Agent speak

[Mustang]

I am discussing with an agent about a potential new role. He contacted me and seems genuinely enthusiastic over it BUT he

1) won't reveal the client unless I get shortlisted for an interview

2) he wants references prior to interview if I am short listed (I intend to hand these directly to the end client at interview).

Part of me suspects a rat but another part of me thinks this could be all genuine. I am going with the flow for now but I would be interested to hear what you think.

If it is all a fake, what would the agents motivation be?

(Almost) all comments welcome.

[TykeMerc]

He's inherantly a rat, he's an Agent.

He's farming for references as leads. Tell him quite clearly no references until final interview, if he goes away the role's a fake, if it's real then references later is a non issue.

See my last post in the "I just need 2 references" thread, since responding no references until interview as usual (I've seen this at least 200 times) the agent has disappeared totally.

[ratewhore]

1) Fair enough

2) Sounds like you're on the ball enough with that one.

Overall, a healthy sense of cynicism is required at all times when dealing with pimps...

[Turion]

He's a bummer and probably reference scamming. Go with it, but do not supply any references (if, and you almost certainly will be 'shortlisted' for an interview which mysteriously won't happen for some reason )

[pmeswani]

1) Fair enough

2) Sounds like you're on the ball enough with that one.

Overall, a healthy sense of cynicism is required at all times when dealing with pimps...

WHS. The agent who got me the interview for today refused to tell me the client's name until I got shortlisted. If he had asked me for references, I would have made a judgement call and decide whether I should or shouldn't. But I wouldn't give my current client as a reference until I get the job.

[DodgyAgent]

I am discussing with an agent about a potential new role. He contacted me and seems genuinely enthusiastic over it BUT he

1) won't reveal the client unless I get shortlisted for an interview

2) he wants references prior to interview if I am short listed (I intend to hand these directly to the end client at interview).

Part of me suspects a rat but another part of me thinks this could be all genuine. I am going with the flow for now but I would be interested to hear what you think.

If it is all a fake, what would the agents motivation be?

(Almost) all comments welcome.

No agent is going to give up on a "right time" "wants the job" "right skills" "right price" contractor candidate for the sake of references which are not even required until the contractor has landed the job.

Let us get this straight references are no more than "was he there? " and for how long? No agent is going to waste time checking references unless the contractor has got the job and cannot start the contract until the references have been checked.

reference requests are as I have said before provide serious market information- and in the case of most agencies they are now built in to the day to day activities of each recruitment consultant-. All the "GREAT AND THE GOOD" "evangelists" who get paid for trotting out speel of how to succeed in recruitment, are using reference chasing as "the next big thing" for making recruitment agencies succeed.

[expat]

No agent is going to give up on a "right time" "wants the job" "right skills" "right price" contractor candidate for the sake of references which are not even required until the contractor has landed the job.

Let us get this straight references are no more than "was he there? " and for how long? No agent is going to waste time checking references unless the contractor has got the job and cannot start the contract until the references have been checked.

reference requests are as I have said before provide serious market information- and in the case of most agencies they are now built in to the day to day activities of each recruitment consultant-. All the "GREAT AND THE GOOD" "evangelists" who get paid for trotting out speel of how to succeed in recruitment, are using reference chasing as "the next big thing" for making recruitment agencies succeed.

The voice of sanity as usual from Dodgy. Of course he wants references, that's part of his job; but he won't pass by a paying deal for want of them.

As Dodgy also points out, your contacts are serious market information: stop throwing them away. Give them to people you like (i.e. who help you make money).

[Crusoe101]

Yes but

It could be government.

I had a perm role like this and turned out to be a very deep MOD role

[Liability]

I had a good one today

Agent One - Calls and says he has a role in Bracknell and I have the skills that suit. Than asks if I have done any client facing roles? At this point my attitude to him was downhill but I kept with it - told him to refer to the cv during periods "so and so". "Ahhh! Yes - We recruit exclusively for them" Now this bit! WHAT A BLOODY CHEEK. He reels off names that DO NOT EXIST THEIR! With the intention of me YET AGAIN saying "oh no, they dont know me but so-and-so" anyway - moving along we than hit me with the "So who did you work for?" At this stage I ask "Who are you recruiting for their as Ill know them" at which point he pretended to read my CV paused and said "My account manager will be calling you soon".

20 mins later

"Hi, you just spoke to my colleague about a role." To which i explained that no I didnt, he was telling me he had a role to fill and then went off on a tangent. He then followed up with "So who was you working for their?" at this point I asked why he wants to know. He explanation was so that he can check I was their. LOL.

At this point I said I wouldnt work their as their tulip and have have no desire to excel in their market. Fone went down.

These guys are getting really desperate!

[lightng]

He reels off names that DO NOT EXIST THEIR!

Yup, same thing happened to me. To my embarrassment, I gave them a real name and only after five minutes realised what they were doing. That was early days - now I treat all agents with the suspicion that most of them deserve. If I'd read this forum then, I would have been much wiser to their weasel tricks.