Agency requesting passport / references etc with no concrete job interview lined up !

[The Agents View]

To the letter of the law, we should be taking references before even putting you forward to roles - this is what the regulations state. The reality is that most of us don't - I only bother when the client has specifically asked me to do so up front.

Why is there such an issue with agencies pitching to your previous client? Surely an agent worth his salt is another route in to the client for you? Plus - you don't work there any more, why do you care? If your relationship is that good with your line managers, they'd call you before an agency anyway - so it's a win win situation surely? Line managers are thick skinned, they can tell sales people to s0d off, plus - most of this information will be freely available on LinkedIn etc, so there's little point in hiding it?

Just thoughts really.....

[badzilla]

To the letter of the law, we should be taking references before even putting you forward to roles - this is what the regulations state. The reality is that most of us don't - I only bother when the client has specifically asked me to do so up front.

Why is there such an issue with agencies pitching to your previous client? Surely an agent worth his salt is another route in to the client for you? Plus - you don't work there any more, why do you care? If your relationship is that good with your line managers, they'd call you before an agency anyway - so it's a win win situation surely? Line managers are thick skinned, they can tell sales people to s0d off, plus - most of this information will be freely available on LinkedIn etc, so there's little point in hiding it?

Just thoughts really.....

I can't believe you actually believe this deep down. Must be tongue in cheek.

I am a freelance Line Manager / Project Manager / Programme Manager and have in the past offered to act as a reference for contractors who have worked for me. I won't do this anymore due to being inundated with agencies pitching at me.

They call to ostensibly check the reference of so-and-so, and barely before I have confirmed my name and position, they have moved on to try and sell me their agency. Now for a good friend I may accept one or two of those calls, but when I have received 6+ in a busy week, I am at the end of my rope with them.

My feeling is it is a betrayal of trust from my ex-colleague to scatter my name as a reference like confetti. It should be cherished and not bandied because every time I receive such a call my response to the agency is going to be diluted. If the agency calls me on a bad day when I am knee deep in preparation for a board level presentation and highly stressed, they really will get short shrift and my ex-colleague won't be reported on in glowing terms. That's human nature.

Being a freelance Manager myself, I too need references and I would under absolutely NO CIRCUMSTANCE WHATSOEVER give an agency a reference until a job offer is on the table i.e. something legal and written - not vapourware spoken on the phone. If the agency can't accept this, fine I'll move on to one that will.

'Line Managers are thick skinned' - ah so we are a different species from the rest of humanity and should be treated differently, eh? With disdain or disrespect?

'most of this information will be freely available on LinkedIn' - really? I have chosen not to be a part of any social network due to privacy issues. I suspect more and more people will follow suit in the future when they see their personal data compromised or used against them.

[MaryPoppins]

To the letter of the law, we should be taking references before even putting you forward to roles - this is what the regulations state. The reality is that most of us don't - I only bother when the client has specifically asked me to do so up front.

Why is there such an issue with agencies pitching to your previous client? Surely an agent worth his salt is another route in to the client for you? Plus - you don't work there any more, why do you care? If your relationship is that good with your line managers, they'd call you before an agency anyway - so it's a win win situation surely? Line managers are thick skinned, they can tell sales people to s0d off, plus - most of this information will be freely available on LinkedIn etc, so there's little point in hiding it?

Just thoughts really.....

You don't need it from us then, eh.

[Fred Bloggs]

You don't need it from us then, eh.

+1

[The Agents View]

+1

It's a fair point... but we definitely aren't psychic, so you kinda need to tell us who you've worked for, so that we can do our jobs......


I don't need references to develop business....I need referees to take references....shock horror!

[The Agents View]

Anyway - could someone PLEASE help me find Pega developers? this is driving me bonkers!

[MaryPoppins]

I don't need references to develop business....I need referees to take references....shock horror!

That's not a shock, I would expect any agency to get references from my previous agencies.

[pmeswani]

To the letter of the law, we should be taking references before even putting you forward to roles - this is what the regulations state. The reality is that most of us don't - I only bother when the client has specifically asked me to do so up front.

Why is there such an issue with agencies pitching to your previous client?

Because if we have a good working relationship with our previous client, we wouldn't want to ruin it by giving it out to Agencies, especially where clients have a PSL.

Surely an agent worth his salt is another route in to the client for you?

That doesn't make sense. If we have a good working relationship with our previous clients, they will contact us directly (or via the agency that got us the gig) to get us back in.

Plus - you don't work there any more, why do you care?

Because often or not, we will have a good working relationship with our previous clients, and would like to maintain it.

If your relationship is that good with your line managers, they'd call you before an agency anyway - so it's a win win situation surely?

If line managers did that for me, they would get me in via agencies I have worked for in the past, one of their preferred suppliers or through an agency of my choice.

[QUOTE=The Agents View;1184868]
Line managers are thick skinned, they can tell sales people to s0d off, plus - most of this information will be freely available on LinkedIn etc, so there's little point in hiding it?

Yep. They are thicked skin, they will tell us to p*ss off if they found out that we referred some agent to them.

Just thoughts really.....

[northernladuk]

Nicely put from pmeswani. I would go along with those.

The other aspects I would add in are...

When giving an agent you previous managers/contacts details there is the issue of the agent then trying to do a selling job on him as well and not stick to the topic of my reference.

Pmeswani comes from an angle of maintaining good client relationships. I have been on two gigs where I was imposed on a team of permies that despised me for no other reason than being a contractor. I would not be happy an agent speaking to my ex manager as he will not give me a fair or unbiased reference, almost to the point of lying just to get the last twist it. Even if you got on well there is no saying you will get a fair reference.

[The Agents View]

That's not a shock, I would expect any agency to get references from my previous agencies.

And exactly what professional value do you get from that?

If I'm taking a reference for you, I want to take one from someone who you've worked for, not the spotty oik who administers your contract.....

Personally (and I doubt I speak on behalf of every agent), the use of references is extensive - it not only gives me confidence in representing you (in order to avoid nasty surprises and upset clients) and also adds meat to my sales pitch.

I can sell you, but I've not got direct experience of you working for me. You can sell you, but you also have a vested interest in getting the gig (as do I) so you can BS it. A completely impartial view, means that you can back EVERY glitzy bit of sales pitch up, with someone who has no vested interest in getting you the gig - think about it, and you realise that actually, it can be the difference between getting the gig, and not - assuming you have an agent who is able to make this a reality......