a bit of a slime ball, but I really felt he went out of his way to get me the current contract, and there's potentially a decent extension around the corner. In the current market, with as few contacts as I have, I really have to rely on the ones I trust (as much as you can trust any of them!).


Also interesting to see the agency names mentioned. There's two agencies that I now immediately dismiss, and never apply for the roles, no matter how appealing they look. I simply never get a response from them, and when I do try and phone them it's just a blatant fishing exercise. The two are Huxley, and ESynergy.

[Angus]

Been trying to contact Huxley for a couple of days with no luck. Can't be bothered chasing them (they are supposed to be chasing me right)?

Anyway, thanks for the very useful info.

I am wondering now if I can't turn the tide somewhat on the agent. I have an agent who got me a job nearly 5 years ago (so I am not a complete newbie its just that that job turned permanent) and who I quite like and is probably one of the best in a bad bunch. Maybe I can feed all the information and potential jobs I get from other agents toward him so he can present my CV instead of the agent who gave me the lead.

Or is this stooping to the level of the agent and is the kind of thing that will get me kicked of this forum?

[Gros]

All recruitment agents are always 'On the other line' or 'Out of the office right now' or 'In a meeting' unless they tell the receptionist they want to speak to you.

Having said that one rep from a smaller agency did put her direct line on a Jobserve ad, but of course it was engaged forever.

[expat]

Also interesting to see the agency names mentioned. There's two agencies that I now immediately dismiss, and never apply for the roles, no matter how appealing they look. I simply never get a response from them, and when I do try and phone them it's just a blatant fishing exercise. The two are Huxley, and ESynergy.

S3 Group includes the following agencies, not that I am making any derogatory or actionable statements about them:

SThree Management Services Limited
Computer Futures Solutions Limited
Progressive Computer Recruitment Limited
Pathway Resourcing Limited
Real IT Resourcing Limited
M G Resourcing Limited
Huxley Associates Limited
Staff Search Group Limited
Strategic Resource Group Limited
Madison Black Limited
IR Solutions Limited
Conexus Recruitment Consultants Limited
Jobboard Enterprises Limited
Peoplequest Limited
Orgtel Limited
New Wave Resourcing Limited
Progressive Computer Recruitment International Limited
Huxley Banking and Finance Limited
Banking People Limited
Tactical Resourcing Limited
Huxley International Limited
All the Jobs Limited
Computer Futures Solutions Europe Limited
Computer Futures Solutions Deutschland Limited
Computer Futures Solutions France Limited
Computer Futures Solutions Nederland
Computer Futures Solutions BE Limited
Computer Futures Solutions Belgium Limited
Computer Futures Solutions SAS France
Computer Futures Solutions Limited Ireland
Computer Futures Solutions GmbH Germany
Computer Futures Solutions NV Belgium
Computer Futures Solutions International NV Belgium
Computer Futures Solutions Consulting BV Holland
Solutions in Staf?ng & Software BV Holland
Huxley Associates BV Holland
Progressive GmbH Germany
JP Gray Limited

[TheBigYinJames]

Interesting list, I've never worked for any of them.

[Gros]

Interesting list, I've never worked for any of them.

Yes interesting list - I've ONLY worked for agencies in that list!


So they are all effectively one outfit? That explains a lot.

[TykeMerc]

After so many years as a Contractor (Project Management prostitute as a recent permy workmate called me) I've encountered just about all of the above agencies with all of the usual fishing for info crud.

My estimate is of the average 15 agents calls I get a week 14 are fishing for info or CV updates and 1 has an actual role. About 1 in 50 of the actual roles are ones I would consider or are applicable to my skillset and seniority.

The pimps are a spectacularly useless bunch and I wish we could do without them. My last 3 contracts have all been arranged without agencies apart from them being in the payment supply chain.