Newbie queries agency tactics...

**TheBigYinJames** · 15 October 2008, 07:37

Originally posted by kanulondon View Post

As it happens I ended up applying for the same role with 2 different agents.

Don't. It pisses off the end client, and it makes you and the agency look desperate and/or stupid.

**TheVoice** · 15 October 2008, 07:41

Sounds like Agent A is your best bet - Agent B sounds like the sort of company I love to hate!

**Pete Cullen** · 15 October 2008, 07:42

Exactly, it's a big no no going through two agencies for the same job. You'd be better off telling Agency B you have already been put forward for the job and moving on.

**kanulondon** · 15 October 2008, 08:04

Originally posted by TheBigYinJames View Post

Don't. It pisses off the end client, and it makes you and the agency look desperate and/or stupid.

Thanks for the advice all..

Maybe I didn't make it clear, but I was only every put forward for the role by Agent A, I did apply for the same role on two job boards (they were worded slightly differently)

May have to stay away from Agent B in the future.....

Also can I ask whether people phone up agents after applying for roles? Also do you go to town with covering letters (or is that a permified concept?)

I have phoned up a couple of times and got a luke warm reception...

**pmeswani** · 15 October 2008, 08:24

Originally posted by kanulondon View Post

Thanks for the advice all..

Maybe I didn't make it clear, but I was only every put forward for the role by Agent A, I did apply for the same role on two job boards (they were worded slightly differently)

May have to stay away from Agent B in the future.....

Also can I ask whether people phone up agents after applying for roles? Also do you go to town with covering letters (or is that a permified concept?)

I have phoned up a couple of times and got a luke warm reception...

I don't bother with covering letters when dealing with agencies. If they can't be asked to read my CV.... either

1) they have filled the position.

2) have too many applicants that they wouldn't even bother reading the cover letter any way.

3) fishing.

There are a number of other permutations (sp?) that can be covered on why covering letters shouldn't be provided. If you are applying for roles directly, then that is a different matter altogether.

I did try and call a few agencies here and there before applying for the role, whenever I got a frosty impression, I guessed that they were really fishing for CV's.

To answer the original post, agency B should be avoided as they are just fishing for your CV.... and as agency A has already put your CV forward, puting another CV forward that is different is not a good idea. However, I would never promote the idea of making things up on ones CV, as you will get found out.

**stingman123** · 15 October 2008, 08:24

I've never used a covering letter - it's all in the CV, if that's not good enough ( and in 10 years of contracting it always has been) then there other jobs out there, if the agency insist on acovering letter, get them to do one.

**MPwannadecentincome** · 15 October 2008, 10:38

Originally posted by Pete Cullen View Post

Exactly, it's a big no no going through two agencies for the same job. You'd be better off telling Agency B you have already been put forward for the job and moving on.

This is fine if you know one agent has already put you forward. Until you get to that point it is still worth applying for the same job through multiple agents as you do not know which agent is actually going to get the CVs shortlisted in time and through to the client - many a time I have had the excuse back that "My CVs were not looked at as they started interviewing from another agent's CVs"!

**TheBigYinJames** · 15 October 2008, 10:57

Originally posted by MPwannadecentincome View Post

This is fine if you know one agent has already put you forward. Until you get to that point it is still worth applying for the same job through multiple agents as you do not know which agent is actually going to get the CVs shortlisted in time and through to the client - many a time I have had the excuse back that "My CVs were not looked at as they started interviewing from another agent's CVs"!

The trouble is there are two types of agent in this scenario:

1. The agent with a working relationship /preferred status with the end client
2. The agent looking to speculative punt your CV at an open role

You have to make sure you know which one is which.

If you have two preferred suppliers and they both send your CV, they with both be very angry, because it makes them look stupid to the client. Worse than that, they will have tried to send a small number of highly relevant CVs, and since one of these spaces is immediately dismissed by the client as a repeat, you are impacting his business. Unfortunately, these may be the very agents who may decide NOT to send your CV when they said they would, since their preferred status guarantees that one or some of their contractors will get placed anyway, and they may be trying to make another preferred contractor of his look cheap/better by comparison. The only upside is that preferred suppliers usually tell you they are, and ask that you tell other agents you are already being represented, but apart from that you never know if your CV is being used to upsell someone else's, but that's business. Do NOT pee off preferred suppliers, because in some sectors that's the only way to work there.

The other type of agent is your speculative agent who has scanned the open jobs going, does a keyword match on your details and wants to have a punt with your CV. Since they are not preferred suppliers, they know your CV will have to compete with all the other unsolicited CVs, but he has no special relationship with the client, so doesn't care if yours gets sent a dozen times, he's lost nothing, and it's worth a punt. They'll quite happily send your CV in without checking if yours is already there.

Meanwhile, the end client (which I have been on a few occassions, so I know how it works) gets a few tailored CVs from his preferred suppliers, who get the first choice at interview if they are good. The 200 speculative CVs sent in by agents may get a paper sift to get them down to 5 or so to look at more closely. Or they may all get binned. Trying to get 200 down to 5 means you get pretty arbitrary about what annoys you - you perhaps bin all the ones who don't live nearby, or you bin the ones who have less than 3 years skills. You especially bin the ones you have seen before, and before, and before.... it looks desperate to be applying through all those different agencies.

Either way, it is a BAD IDEA.

**NotAllThere** · 15 October 2008, 12:37

Originally posted by kanulondon View Post

...Agent B phones me up an hour later, but they put on the YTS Office monkey who asks about 10 stupid questions ...A few hours pass

Get a call from Senior Account Manager at Agent B

YTS Office monkey trying a different regional accent.

Newbie queries agency tactics...