What's in the head of an agent?

[mickey]

Is there any particular reason why the agents consistently refuse using email as a communication tool and instead prefer annoying people calling them in the office when they know a conversation won't be constructive?

Is it because if what they say is recorded can be used against them as it wasn't an accurate representation of the state of the world in the first place?

Or is it just to impose that sense of urgency that the one and only role is about to go as someone else is in the finals? Cheap trick.

I am not talking about the very first call when they want to hear the person is not fake. Surely an email/text/hangouts can be used afterwards for working out mundane details?

.....

[KentPhilip]

It's because agents have one ear, two mouths, and no fingers to operate a keyboard.
Oh, and they are so covered with slime that they'd never be able to grip their mouse.

[mickey]

Is that so?

[kal]

Is there any particular reason why the agents consistently refuse using email as a communication tool and instead prefer annoying people calling them in the office when they know a conversation won't be constructive?

Is it because if what they say is recorded can be used against them as it wasn't an accurate representation of the state of the world in the first place?

Or is it just to impose that sense of urgency that the one and only role is about to go as someone else is in the finals? Cheap trick.

I am not talking about the very first call when they want to hear the person is not fake. Surely an email/text/hangouts can be used afterwards for working out mundane details?

.....

I find that agents regularly carpet bomb everyone on their list with every role they might (or might not) have (at least that's the view I get), anything remotely close on their keyword search get you onto their spam list (e.g. I am a back end Java dev so have JavaScript on my CV, cue 5 emails a day asking me if I am interested in today's hot front end JS/CSS/HTML5 role...). I find that agents call more often when they actually have a role (or are fishing) and it pretty easy to discern which it is after about 5 seconds talking to them.

[d000hg]

Agents use email all the time in my experience, but regardless many people outside of IT still prefer actually talking to a person or even meeting with them.

[DodgyAgent]

I find that agents regularly carpet bomb everyone on their list with every role they might (or might not) have (at least that's the view I get), anything remotely close on their keyword search get you onto their spam list (e.g. I am a back end Java dev so have JavaScript on my CV, cue 5 emails a day asking me if I am interested in today's hot front end JS/CSS/HTML5 role...). I find that agents call more often when they actually have a role (or are fishing) and it pretty easy to discern which it is after about 5 seconds talking to them.

An agent who spends time emailing instead of talking on the phone will soon be out of a job. You have to understand that agents are made to communicate and thereby control what is going on. Though I wholeheartedly agree that emails can be used for dealing with "mundane matters" they can also be used as a lazy way to communicate. So agents are discouraged from using email at all. If an agent is "buttering up" a contractor on the phone dealing with a "mundane matter" there is always an opportunity to find out a bit about the contractor/the client, get references, get some leads that would not be forthcoming on email.

[Platypus]

(1) There is no audit trial of phone calls
(2) They're paid to "work the phones"

Simples.

[d000hg]

(1) There is no audit trial of phone calls

And there is if they record them.

[NickFitz]

I absolutely loathe talking on the phone. Luckily the only people who still use it to communicate are agents, phone spammers, and my parents. If the phone rings and it's not my parents, I just let it go to voicemail; if it's an agent and their message suggests it might be of value to me to talk to them, they'll get a (begrudging) call back.

[DodgyAgent]

I absolutely loathe talking on the phone. .

Why am I not surprised?