Contractors - Your Turn!!

[privateeye]

I work very few PSL roles - on the occasions that I work on a PSL then yes I will often give out the client name.

the vast majority of my work is all new business - real sales - not just sourcing candidates for business somebody else has won.

You need to understand that many recruiters refuse to name the client and instead insist that contractors name everywhere their cv has been put forward - we know this is just a tactic to get sales leads etc and that is why a lot of contractors don't respond in your favour. If there wasn't so many people trying to cheat us we would not be in this position. Contractors have to be on their guard all the time.

[IT contract agent]

You need to understand that many recruiters refuse to name the client and instead insist that contractors name everywhere their cv has been put forward - we know this is just a tactic to get sales leads etc and that is why a lot of contractors don't respond in your favour. If there wasn't so many people trying to cheat us we would not be in this position. Contractors have to be on their guard all the time.

you need to understand that working likes this makes the contract world go round - I may get you a job that another candidate has given me the lead for. Likewise I may place another candidate in a lead I picked up from you. I always tell contractors why I'm asking what they've got on - I've no issue with that. There is nothing underhand in what I'm doing

[Town&CityConsulting]

you need to understand that working likes this makes the contract world go round - I may get you a job that another candidate has given me the lead for. Likewise I may place another candidate in a lead I picked up from you. I always tell contractors why I'm asking what they've got on - I've no issue with that. There is nothing underhand in what I'm doing

I concur, despite the obvious barriers between agents and contractors, they do work hand in hand. for example, I had a contractor today that gave me some companies he had worked for as he thought it would help other contractors, and he is right, that could be someones next big contract, he then proceeded to tell me a company he wants to work for but they only use agencies, so I have put him forward for a role, cmon guys, we scratch each others back whether u like it or not.

[privateeye]

you need to understand that working likes this makes the contract world go round - I may get you a job that another candidate has given me the lead for. Likewise I may place another candidate in a lead I picked up from you. I always tell contractors why I'm asking what they've got on - I've no issue with that. There is nothing underhand in what I'm doing

You might do this with honest intention but many do not, I have to protect my interests and ensure my CV is not duplicated etc. I have been a victim of a recruiter deliberately sending my CV to a client he already knew it was received. The intention was to destroy my chances there so I would take his potential offer in preference. The IT Director called me to query what was going on. It might make the contract world go round for you but as you see it can be used to great effect to ruin my chances.

Only last year someone from a certain group wanted to put me forward for a role I was already submitted for and I simply said that. They found out from the client that I was to have a telephone interview and at what time. The recruiters response was to start phoning me 10 mins prior to the interview time and keep on ringing asking pathetic questions to stop the interviewer getting through to me but they failed - as I have two phones. That's two examples of recruiters trying to destroy my chances by having information and using it wrongly.

All some of us contractors are doing is defending ourselves against those recruiters who try to destroy our chances, unfortunately those good recruiters get caught in the flack.

You can rest assured that the client knows when they want a contractor and will approach the recruiters of their choice to do a search so the claim that the recruiters are making this market is not quite right. If you didn't get the job someone else will and those recruiters will come to us so we don't need to give the information to make contracts for someone else - it makes the receiver of the information happy but makes no difference to the giver of the information.

I actually give recruiters information that have built up long term working relationships with me and who if they do not have the work give me pointers to where I may find it. In short a trust has built up. I will not just give information to any stranger that calls.

The real big failing here is the one question I have never been asked at an interview or whilst on a contract - What do you think of the recruiter and the recruitment process? I do not know of one client that asks for that feedback, if only they bothered to listen we could rid ourselves of bad recruiters as I'm sure clients would not wish to use a recruiter that constantly gets bad feedback.

[DodgyAgent]

there are reasons why we don't tell candidates who the end client is

I would be interested to hear exactly what these reasons are. My own view is that the reason why contractoes are not told is because the agency only has a flakey relationship with the client.

The only reason that I can see for not giving a name is if the client is recruiting for a project and does not want people to know that the project is about to happen. In this case there is no harm in just explaining this to a contractor when you put him forward.

[IT contract agent]

I would be interested to hear exactly what these reasons are. My own view is that the reason why contractoes are not told is because the agency only has a flakey relationship with the client.

The only reason that I can see for not giving a name is if the client is recruiting for a project and does not want people to know that the project is about to happen. In this case there is no harm in just explaining this to a contractor when you put him forward.

Are you an IT agent????

Its the first time you have worked with a candidate - there is no trust there, and all we have done is speak for 20 minutes on the phone about a job - I know nothing else about him - I have relationships with contractors who will milk recruiters for info and then call me with the lead - the guy I have spoken to for 20 minutes may have a similar relationship with other agents

[IT contract agent]

You can rest assured that the client knows when they want a contractor and will approach the recruiters of their choice to do a search so the claim that the recruiters are making this market is not quite right. If you didn't get the job someone else will and those recruiters will come to us so we don't need to give the information to make contracts for someone else - it makes the receiver of the information happy but makes no difference to the giver of the information.

There are unfortunate clients out there, I'm sure, who don't know I exist - however I can do for them what other agencies may not be able to. (provide quality candidates in a niche area)

Many clients use PSL agencies - PSL agencies may work for HR but are often not great for the Hiring manager. PSL agencies working low margin business with an account manager who will one day work a PM role and the next a junior Java dev role with a testing role tomorrow.

Like you do your job I do mine - and that is to call and sell to clients

[DodgyAgent]

Are you an IT agent????

Its the first time you have worked with a candidate - there is no trust there, and all we have done is speak for 20 minutes on the phone about a job - I know nothing else about him - I have relationships with contractors who will milk recruiters for info and then call me with the lead - the guy I have spoken to for 20 minutes may have a similar relationship with other agents

Yes I am a recruitment agent, however the relationship that I have with clients is such that I either have exclusive business or it is a PSL. Of course if you are in the body shop business then I suppose there is a need to be utterly anal about who your client is. - Very much the S3 model, not our game.

[kramer]

***duck Low Flying Handbags****

[privateeye]

There are unfortunate clients out there, I'm sure, who don't know I exist - however I can do for them what other agencies may not be able to. (provide quality candidates in a niche area)

Many clients use PSL agencies - PSL agencies may work for HR but are often not great for the Hiring manager. PSL agencies working low margin business with an account manager who will one day work a PM role and the next a junior Java dev role with a testing role tomorrow.

Like you do your job I do mine - and that is to call and sell to clients

So you are not on the PSL? - is that why you also don't like to name the client? Just interested in if these two are both linked