Agencies to avoid....

[BolshieBastard]

I can see a ban coming on here!

[Earl Purple]

For Mr Agency who went on about "cultural fit".

Cultural fit is useful, but not essential for a contractor. That is, if it really is a contractor role, i.e. one where they are being hired to do a specific task, and get it done. The best way to ensure the contractor "fits" well into the role is to be honest up front with them about what they are going to be asked to do.

If I am told up front that the work is not going to be that exciting, that it's a 6-month job to get something converted with fixing a bunch of bugs and a bit of optimisation and that's all, then if I accept this role I will know what I am going there to do, and won't expect any more.

If I am hired being told they want me to revolutionise their system, then I will go in with that mentality. If they don't really want me to do that and were just using it as a "sell", don't be surprised if I don't "fit" well when I get there.

Of course, if it's a permie job, or a pseudo-permie (they want you there for a long time, joining a team and doing whatever they feel is required at the time), then I agree I need to culturally fit into that environment (which most of the time I don't, and is why I chose to be a contractor).

[Brussels Slumdog]

It was something along those lines.

I'm hearing that "daily rates are down, it's the shape of the current market" but it seems to be only pimps that tell me this. These f**kers are getting worse.

qh

I always reply by saying that Agent X and Agent Y who I have always contracted with say that the rates have not gone down but are going up so your margin must have gone up
or
The rates in the UK maybe be going down but the rates in Germany are going up

[Murder1]

It was something along those lines.

Me: "it's funny that agents always say that the client has reduced the rate. Nothing to do extending your percentage is it?"
Pimp: <nervous laughter> Errr.... no."

I'm hearing that "daily rates are down, it's the shape of the current market" but it seems to be only pimps that tell me this. These f**kers are getting worse.

qh

tbf I have seen in one instance a job spec being posted by an agent with a rate range of £400-£450 a day that the client was aware of despite not being prepared to offer over £350. I was asked to sit in on the interview process and the client admitted over the table to me that:

a) Good people will apply for the higher rate so the standard applying is better.
b) The sudden decrease in rate will not put all off from still applying so we'll still get some high quality people in to interview.
c) The agent will end up taking the brunt of the blame as the general perception is it's them that are doing the rate squeezing.

[cherhill]

RedRock Consulting based in Bristol are the only ones I would avoid. Currently have a small claims case being pursued as they owe me 4 weeks money.

A few agencies I found always offer rubbish rates but RedRock are the only oens in 15 years of contracting that I wouldn't touch again.

[benjiman]

Trust is individual..

I'm a lifelong city contractor and Ive spent the last year and a half building a tool to allow contractors to keep their trusted recruiters up-to-date with their requirements.

By selecting the recruiters they trust we can tell candidates who the most trusted recruiters are in a given field.

As contractors don't you wish you had a tool that let you secure contracts more efficiently?

We've pushed candidate requirements discretely to a number of recruiters now.

It's called Secret Status

I'd love feedback, I answer all questions personally

Thanks
Ben Ritchie
Founder

[flipFlop]

Ive spent the last year and a half building a tool to allow contractors to keep their trusted recruiters up-to-date with their requirements.

I've used four tools to update recruiters since 1982: Royal Mail, telephone, fax and E-mail.

(Not that I have ever "trusted" a single one of the Bar Stewards.)

[benjiman]

I've used four tools to update recruiters since 1982: Royal Mail, telephone, fax and E-mail.

(Not that I have ever "trusted" a single one of the Bar Stewards.)

I guess in a recruitment system where the signal to noise ratio is so low it's not surprising it's hard to find trusted recruiters. That's why I built a tool to help.

Secret Status can be thought of as an eBay rating system for recruitment, in that it captures the recruiters that contractors trust. We can then generate reports like:

• Who are the top-rate contractors using?
• Who has the trust of specialists in "Tech x"?

[bikeman]

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.

Ever thought that making the effort to find out why candidates are rejected might just help you in your search for the right candidate? Recruiters who play the numbers game are of little to use to both candidates or employers and should go back to selling double glazing. Mind you if you're finding putting forward 15-20 cvs a week pressured then maybe you'd be better off working in MacD.

[ladymuck]

Too lazy to read 11 pages, sorry if a duplicate nomination...

CAPITA

They are just terrible. I would never, ever use them by choice but a lot of companies like them cos they're cheap. Whaddya get if you pay peanuts?