IT recruitment agency/agent

wijcc

wijcc

wijcc

Soldato
Joined
10 Aug 2003
Posts
2,692
Location
London
Can anyone recommend a good recruitment agents/agency for the IT sector?. I need/would like to talk to someone for advice. I was made redundant after working for the same small training company for 14.5 years, where I was sole person responsible for all IT systems and issues. I am finding it hard to find a new job and would like to see what I could/need to do improve my chances of getting another job.
Thanks in advance guys :)
 
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I tend to go with agents rather than agencies (as they tend to move around a lot).

No recommendations for any particular agencies, as it depends who they have working for them. On the whole they are pretty blatant, they'll bend over backwards to get you to apply for jobs if you have a good CV, but they will do sweet f-all after that.

It's even worse using them for hiring people than it is to use them for getting hired yourself, and I've had 6 years of the latter. The best thing to do is to find a job you like on JobServer/Reed/ etc - and then pray that whatever agent/agency is running that job is half-way decent.

Why are you finding it hard to find another job? Can't get an interview? Nothing relevant on the job sites? Interview but no offer?

There's something that can be done for all of those issues.
 
The way I do it is with a bit of detective work.

Go on the various job websites. There your see the agents/agency connected with the job and possibly the agents Name/Tel num.

From there you can go to their website, upload your CV or email the recruiter directly.
 
Thanks guys. Anyone here work in IT recruitment or are senior/head of IT department who can give me some advice what I can do to help me seem more recruitable?
Thanks in advance :)
 
opethdisciple said:
The way I do it is with a bit of detective work.

Go on the various job websites. There your see the agents/agency connected with the job and possibly the agents Name/Tel num.

From there you can go to their website, upload your CV or email the recruiter directly.
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I fail to see the benefit of this compared to just applying for the job via the job site.

The better "detective work" would be to find out which company the job is for and then get in touch with them directly, circumventing the entire agency industry entirely. Sometimes it's not possible, but plenty of ads actually name the company.

If you want to go further and play the agencies at their own game of lies and deceit then send them a fake CV and bleed them for info over the phone about who the job is with. Attain info and drop them like a hot potato.
 
D3K said:
I fail to see the benefit of this compared to just applying for the job via the job site.

The better "detective work" would be to find out which company the job is for and then get in touch with them directly, circumventing the entire agency industry entirely. Sometimes it's not possible, but plenty of ads actually name the company.

If you want to go further and play the agencies at their own game of lies and deceit then send them a fake CV and bleed them for info over the phone about who the job is with. Attain info and drop them like a hot potato.
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:rolleyes:

Obviously I apply for the role if it looks good.

But by send your CV to the agent/ talking to them directly you let them know first hand your out there and looking.
 
I would just apply for jobs and this will put you in contact with agents as a by product. Generally speaking I would not pin your hopes on a couple of cherry-picked agents as that will restrict your opportunities to those they are involved in. Although there will be some exceptions the majority of agents are not out there trying to find a job to match to a person, they are trying to find a person to match to a job. In other words they are instructed by an organisation to fill a given position, they are not there with your CV pinned to the wall trying to sniff out somewhere to place you.

I would start with first principles and get your template CV in order which you will then tailor as appropriate for the jobs you apply for. Some agents may give you feedback on suggested alterations but that would typically only be if they plan to put you forward for something, otherwise they wouldn't waste their time.
 
opethdisciple said:
:rolleyes:

Obviously I apply for the role if it looks good.

But by send your CV to the agent/ talking to them directly you let them know first hand your out there and looking.
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Sorry to burst your bubble, but they don't care unless there's a relevant job within the bounds of their infinitesimally short attention span.
 
I am applying for jobs through lots of different on-line sites. I have gotten a few calls from agents, but they are not very helpful and seem all talk, never following through with what they say on the phone for example sending me job specs for jobs they are asking if i am interested in applying for.
 
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This is what I would do:

1) Look at job market, see what the demand is, and what you think you could do, even if it means learning some new skills.

2) Become focused in on a particular IT role. Have a clear focus. Make sure this focus is something that is being asked for in the job market. Start getting enthusiastic about this focus.

2.5) Read around this subject. Treat yourself to some Kindle books.

3) Work out ways that you can demonstrate this enthusiasm. This means: a good CV. Other optional possibilities: participation in communities, Open Source projects, starting a blog, social media contribution, making how to YouTube videos.

4) Identify target companies where these roles exist. Send them your CV and ask if they have roles available.

5) Apply for jobs via usual channels too.

6) Key thing is you develop an in demand skill, you have enthusiasm, and can prove expertise.

7) Put the focus on quality of your applications, rather than the quantity. Highly targetted and high quality applications.

8) Go to events, forums and tradeshows where you will meet people already in the industry. Take with you ready to go copies of your CV. Get into conversations and if they save they have vacancies, hand them your CV.

9) Job hunting is very stressful, just remember it is stressful for everyone. Good luck.
 
OP - you've got to keep in mind that these are salespeople and they're paid for by the employers - their main aim is just getting people who they think are most likely to get a particular role in front of the relevant employer. Unfortunately you're not likely to get many that will sit down with you and have a chat/give you general career advice.

You might want to try to find a careers advisor - also look at various guides online re: creating a good CV/cover letter (and the thread in this forum perhaps). Also the scatter gun approach of just applying for general IT jobs might not work so well - if you can pick an area you're keen on and pursue that, read up on it in the meantime(perhaps take relevant courses online or otherwise) etc.. then that might give you better results than just applying to random 'IT' jobs and hoping someone gives you a shot.
 
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