What agents really think of IT contractors

[russell]

This is one agents response though, your thread title seems to want to use broad brush with this against all agents. To be honest your email was very provocative to what is a spam email most contractors get.

[terradev]

Viva la revolution!

Agents have lost the plot in recent years, they seem to have grown way out proportion compared to the clients and contractors they are supposed to represent (neither of which are getting good value). Just look at how many agents are listed in the Jobserve recruiter directory.

One piece of legislation change and they're all fecked, I want to see fee transparency as it pisses me off knowing how much they are taking the piss. It certainly pissed the perm boss off too when we discussed the disparity between what they pay and what the contractor gets.

Im all up for us contractors fighting back, we need to enmass decide to not work through agents. Id love to see the look on their faces when employers bypassed them to hire direct. Pipe dream I know but a world without agents is as close to heaven as I'll ever get....

[terradev]

This is one agents response though, your thread title seems to want to use broad brush with this against all agents. To be honest your email was very provocative to what is a spam email most contractors get.

Agreed Ive had some good agents, but I've met more bad ones. The trend towards having a total lack of integrity is definately on the rise though. I find it depressing that you think this is ok becuase everyone gets similar emails. The only thing worse than them treating us like dupes is convincing us that its ok to do so. Sure I was peeved in my email but this was addressed to me, open CC'd to other people who now have my email address and was somewhat the proverbial straw rather than an isolated incident. I'm sure the good agents out there are as naffed off with these people as I am.

[TiroFijo]

[
My response :

> Why don't you try actually working for a living like the rest of us?
> Ever wondered why you have no loyal clients, maybe its because they
> can spot a useless snake like you from a mile away. All I can say is
> that as a contractor and a hirer of contract staff I am getting sick
> of having to deal with this crap. Be assured you and your company
> are off the list of people I will work with and I will be passing
> this on to my friends so they know to avoid you too. One day you
> are going to push us too far and we are going to replace you with
> some snazzy AI software. You're nothing but a parasite.
>
> Please take me off your contact list.
[/QUOTE]

Personally I can't see the point of you replying to him, I would have deleted his email then thought no more of it (after all you're hardly going to change their way they operate). Dealing with agents you are always going to get the usual tricks etc they use to try and get new clients and one must learn to give it no more than a simple delete or the appropriate polite refusal to any phishing calls. The agent is right, the last laugh is on you.

[cojak]

No naming of individuals in this thread please.

[Scrag Meister]

Indeed, both are as likely as me marrying Pippa Middleton next week.

Oh congratulations Tyke, ahhh I see what you did there.

[GillsMan]

Personally, I wouldn't have had a massive problem with the email. Of course, I don't like the practice, but at least he's up front with his fishing. It allows me, as the recipient, to make a decision as to whether or not I want to spend/waste any time on it. Far worse, is agents fishing serrupticiously, yacking on about roles that don't actually exist, wasting valuable time.

Gotta be honest, having read the email, the OP's response and the agent's response, I don't think any of them coming out looking particularly brilliant (though at least the OP has some scruples I suppose).

[DodgyAgent]

Agents have lost the plot in recent years, they seem to have grown way out proportion compared to the clients and contractors they are supposed to represent (neither of which are getting good value). Just look at how many agents are listed in the Jobserve recruiter directory.

One piece of legislation change and they're all fecked, I want to see fee transparency as it pisses me off knowing how much they are taking the piss. It certainly pissed the perm boss off too when we discussed the disparity between what they pay and what the contractor gets.

And given what contractors earn do you think anyone is going to look upon them as exploited "victims"

[DodgyAgent]

Im all up for us contractors fighting back, we need to enmass decide to not work through agents. Id love to see the look on their faces when employers bypassed them to hire direct. Pipe dream I know but a world without agents is as close to heaven as I'll ever get....

So each individual contractor would do their own business development? How would that business model work then?

[MarillionFan]

And given what contractors earn do you think anyone is going to look upon them as exploited "victims"

At the end of the day all agents would sell their grandmother for a lead.

Which reminds me Dodgy, she wanted me to say Hi!