Agencies to avoid....

[cojak]

There is only one agency that I would avoid and that is for their rubbish business model.

I would not reject any agency that could get me a contract, and that includes S3 and Harvey Nash.

In my experience being absolutely clear with the agent how you work (including contract reviews and rate-cuts) shows them that you are a professional and know how this business works.

You just have to puppy-train them as to how they deal with you.

If they get uppity then the job isn't real - no agent worth his/her salt is going to jeopardise their commission against a contractor who knows the deal.

[GB9]

Add Rullion, Manchester if you want to opt in. They wont submit you for roles.

RDF, caught them re advertising a role they advertised a month previous.

Anything Allegis Group ie TEK Systems, Aston Carter, pump you mercilessly for contacts then pump them mercilessly for 'ins' to the hiring department.

Seconded to the whole of above.

To be fair, Rullion were very efficient payers, but if you upset them, then forget it.

No clever as these things often come back to haunt.

[kal]

I would have told you to whistle. The agent decides who goes forwards to the clients, not you.

And the agent did such a good job doing that very thing with my current role, rejected me out of hand, so I went to the client direct and applied, got the role on more that the top rate he was offering while still costing the client less, only one to lose out was the agent, such a shame...

[BillHicksRIP]

Avance Consulting via LinkedIn:

From Sr Bob:

"Hi Bill. I found your profile on LinkedIn and wanted to do discuss about an opportunity at UK for a DBA role let me know your interest. Do not IDK if you are not interested in the role as it will stop me reaching the people in need of job".

Right-o, skip. Tempted to accept the link just so he can see my contacts are hidden.

[NDawg]

HW Select. Took threats of legal action to get payment out of them after I left contract a few weeks ago. Common sense apparently isn't something that agency possesses as simple requests like "phone the client and get them to sign off on the timesheet" were met with questionable hostility.

Cititec and Tom Goldberg. Posts the same JD up every few weeks to fish for CVs/leads and is never available for calls regardless of what time you call in to follow up.

[Taita]

Did you call or email them? I am genuninely useless at giving candidates feedback. In such a time pressured environment, calling up a candidate and saying "you have no feedback" or "you were rejected, I dont know why". If I am sending 15-20 CVs to jobs a week and 10 of those are rejected (often without the manager telling the agent themselves) then it doesnt always get passed along.

You are not REAL are you? You are ONLY handling 3-4 CVs a day and that is such a pressured environment that you don't have time to give feedback?? You have not followed up on your submitted CVs so you do not know even if they have arrived on the right desk???

[fitzy73]

They are all much of a muchness i.e. greedy pri(ks.

The best laugh is the protracted conversation I had about a rate rise with a pimp. I'd found out how much they were charging a day (30% mark up) and wanted a rise. The guy gave the hard sell etc but ultimatley the "directors" wouldn't signed it off.

I emailed him his own company accounts from Companies House showing that he was the director.

Bell end.

Oh, by the way, hello Explore Recruitment in Reading.

[NDawg]

I'd found out how much they were charging a day (30% mark up) and wanted a rise. The guy gave the hard sell etc but ultimatley the "directors" wouldn't signed it off.

I emailed him his own company accounts from Companies House showing that he was the director

[Crusoe101]

Spring IT

I would have to say in my opinion Spring IT are by far the worst. They plonk you on client sites....

you hear nothing from them and to top it off you have to use "the portal" to register time sheets and get paid....

Its more of a black whole... they never pay you as per their T&C's and what they stipulate on their web site and it took almost a week last time to respond to a query. If you submit any expenses then you might as well just forget being paid as this just breaks the whole process.

I suspect this is an outsourced arrangement.

Had a couple of stints with them now and I will give them a wide berth in future...

[BolshieBastard]

FruitionIT because they're trying on the old 'we must have 2 referees names, addresses, email address and company title' before we submit you for a role.