Contract has gone ?? Maybe.

**privateeye** · 7 June 2006, 21:51

There is no harm in going via another agent, it could be that the original agent had put too much commission on any offer and that is what cost you the job.

It does sound fishy that only the agent you went through is not advertising again. Could always call one of the others and explain what happened - or approach the client direct. If it was the agent who ruined any offer there is nothing they can do legally to you if you went direct. If they are no longer preferred suppliers they cannot stop you working at the same client as they have no right of introduction and they don't need to know anyway. Any action would have to be against the client not you.

**Denny** · 7 June 2006, 21:56

Try contacting the client direct and offering your services via their own introduction to their preferred supplier EB if they won't engage you directly on a B2B basis. This is much better than going through another EB and telling them what happened with the first EB. In my experience, EBs will rarely shaft rival EBs and tend not to believe that things really did go pear shaped not of your own doing. They are much more likely to believe that the client turned you down without any reason given and that you're trying to re-route into the client organisation via another EB. By introducing 'soiled goods' they also feel they could jeapordise their client relationship and it makes them look lazy to the client too because you landed yourself on a platter at their door, which won't impress the client who see your CV yet again and didn't want to know in the first place (or so the EB believes).

**MikeP** · 7 June 2006, 21:57

Ring the client yourself & get hold of the person from the interview and politely explain your situation (well, maybe not the snotnose in diapers part unless they mention if first). They might even be waiting for you to do that.

Failing any decent response, you might contact one of the other agencies (pref. one whom you've dealt with before) and also explain situ and see what they think. See thread about 'Shafting agents' :-)

Or you could of course also talk to someone else at the original agency.... take it to the top if you have to, but I would not speak to snotnose in any case.

**Angela_D** · 7 June 2006, 22:09

Wow ... shocked to see good advice just a few minutes after posting !!

I am quite wary about going 'behind the back' of the agency as they are huge across Europe and I would really not like my name to have negative comments against it. If such things happen. They shouldn't leave a candidate hanging like this. The agent himself: I couldn't care less about given his style.

I'm in Germany tonight and its gone midnight so I'll go to bed now and think about these things and reply in the morning.

Thank you.

A.

**BoredBloke** · 7 June 2006, 22:23

You have to really look at the interview. How well did it really go. If you are sure they liked you, then contact the client direct. Make up a story if you have to! Something along the lines being unable to get feedback from the barrowboy and you are fending off other offers because you are really keen on this job. What you might find is that the barrow boy has shafted you with his margin making you too expensive for their budget.

**The Master** · 8 June 2006, 09:49

Originally posted by Angela_D

I am quite wary about going 'behind the back' of the agency as they are huge across Europe and I would really not like my name to have negative comments against it. If such things happen.

Don't worry about it. These things don't happen. The agent will tell you that they do but that is just a lot of horse dung.

**lukemg** · 8 June 2006, 09:56

Something not right here, ok agents don't call you to say it's a no but if you phone them up they will normally give you the news along with an 'I was just about to call you' thrown in for effect.
Could be :
- Asking agencies to do one more trawl to see if someone else comes out.
- After the interviews they sometimes think of slightly different requirements or emphasis (when you look at houses to buy you change your mind about what you want)
Having said that, whenever I have been anywhere near getting a contract or being on a reserve list in case the preferred chap turns it down, the agent has always been all over me like a rash and in very regular contact to make sure I don't go elsewhere etc.
I think you are out of luck but would have no qualms contacting the company direct (I have even guessed email id's before) to confirm your situation if the agent can't or won't.
Just got a contract I would have sworn I had no chance after a terrible technical interview and have lost ones I thought I had done brilliantly on, sometimes they just prefer someone else or they have a bit more skills/experience.
Good luck

**BlasterBates** · 8 June 2006, 10:24

It is definitely worth trying to go through the other agents, but to be prefectly honest this sounds like a "no no". Clients don't usually reject outright if the position hasn't been filled, they just say nothing. Very occasionally they might even get back to you for another role if it crops up. If the client really wanted you he would probably have gone through the agency even if the agent was amateurish. Now the client's obviously dropped them. The preferred supplier list is just that, a preferred list but not a must.

Still you have nothing to lose by applying through other agencies, in fact I would recommend you try, they just need to phone and ask the project manager, whether they would be interested. But if I were you I'd focus on other opportunities.

**decode** · 8 June 2006, 11:19

Angela D-I would definitely go direct to the person who interviewed you. I inteviewed through a large agency and felt the interview went very well and was offered the position. The deal then fell through because the agency and the client couldn't agree terms and the agent told me that becuase of this the position had been offered to another candidate. I rang the person who interviewed me and he said that the position had not been offered to anyone else and it was still mine if I worked through one of their preffered suppliers.

Botton line is if we go for interviews then we should recieve feedback. If barrow boy can't provide this then go direct. Hope it works out for you.

Contract has gone ?? Maybe.