Reply to: Agent wants to meet me

[leapFrog]

Back in the '80s and '90s I met a few agents.

Some I met under my own volition. In my relatively youthful naivety, I'd locate the agent's office and go and introduce myself, thinking it might prove to be a useful strategy. This generally resulted either in an apoplectic fit in the agent when I turned up unannounced or my being left in reception for hours until I went away (Rullion). I found that the agents that claimed to be in Regent Street or Oxford Street or Covent Garden, etc., merely had a squalid stinking mailing box in those locations.

Some other agents arranged to meet me. I remember going to meet two of them in Moorfields.

Then, of course, there is the Venn Group.

There's one thing that I can guarantee: if an agent wants to "meet" you tell them to F*** Off, because it will only waste your time and not benefit you in any way.

[SussexSeagull]

Must confess that unless I have had dealings with them previously I tend to only deal with agents who have actual contracts on offer

I wouldn't visit my local butchers for a chat unless I wanted to buy something.

[Eirikur]

I have had a few agents who wanted to meet me. Most of the times I reject, but I have done it twice (and let them come to a place near me, NOT where they wanted, why should I pay £60 to get into London for a meeting that is most likely going to be useless) In both cases they said they had roles that would match me and because they're, special not your average agencies, they have a policy of meeting their candidates face to face, both meetings resulted in absolutely nothing and were a total waste of time.

[leapFrog]

Meeting more than one agent is a good opportunity to weigh up opinion and get a feel for what is happening in the market.

How many agents exactly have you met so far, and what feeling have you gotten about the state of the market as a direct result of "meeting more than one agent"?

[dominicf]

Measuring

Some agents are measured by their companies based on certain 'activities'
1. Freelancer calls
2. Freelancer face to face meetings
3. Customer calls
4. Customer face to face meetings

I use face to face meetings as a chance to collect information as much as they do. Meeting more than one agent is a good opportunity to weigh up opinion and get a feel for what is happening in the market.

[financial analyst]

Some of the agencies have a scoresheet that pimps (particularly trainees) need to meet. Targets include outbound client calls, outbound candidate calls, candidate meetings, etc. The senior pimps will try to line up a meeting between a trainee and a tame / obliging / desperate candidate as a training exercise for the junior agent.

Sickening if you're the unfortunate contractor who's time is completely wasted.

I put in a system of KPIs for an agency last year, which was quite an eye-opener!

[MarillionFan]

Sounds like the chap has moved from being a permie rec con to contracting. Quite normal to meet permies, not so much with contractors any more, but not completely unusual. Used to meet them in the past. To be honest I would have Skyped him.

[Steelman]

Sounds fishy

Odd one this. I won't reveal the name of the pimp suffice to say that he's a rather pushy American very big on bonhomie when we first started talking. Anyhow, it transpired that he didn't really have a role for me ...

...I then got an email in my inbox from him telling me how disappointed he was and that I could not ever expect to land a role through his agency.

...why did he want a meeting - is this common for contractor roles - would you consider wasting your time and energy on such a thing?

Agents RARELY want to meet the contractor, and they only ever take the client out to lunch. Fact. However pally the agent is, you can only ever be a single place filler and will never get multiple contracts in - that's what shmoozing the client is for.

SO - what does he want from you? I suspect he was trying to butter you up and see you face to face to get names from you - of contacts, clients, and other contractors. I VERY much doubt it was to vet you really (they have no time for this,a nd a good chat on the phone is usually sufficient to suss you out).

Maybe he is new to this/trying to branch out on his own and needs some new intel. But whatever it is trust me - he wants something from you. His patronising response says it all. Walk away.

[evilagent]

Say you will meet locally to you. Over lunch. And they are paying.

Its always good to put a face to the name and voice on the phone.

But expecting the potential candidate to travel excessive distances is not normal, or the agent has an overblown sense of his own importance.

If possible, I like to meet candidates, but meet half way.
Candidates are the lifeblood of our business, and buying lunch is always a pleasure!

As said previously, its whether you're dealing with a "sales person" masquerading as a specialist, or whether you're dealing with an agent who has been a contractor himself and actually understand the systems used to develop.
If you have placed a good team into a client, it's always good to meet them at client site and get a feel for how they're settling in, etc.
You also get names of other IT specialists they have worked with, respect and would recommend!

In summary, get him to come to you if he is so keen.

[flipFlop]

Over here, most agents will want to meet you, normally on the day of the interview and will quite often join you in meeting the interviewer(s) and, which has happened many more times than once, will sit in on the interview with you.

That's nothing like what happens in the English Police State.

[darmstadt]

Over here, most agents will want to meet you, normally on the day of the interview and will quite often join you in meeting the interviewer(s) and, which has happened many more times than once, will sit in on the interview with you.

[chineseJohn]

this tends to happen with recruitment agents in other sectors, my wife works in finance and it's quite common to meet up with the agent for a general chat, though not drive for hours though.

but then the agencies she deals with are so different to the ones we deal with (except the one with the initials MP, they're like the ones we deal with), it's all very civilised.

[BrilloPad]

Say you will meet locally to you. Over lunch. And they are paying.

[amcdonald]

We are not at war with agents and they are not the low life scum of the earth many seem to think. They are unfortunately part of the process and, to be fair, a reasonable amount of their attitude is born out of dealing with tulip contractors.

I think the problem is that there are specialist agents, and then there are people who are just clueless salesmen claiming to be specialist agents

Like someone I know, one minute they've dropped out of uni and are packing clothes for ASOS, the next month they are a specialist IT consultant for an agency

[northernladuk]

The agents that I deal with regularly I see quite regularly. I've even got the beers in on occasion, though it's usually the other way round. Random ones I will meet if it's convenient and there is a genuine role in the offing. For my first ever gig I popped into their offices for lunch on the way down to the interview as it was en route.

Agents are people too, and like most people if you treat them as such you get more out of your relationship with them.

+1 to this. We are not at war with agents and they are not the low life scum of the earth many seem to think. They are unfortunately part of the process and, to be fair, a reasonable amount of their attitude is born out of dealing with tulip contractors.

Yes they have odd ways, yes they may appear to want to waste our time, yes they can be a tad devious (to put it mildly) but just have to treat each on on it's merits and deal with it as such.

I have only ever met one agent for an open chat like this over coffee but I only travelled in to Manchester and had sod all to do and to be fair he did throw a couple of roles my way ranging from no chance to interesting. Chatting to the guys n gals here that isn't normal form though. In the old days I would have been much more willing to go but in the new day of unqualified sales people carrying the title 'agent' I wouldn't bother.

Guy has a bad attitude, deal with it. Complaining won't help and just waste your time IMO.