Originally posted by terradev
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I'm talking generally so if you are one of the very few agents who actually reads all the CVs (not just the 50% rule or the I have three so I'll stop looking) and scours the registered contractors for a match rather than relying on the auto suggestions from the job board then I commend you. You are in the absolute minority. Good agents do exist and they are like flawless diamonds, valuable and unbelievably rare. The problem isn't that agents exist, I accept this. It's that a vast majority of them wouldn't think twice about lying to your face and have actually no idea about the industry they are recruiting for. Its actually a shame for the good agents that they have to compete with the dross of the universe (although we seem to have a similar problem in IT).
Do I read every CV? No - I have a cut off point, usually about 48 hours into any advert run - ultimately, I have to call time on it somewhere. As I've previously said on here - the first run through is a scan read - I will very basically check that the highest level requirements are met, and then I'll call to discuss the others - however, out of 100 applications, it's not uncommon to find that there's maybe five or six applicants who fulfill that criteria.
Answer this, who do you consider yourself to be an agent for, the client or the contractor? To be both is a conflict of interest. If the client, how can you negotiate rate on the contractors behalf, and if it is the contractor you represent why do you never seem to do so for more than one contract at a time? Next time an agent calls you ask him this question, you'd be surprised what different answers you get.
What I would point out though, is that regardless of how fair I want/need/should be - ultimately, it is not the contractor who pays my bill.
Look I admit I was a bit harsh in my previous post but it came off the back of a call from yet another agent who phoned me to "check what other opportunities I am currently involved with so he can make sure he doesn't put me forward twice". Funny when you ask them what they are thinking of putting you forward for so you can tell them if you've already been involved with it they suddenly don't seem to have anything at all.
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