Reply to: Agency tricks again

[The Agents View]

What is annoying is when they don't email you or send you the linkedin message that they said they would so you can't ring them back to see what is happening with a role.

there's logic to that. given that most of us have multiple roles, at different stages, fielding questions all day from candidates "just wanting an update" does somewhat interupt the flow. Ultimately, if there was any news that would get you closer to the gig, we'd tell you - otherwise, you're just slowing things up, and the more you do that, the less likely we are to be able to solicit that feedback........

HTH

[Wanderer]

If I did that I wouldn't have got some of the contracts I've worked and working on.

I prefer getting a burner sim while I'm job hunting because I've been fortunate enough not to be looking for work through agencies all that often and when I'm happy in a contract I'd rather not be pestered by pimps. As for getting repeat business from clients, I deal with that by keeping in touch with my contacts through linked-in or social gatherings.

Each to their own though, I understand how some people don't mind if agents have their number.

[Marko]

Jeezus you lot - stop being so touchy! She probably got busy, and it slipped her mind. Whether or not you have a driving licence is completely irrelevant for most things - unless its a job with alot of travelling involved. Market research? You really think we've got time to do that? This is what marketing departments are for!

What is annoying is when they don't email you or send you the linkedin message that they said they would so you can't ring them back to see what is happening with a role.

[pmeswani]

Not a car fan then?

Strange as it may seem... I love Top Gear.

[SueEllen]

I always get a burner pre-pay SIM card for my mobile while I'm job hunting then dump it when I've got a job. I'm not giving people my real phone number or they will never stop ringing and annoying me. Likewise with email addresses, set one up for job hunting and then abandon it when I'm done.

If I did that I wouldn't have got some of the contracts I've worked and working on.

[The Agents View]

Couldn't help but smile to myself. Sorry but any sympathies I have for agencies from the way I have been messed around in the past evapourated a long time ago...There may be some decent, hard-working and honest individuals amongst them, but certainly few and far between imho/experience.

Of course you feel hard done by, and I can't speak for everyone in my industry - all I know is how I play things, and to be honest, I'm probably less successful because I don't have that ruthless streak, but I do hope that over time, that investment in people pays itself off.

What I would say though, is do you really understand why you've been messed around? A couple of things to consider (this isn't meant to be confrontational - I want people to understand!)

a) If a client doesn't come back to us, then we can't come back to you - it's in our interests to get answers from clients - emails and calls simply shorten the amount of time we have to deal with these things!

b) If you are not right for a role which has clear instructions in an advert, We won't have time to call you.

c) Ad responses are the last resort - we get hundreds of the bloody things - calling everyone is just not practical - you are better off finding a specialist in what you do, and building a long term relationship with them.

d) Sometimes, we really do forget things - I've just realised I was meant to send an email yesterday with a job spec on it, which I haven't done yet. The guy is perfect for the role, I just completely forgot to send it.

e) You are one of probably 20 people I have in the running for jobs at any one time - checking to see whether I have feedback every day is not helpful - rest assured, if I know, I will call you

f) Having a negative call is very uncomfortable, therefore agents do tend to shy away from them. This is something I don't do - I think you need that feedback for the future, however I know of plenty who will just ignore calls and emails until the candidate gets bored.

g) Fake jobs? Jeeez, with everything going on above, how much time do you think we have to deal with these?


As I say, I don't want to be confrontational, and I'm sure your experience was not ideal, but I sometimes think contractors mistake "being messed around" for lack of patience on thier part. If we have offers and feedback for you, you are actually always on the top of our to-do list.

I really hope this gives you a bit of insight.

TAV

[kaiser78]

Sorry for my touchiness, but I do object to people automatically thinking agencies are up to tricks, when they neither understand, or appreciate how much we live on the edge - we really don't have time for 95% of the BS you think we do.

Couldn't help but smile to myself. Sorry but any sympathies I have for agencies from the way I have been messed around in the past evapourated a long time ago...There may be some decent, hard-working and honest individuals amongst them, but certainly few and far between imho/experience.

[Congrgatio]

I don't have a driving license. Don't need one. Wherever I work, I have access to good public Transport. I don't want a life restricted to running around the country getting myself ill and stressed.

Not a car fan then?

[pmeswani]

I know there must be some people who are in the Contracting Market who can't drive..... but not many Shirley??

A few numpties just out of school/Uni.... a few "by choice"... a few because of Plod removing their ability....

In my social network if I ignore the "kids" (who are almost all taking lessons as soon as they are old enough) I think its got to be 99%+....

But WRT the original post - Its just a Pimp trawling and no you can't avoid them... but you can hang up!

I don't have a driving license. Don't need one. Wherever I work, I have access to good public Transport. I don't want a life restricted to running around the country getting myself ill and stressed.

[Wanderer]

I receive many useless calls, I think only for updating their databases. Any strategy to avoid these spam calls?

I always get a burner pre-pay SIM card for my mobile while I'm job hunting then dump it when I've got a job. I'm not giving people my real phone number or they will never stop ringing and annoying me. Likewise with email addresses, set one up for job hunting and then abandon it when I'm done.

[The Agents View]

I don't think I was being touchy. Bearing in mind you guys earn your money on matching contractors to clients, you are hardly going to forget to contact a good match for a position are you? He who cares sins and all that?

As for my 'market research' comment - I couldn't think of a better explaination (or term) for agents asking me for my rate without giving any details of a role. Surely this is the 'how low will you go' game? You may feel differently and it would be interesting to get your take on it.

Ok.... So this is my time to make an admission. I make mistakes. I've forgotten candidates before, in fact, I've forgotten people who have subsequently gone on to get the job I'd spoken to them about. It's one of those things - there's so many plates spinning at the same time, that keeping track can be a bit of a challenge. Bear in mind I probably take 10-15 calls a day from people who are completely irrelevant to what I'm working on, and the fact that you can't control when these calls come in - trying to keep track of things is a nightmare - whether you're a great match or not....

So, sometimes, we also have what we would call resourcers. Their job, is to find CV's from various sources, have a very quick chat to establish their interest, get a rough idea of whether the very high level requirements are met (rate, ability to get to the location, and probably a couple of key words) - they then pass those details onto their consultants, senior or principal consultants. From there, the consultant will sit down and make sure that the resourcers is somewhere about right, then call a shortlist from their shortlist. The reality is that these are generally the people starting out in the industry - It's where I started, and I have a resourcer these days who does just this. The likelihood is that the resourcer thought you were right for the role, but the consultant disagreed.

Sorry for my touchiness, but I do object to people automatically thinking agencies are up to tricks, when they neither understand, or appreciate how much we live on the edge - we really don't have time for 95% of the BS you think we do.

[northernrampage]

I know there must be some people who are in the Contracting Market who can't drive..... but not many Shirley??

A few numpties just out of school/Uni.... a few "by choice"... a few because of Plod removing their ability....

I didn't learn "out of choice" in London when I was on a dire permie salary for years. When I did earn enough money, I didn't see the point.

Really regret not bothering as turned out when I went up north I'm not a good driver, failed 4 bloody times. And I want to travel abroad alone next year and want to hire a car.. got to get it. Agents tend to sound confused when I was I don't have it, so maybe it's uncommon as you say.

[Drewster]

I know there must be some people who are in the Contracting Market who can't drive..... but not many Shirley??

A few numpties just out of school/Uni.... a few "by choice"... a few because of Plod removing their ability....

In my social network if I ignore the "kids" (who are almost all taking lessons as soon as they are old enough) I think its got to be 99%+....

But WRT the original post - Its just a Pimp trawling and no you can't avoid them... but you can hang up!

[SueEllen]

An agent today called from a withheld number, quoting a position I had applied for, asked if I had a driving licence, and if I own a car, saying that the position is based in the outskirts of the city. I said yes for both questions.

She then asked about my expected rates. After praising my resume, and after confirming that I am most suited for the position, she said she would send the job desc by email. Of course, I didn't receive any job desc.

Why are the Agents interested in driving licence information?

Because if you haven't got a car you can get one if you have a full license.

There are plenty of business sites, business and industrial parks that are in the middle of no-where and if you can't drive there you are stuck.

And a few times agents don't have job specs they just have a list of words. So all they can do is either remove client name from the email and send you what they have received, or give you the list of words.

[jmo21]

Actually, it could be genuine.

I worked with a Banking client a couple of contracts back who's IT centre was miles from the nearest train station. And taxis were very difficult to organise around those parts. Without a car and license, you'd be pretty much screwed. We added that to our list of requirements on the job specs., as we'd had too many people mess us around once they'd realised the transport options were pretty poor if you didn't drive.

And remember, she did say the job was on the "outskirts" of the city, which to an agent means a radius of approximately 150 miles.

yeah, I've had this too.