Reply to: Does anybody know the significance of agencies asking "what is your current rate"?

[Sympatico]

Thanks for bringing up references trick.
My last contract was through Computer Futures and their agent had me with the 2 references before the interview.
I should have guessed because it was the one thing he seemed most concerned about.

[SueEllen]

Guy was working on me for like half an hour , gave him nothing . Said they don't wish to be contacted and gave him HR.
Usual crap talk "you're very strong dev based on cv , I want to introduce you to 200 of my clients etc bulltulip".
Didn't buy a single word
I'm building friendly relationships with agents and can smell idiot from a mile

Let's make a blacklist for agents and agencies like that , might ruin their business model that relies on phishing

When they start asking for references, I apologise for being busy, say bye and hang up.

If they ring again immediately I don't pick up.

If they ring in an hour and say we got disconnected earlier I say " No" I'm still busy, apologise, say bye and hang up.

It's your phone so if you don't want to speak to pushy agents you can hang up on them.

When I was little we got some weird calls on the landline so I have no problem hanging up on people.

[heyya99]

So he's scum because he got out of bed earlier than you? Would you have been quite so upset if it had been a gig in finance and you were sat at the clients desk now?

The irony.

I never got upset. I hung up so that I wouldn't have to listen to him because he was unprofessional.

I never said this particular agent was scum, or any for that matter. I was questioning why contractors dislike them. I posited that it might be because we're bitter. I never linked both posts. You incorrectly did.

I'm well aware of the role agents play in this game (see above). It's not a war to me. I play them as much as they attempt to play me. I don't like them because they are middlemen and therefore I'm bitter. Hence why I posited my above theory.

[diseasex]

And we wonder why it still continues.....

Guy was working on me for like half an hour , gave him nothing . Said they don't wish to be contacted and gave him HR.
Usual crap talk "you're very strong dev based on cv , I want to introduce you to 200 of my clients etc bulltulip".
Didn't buy a single word
I'm building friendly relationships with agents and can smell idiot from a mile

Let's make a blacklist for agents and agencies like that , might ruin their business model that relies on phishing

[northernladuk]

How so? It's 8am and I'm having to deal with yet another unprofessional person. I'm actually very courteous to agents who are professional. This dude was another cowboy, probably with little-to-no education.

So he's scum because he got out of bed earlier than you? Would you have been quite so upset if it had been a gig in finance and you were sat at the clients desk now?

The irony.

[northernladuk]

Well regards to certain chappy in computerfutures, who was very convincing its a real deal this time. Never heard from him after giving references, not even thank you for supplying them. Would hang up with that moron straight away if heard from him again

And we wonder why it still continues.....

[Milkyway]

Well regards to certain chappy in computerfutures, who was very convincing its a real deal this time. Never heard from him after giving references, not even thank you for supplying them. Would hang up with that moron straight away if heard from him again

You even started the conversation with him knowing he was from Computer Futures?

Please ignore them.
I never touch them!
Even if they would talk about a fake role (which is what almost all of their adverts are for), all their roles are in the bob kind of low rates as well!

[diseasex]

Or some contractors just need to grow some and deal with things a little better rather than getting the hump and seeing it as a war possibly?



Yes.

Well regards to certain chappy in computerfutures, who was very convincing its a real deal this time. Never heard from him after giving references, not even thank you for supplying them. Would hang up with that moron straight away if heard from him again

[heyya99]

Yes.

How so? It's 8am and I'm having to deal with yet another unprofessional person. I'm actually very courteous to agents who are professional. This dude was another cowboy, probably with little-to-no education.

[northernladuk]

Are recruitment agents scum or are we contractors just bitter that someone else is taking part in what is a lucrative game?

Or some contractors just need to grow some and deal with things a little better rather than getting the hump and seeing it as a war possibly?

An agent rang me at 8.15 this morning. I was still in bed. He says he was ringing because he has an eCommerce client who wants lots of Java devs. I say I'm only interested in finance. He then asked me what I do in my current role. I asked why he needs this information (he had an eCommerce client after all). He then said, slightly irratated, that he needs to tell clients this info when putting me before them. I hung up.

Bad form from me?

Yes.

[meridian]

Are recruitment agents scum or are we contractors just bitter that someone else is taking part in what is a lucrative game?

Really? Those are the only two choices you can think of?

[heyya99]

Many moons ago when I did recruitment I would ask the question to see whether you'd be interested in the role I had. Too low = alarm bells about seniority, About right = fair chance of you accepting and too high = You wouldn't go for it.

In my experience Rate, Location and Technology were the key factors in a contractors though process.

Are recruitment agents scum or are we contractors just bitter that someone else is taking part in what is a lucrative game?

[Andy Hallett]

Many moons ago when I did recruitment I would ask the question to see whether you'd be interested in the role I had. Too low = alarm bells about seniority, About right = fair chance of you accepting and too high = You wouldn't go for it.

In my experience Rate, Location and Technology were the key factors in a contractors though process.

[SueEllen]

An agent rang me at 8.15 this morning. I was still in bed. He says he was ringing because he has an eCommerce client who wants lots of Java devs. I say I'm only interested in finance. He then asked me what I do in my current role. I asked why he needs this information (he had an eCommerce client after all). He then said, slightly irratated, that he needs to tell clients this info when putting me before them. I hung up.

Bad form from me?

You know most phones have a setting to only allow family and friends to call at certain times e.g. when you are in bed. Stops agents like that thinking they are clever by calling people early.

[SlipTheJab]

An agent rang me at 8.15 this morning. I was still in bed. He says he was ringing because he has an eCommerce client who wants lots of Java devs. I say I'm only interested in finance. He then asked me what I do in my current role. I asked why he needs this information (he had an eCommerce client after all). He then said, slightly irratated, that he needs to tell clients this info when putting me before them. I hung up.

Bad form from me?

Nope hes a ****, HTH.