Reply to: 2 Agents, 1 Interview, 1 Client.....Ugh!

[Not So Wise]

As others have said, agency that secures the interview is the agency that gets the contract

Hi all

I have now had Agent 1 on the phone saying I am his contractor, and will be represented by Agency 1, for this role, Agent 2 sent the JD over for.

Hope you laughed in his face

Pimp phones up and says "I have great role for you...." (then go through usual checks to make sure pimp isn't fishing for leads etc). Once pimp has cleared usual checks, and all lsounds OK...I agree for pimp to send my CV to client on the basis that:

1. Pimp forwards to me a client email address so that I can ascertain that pimp has done what he /she said they would. (If so I am solely represented by pimp for this role).


2. If pimp doesn't comply, I assume that pimp is underhand, dodgy etc and pass role to pimp who is relatively trust worth

Never work, agency will not want to be giving out client details before interview request is received, you could either try to cut them out or pass details on to another agency (or you could be a agency yourself, some contractors are both)

Best way to operate is, send CV to agency then regardless of first agency saying they have sent your CV or not, if you see job posted by another agency send it to them as well.

The whole agency line of "client getting multiple copies of your CV might lower your chances" is a bulltulip tactic to increase agencies chances (not contractors) filling the role, either by stopping another agency placing you if they do send in your CV or by taking you completely out of the running if they don't

Only time I would not send a copy to each agency advertising a role is if there are 20 agencies with the role, then just go though your preferred 3/4

And if you run into problem of multiple agencys "claiming you" like you just have, see first line of this post

[Amiga500]

Agent 1 underestimated your skillset and did not forward your CV it would seem, reward the faith agent 2 had in you and state that they are representing you.

[The Agents View]

I did some agency recruitment work once. It's a bloody awful job - hard work, for little returns, unless you're very good or very lucky or a complete smeghead*, and only the criminal insane would pursue it.

* The complete smeghead approach is the easiest, hence why most agents are complete smegheads with the morals of a cat°

° Sorry, I take that back - without the morals of a cat...

Fortunately I like to think of myself at the "very good" end of things - Plus I treat my interims as I would want to be treated if I was in their shoes - regular contact, odd treats (which works for me too as it allows me to get under the skin of my client too) I've even got two of my interims attending my wedding.

I may be insane, and I might do this the hard way (ie walking away from placements if I don't think it's right for either of the parties involved as well as countless other examples). The lucky thing for me is that I'm not purely money motivated - it's nice, obviously, but actually for me it's a by-product of doing the job in the best, most consultative way.

I know I'm different, my interims know I'm different, and I do long for the day that the rest of the industry wakes up to the fact that if they build relationships on both sides of the fence, it results in higher quality, and even higher quantity placements (and often it leads to higher margins too - nobody minds paying a higher margin if the job is done right, and seen through to the conclusion - which contary to popular belief in the recruitment sector, IS NOT the day the interim starts work!!)

TAV

[NotAllThere]

I did some agency recruitment work once. It's a bloody awful job - hard work, for little returns, unless you're very good or very lucky or a complete smeghead*, and only the criminal insane would pursue it.

* The complete smeghead approach is the easiest, hence why most agents are complete smegheads with the morals of a cat°

° Sorry, I take that back - without the morals of a cat...

[The Agents View]

Just to add "the agents view" on this....

The other posters are right on this - Agent 1 doesn't have a hope - basically they've f***ed up and haven't chosen the right people (probably because they haven't qualified the role properly - this is the biggest reason for not getting the right match).

NEVER feel sorry for an agent! They do very little for the money MOST of the time

I understand the use of the word MOST here - but seriously, if you believe that, you should come and do this job for a few months.... I don't often see contractors working 7 'til 9 just to put food on the table, so I'd thank you to think about the bits of this job you don't see - like the thousands of other people like you who we speak to over the course of a month. And very few of us get paid anywhere near the £300 minimum you lot get either (although some of us do when the market is bouyant )

Have a good evening one and all.....

TAV

[Brussels Slumdog]

Hope you went for Agent 2

This just gets better....!


HR lady said that she's had this problem with this agency in the past, and doesn't want to deal with them as they are very "pushy" as she said.

As usual Agents up to the old tricks with a new spin.

Agent 2 gets my vote. When I get a response (fingers crossed for a contract) I'll name the rogue Agent.

Thanks all.

FJ

In 1998 an Agent no 1 phsically took me to lunch with the client then the
client said that they had this problem with this agency in the past, and did not want to deal with them as they are very "pushy" but also had received my cv from agency no 2 and would only sign a 2 year contract with their preferred supplier no 2.
When agent no 1 tried to harrass me on the phone I got the client to sort out the problem,which they did. Agent no 1 no longer exists whereas no 2 still exists

Remember you are not the agency's client you are a humble job seeker
If the client will not sign with agent no1 then that is agent no 1's problem not your problem. You have no contract with no1

[Liability]

Over the years I've built up relationships with a few agents. These are the ONLY agents I'll deal with. I trust them enough that they'd not deliberately lie, though misleading each other is certainly part of the game.

They want to place me, because I get renewals.

Same here - Ive have 2 that I trust - but they are now in different sectors but give me heads up and info on how things are.

In this instance - dont feel sorry for the Agent 1! NEVER feel sorry for an agent! They do very little for the money MOST of the time - and would sell you out if it meant even more profits. There like the poorer Hedge Funds in terms of practice.

[NotAllThere]

Over the years I've built up relationships with a few agents. These are the ONLY agents I'll deal with. I trust them enough that they'd not deliberately lie, though misleading each other is certainly part of the game.

They want to place me, because I get renewals.

[expat]

No agent will want you talking direct to the customer - I think you'll be shooting yourself in the foot asking for the email address. I think the best you can do is to ask the agent to drop you an email confirming they have sent in your full CV to the client. If they ask for confirmation that they can represent you, state clearly in the email that they can only represent you if a full CV is sent to that client

Sounds right. But you wouldn't think you had to say that, would you? As in, "represent" = put your name on a list of people not submitted.

[JoJoGabor]

No agent will want you talking direct to the customer - I think you'll be shooting yourself in the foot asking for the email address. I think the best you can do is to ask the agent to drop you an email confirming they have sent in your full CV to the client. If they ask for confirmation that they can represent you, state clearly in the email that they can only represent you if a full CV is sent to that client

[Farmer jones]

Right here's the update:

Phoned HR and Agent 2. HR confirmed that Agent 2 secured interview, and that Agent 2 is on PSL. So if anything comes of it I'll go with Agent 2.

This info was passed over to Agent 1 this morning, whilst I was in transit to next interview. Agent 1 was not too happy and suggested that I was out of order etc etc. I suggested that if he wanted to insult me, that was fine, othewise foxtrot oscar.

Nothing has been heard from Agent 1 since. So that should be that.

In the mean time, it occurs to me that I need a strategy to prevent this happening again, so here's my initial thoughts, which you may like to ponder...

Pimp phones up and says "I have great role for you...." (then go through usual checks to make sure pimp isn't fishing for leads etc). Once pimp has cleared usual checks, and all lsounds OK...I agree for pimp to send my CV to client on the basis that:

1. Pimp forwards to me a client email address so that I can ascertain that pimp has done what he /she said they would. (If so I am solely represented by pimp for this role).

2. If pimp doesn't comply, I assume that pimp is underhand, dodgy etc and pass role to pimp who is relatively trust worthy.

Now I know this is a far fetched and probably un workable solution with lots of available contractors at the moment, but for those with niche skills or in times of major contract demand it might just get the pimps to behave a little.

You guys, of course, may know of another method to manage the pimps....

FJ with Fingers Crossed....3 interviews in 1 week, summats gotta drop here !

[NotAllThere]

When a rather aggressive agency tried the same thing a few years back when I was a hiring manager, hiring for permanent staff, the regressive agency (who'd been picked by HR), found themselves suddenly sacked.

Agents and agencies have very short memories. Contractors rather longer and many clients very much longer.

I've been involved in the hiring process in quite a few places. Those agents and agencies that have in some way annoyed me get a bit of a shock when they find they can't get into the client...

[expat]

Expat, you suprise me. This happens on every contract. However, the list of suppressed names is rarely given to the client.
...

I do know that agencies will always tell those that they don't put forward, that they have been put forward in order to keep them out of the running.

What I find brazen is to claim that, whether or not these names were actually on a list, this gives them dibs on that contractor just as if he had been put forward.

[Ivor Bigun]

But I do have to hand it to him, this is more brazen than even I thought an agent could get!

Expat, you suprise me. This happens on every contract. However, the list of suppressed names is rarely given to the client.
Chances are, the list WASN'T given to the client - Agency 1 is bluffing.

Just to be clear here.

EVERY AGENCY PUTS CANDIDATES IN RESERVE

IMO, there are so many candidates now, that every agency has to deceive the unlucky ones. If they don't, they will be candidates through another agency.

It doesn't mean that the client sees the list though.

The tough one is when the agency says "Are you going through another agency?" There is no strict answer to this - just best to be forewarned as to what happens.
Interestingly, you won't get agents reponding to this thread. They don't want you to know what they get up to - they want the candidates to be kept in the dark until all is clear. Even then - if they have a choice, they will still keep the candidates in the dark.

Agencies work on the principle of
"only tell candidates just less than the minimum they need to know"

[expat]

...
Put the ball in their court so that the pimp gives the standard agency line of "We have long memories".
Once the pimp says that, you know you're OK. A pimp only says that in warning mode knowing he's lost.