Recruiter Awards for Excellence 2009

[DodgyAgent]

My missus is now in recruitment, so got nothing against ya per se, and I have no issue with agents making a fair profit for getting me a role.

But, I'm sorry - that quoted paragraph is complete bollocks. You save companies money by doing the recruiting/vetting process for them. But you do absolutely zero for my overheads mate.

Presumably you find your own contracts and take care of the billing yourself then?

And if you do then fine, but there are enough contractors out there who need to use us. As I keep saying if we were not needed no one would use us and we would be selling cars, houses, drugs or women.

And quite often the prospect of hiring managers having to deal directly with every contractor on the market is enough to drive them to use us.

[snaw]

Presumably you find your own contracts and take care of the billing yourself then?

And if you do then fine, but there are enough contractors out there who need to use us. As I keep saying if we were not needed no one would use us and we would be selling cars, houses, drugs or women.

And quite often the prospect of hiring managers having to deal directly with every contractor on the market is enough to drive them to use us.

Never said we didn't need you - though it's possible at some future date, with the potential of the internet and how's it's changing the whole game anyway that we won't.

I have no issues with the status quo, or agents taking their cut. But you don't save me any money by acting for me. Billing is no big thing if all you have to do is chase your own - I spend as much time chasing some agencies as they would chasing the company I'm working for.

[DodgyAgent]

Never said we didn't need you - though it's possible at some future date, with the potential of the internet and how's it's changing the whole game anyway that we won't.

I have no issues with the status quo, or agents taking their cut. But you don't save me any money by acting for me. Billing is no big thing if all you have to do is chase your own - I spend as much time chasing some agencies as they would chasing the company I'm working for.

I never made a claim that we act for you other than find you (some) jobs and conduct the payroll. My point is that if were not needed we would not be there.

[snaw]

I never made a claim that we act for you other than find you (some) jobs and conduct the payroll. My point is that if were not needed we would not be there.

Agree. But you don't save me any money by acting for me. That was the point which I objected to.

[DodgyAgent]

Agree. But you don't save me any money by acting for me. That was the point which I objected to.

I never said that I/agencies acted for contractors, these are your words not mine. We create and sustain a network that feeds you guys jobs that means that you do not need to employ your own sales people, and whilst I accept that agency payment processes often create more problems than they solve agencies also manage payroll.

So we therefore save you the time and expense of finding jobs yourselves or employing a salesman to do it for you.

[snaw]

So we therefore you save you the time and expense of finding jobs yourselves or employing a salesman to do it for you.

But you don't really. You save the company you're acting for money by cutting out the search and initial vetting process. But you don't go and find me a job, you just get them in from clientco, advertise them on a website and/or search your database and give us a call.

That's not saving me any money cause you're not going out looking for me, but for the client. I'm ok with that, but let's not pretend you're doing us a favour or saving me money on finding a job - these days all you have to do is go on the internet.

If you weren't around then companies would advertise direct themselves and cut you out, no salesmen for me required - but they're happy to use and pay you to do so, and you're happy to take a fee for placing us, and we're happy (Usually) to get a contract.

[Incognito]

I will remind you that when it comes to perceptions of "ripping people off" you contractors are up there with bankers, fraudsters and tax collectors (ask any IT permie).
There is nothing wrong in agencies making profits-and profit is not the criteria on which these awards are to be dished out. Recruitment is not subsidised, protected or regulated and recruitment businesses stand or fall on how good/profiatble they are. Many contractors on the other hand enjoy huge pay with few responsibilities whilst getting away with being mediocre or of "merchantable quality". Contractors can "ride the tide" "take time off". Agencies on the other hand do not have such luxuries..it is achieve or die, and you will find that for every succesful agency there are 50 that have failed. There is no tolerance of mediocrity.

And whilst you may not think that agencies serve any purpose other than take money from your precious earnings (though I have never understood how someone can pay out money that is not their in the first place, and then say it is "them" that is paying), I challenge you to find a decent sales person let alone pay for one to keep you in work. Also finance people are not easy to find either.

It is thanks to agencies that you guys can do away with a great many overheads involved in running a business, assuming of course that you regard yourselves as businesses which is questionable anyway.

A bad workman always blames his tools. Tut tut tut.

[Bob Dalek]

I never made a claim that we act for you other than find you (some) jobs and conduct the payroll. My point is that if were not needed we would not be there.

Like an appendix, you mean?

[DodgyAgent]

But you don't really. You save the company you're acting for money by cutting out the search and initial vetting process. But you don't go and find me a job, you just get them in from clientco, advertise them on a website and/or search your database and give us a call.

That's not saving me any money cause you're not going out looking for me, but for the client. I'm ok with that, but let's not pretend you're doing us a favour or saving me money on finding a job - these days all you have to do is go on the internet.

If you weren't around then companies would advertise direct themselves and cut you out, no salesmen for me required - but they're happy to use and pay you to do so, and you're happy to take a fee for placing us, and we're happy (Usually) to get a contract.

You are descending into nonsense, for example, your use of the word "happy" suggests that we are somehow being indulged. We are there because we fit into the market, as do you.

So who has rattled your cage today?

[Incognito]

You are descending into nonsense, for example, your use of the word "happy" suggests that we are somehow being indulged. We are there because we fit into the market, as do you.

So who has rattled your cage today?

You don't fit into my market; you are a prime example of outsourcing. Companies decided they don't want the overheads of recruitment so look to the agencies. They set a rate they believe is economically viable, you (not personally) then attempt to rape the poor contractor at the other end to improve your margin. Agencies are of no benefit to the contractor.