Tidal wave of recruitment jobs??

[benjo]

I just got a job through a recruitment agency and they've been so helpful. I think they're a small team but they've been in constant contact throughout my application and they've given me so much advice.

Got the job today. They're not all bad

 

[apatia77]

I really don't like job agencies, most of the time they just waste your time however I have had 1 IT job through an agency in the past, so yes do do sometimes have some real vacancy to fill.

 

[Devrij]

Are recruitment agencies that bad? I thought they're there to help you get a job...

They're there to make themselves money, that's it the sooner you realise they have no interest in you unless you can make them some commission the better.

The point is to show them you can make them some money, and then they're very helpful indeed. Got my current job by ringing up an agency and arranging a meeting (said I was in the area that day, I wasn't). Once they saw I was not a complete ****, I had an interview (the next day was offered, but I was busy) a week later, and now I have a decent job with solid pay.

You can use the fact they want commission to help you if you demonstrate that you aren't retarded. That's why businesses pay them ridiculous money: to filter out the dross that apply via web and print ads.

 

[pingwing]

Quite a few recruitment agencies put out jobs for new recruiters because they need to find out where more jobs are, so what they do in the interview is concentrate on what else you have been applying for and how so they can drum up more business for them selves.

Had an internship interview last year with them, real eye opener about how it all "works". Best advice is there are some really good ones out there, most are just cowboys.

 

[Addicted]

Having dealt with the after Uni, I can they're all slimeballs, feed you crap and are purely in it for the commission.

Funnily enough, I know a few people who went into Recruitment after Uni, now considering they did a Computing degree, what an ABSOLUTE waste.



"I've got your CV here, and wondered what sort of experience you have for x,y,z [insert some random/made-up job title]"

"Well, if you'd have read my CV you'd see all my skills, past work experience and other useful items that would answer your question"

 

[gord]

Recruitment is lucrative. Taking a percentage of someone's salary as payment is pretty good work if you can get it. NB, for the question earlier, it doesn't affect the individual's salary

And if you can get it then you are either good at it, lucky, or a cut-throat mother licker. Commonly all three.

And for that reason the industry has huge labour turnover, so they're always recruiting recruiters.

 

[Showboat]

They're scum. There are some genuine ones who are really helpful, and do really want to help, unfortunately, 99% of them are total scumbags

Quoted for truth, couldn't agree more.

 

[toshj]

Recruiters can be rubbish, but they can be good too - same applies to every industry, whether you're an IT salesman or an IFA.

What most people fail to grasp is the dynamic of a recruiter. They don't work for the candidate, they work exclusively for the client. If the candidate was to give the recruiter a wedge of his salary then I'm sure the recruiter would work for them. The majority of people seem the think recruiters are there to find them a job... not the case I'm afraid!

People tend to get on their high horse and renounce recruiters as scum or slimeballs, and then need to turn to them to find themselves a new job... and then go back to renouncing them...

 

[rodenal]

As with everything there are good ones and bad ones. They are a business, a business that is set up to make money by placing the (theoretical) right candidate forward and getting a fee from that.

I get quite a few phonecalls & emails about jobs from agencies - only usually takes a couple of seconds to sift through the info and determine whether it's of interest or not, the key thing to remember is that they do not know the ins and outs of your job, only by asking specific questions will you know whether it's a role you're interested in. Yes some of the individuals employed have a questionable skillset and yes there are agencies who put on false jobs or that just want you to come in and register even though there is nothing there.

Generally speaking if a consultant wont tell me the details of the employer, job and salary range after a couple of phonecalls I won't let them go any further. Due to my previous roles i've actually ended up authorising my own finders fee once in the job - a fairly hefty 20% in some cases but it shouldn't really affect the salary you are offered, remember you can pretty much write off the first 6 months to a years salary for a new start anyway whilst they get up to speed. (from an employers view)

 

[Showboat]

Recruiters can be rubbish, but they can be good too - same applies to every industry, whether you're an IT salesman or an IFA.

What most people fail to grasp is the dynamic of a recruiter. They don't work for the candidate, they work exclusively for the client. If the candidate was to give the recruiter a wedge of his salary then I'm sure the recruiter would work for them. The majority of people seem the think recruiters are there to find them a job... not the case I'm afraid!

People tend to get on their high horse and renounce recruiters as scum or slimeballs, and then need to turn to them to find themselves a new job... and then go back to renouncing them...

Every recruiter i have spoken to has always said they are there to get me the right job for me.... they must think they need to stand out among all the other recruiters and have to come up with some BS to do it.
If they were at least honest and said i am here to get the best candidate for the job i would appreciate it, but they don't.. they lie and deceive at every opportunity..... Scum

 

[rodenal]

They are there to get the right job for you, otherwise they would make no money as none of their candidates would get an offer - if you don't fit a role or they have people they consider to be better suited (rightly or wrongly) you wont hear anything back. That's the most frustrating part, particularly when they've made first contact but it's sadly the way of the world now

 

[toshj]

Every recruiter i have spoken to has always said they are there to get me the right job for me.... they must think they need to stand out among all the other recruiters and have to come up with some BS to do it.
If they were at least honest and said i am here to get the best candidate for the job i would appreciate it, but they don't.. they lie and deceive at every opportunity..... Scum

Well if you believe them then that probably says more about you than it does about them... Why on earth would they work for you? Do you pay them anything?

It's in theory a sales job, and one of the most difficult sales jobs around. As they're selling something, they wouldn't tell you "I'm just here to find the best candidate... you may not be it, but I'm gonna give it a go anyway!" Not much of a sell that is.

If you sell a product, but your competitor sells an even better product, you wouldn;t approach a client and say "Here's my stuff, that guy over there has better stuff, but you can buy mine anyway..." you have to dress it up. If you fall for it over and over again, I'd probably be quite worried if I were you!

 

[anything I don't mind]

Recruitment is not such a bad job, usually hot girls working there and you get ok basic and can benefit from high commission. especially when you start recruiting for top jobs.

We do IT for a legal recruitment place and it is packed wall to wall with hot girls.

 

[rodenal]

The basic is usually shocking?? £18-20k for 60 hour weeks, every week and next to no job security. Not many consultants outside of London are making much commision at the moment either.

 

[sniffy]

Ahh I see. So say they recruited you, would you get significantly less pay due to them taking a cut from your wages? So basically it's better to go directly to the employer if possible.

Some organisations simply consider the difference a saving (i.e. you wouldn't have got that much money if you contacted them directly anyway).

My impression is that it's generally a pretty scummy profession. They adopt the "throw some **** at the wall and see what sticks" approach which doesn't even remotely justify how much money they get from employers. I imagine there's some decent ones out there that actually headhunt for positions though.

 

[rodenal]

Headhunters are normally a little different and tend to attach themselves to a specific employer or set of employers.

 

[Steedie]

Recruitment is not such a bad job, usually hot girls working there and you get ok basic and can benefit from high commission. especially when you start recruiting for top jobs.

We do IT for a legal recruitment place and it is packed wall to wall with hot girls.

This I agree with, a few of the agents that have added me on LinkedIn, absolutely stunning

 

[Vita]

Depends the agency you use. Some are helpful as they want the comission asap, and some dgaf.

 

[Nexus]

No, once you're in the job that's it the recruiters have nothing to do with it. They make money as the company looking for staff pays them if they find a suitable candidate.

That's not how all recruitment works.

There are many who will continue taking a cut upon getting a a candidate into a position somewhere.

For example, when I was 18, even a bottom of the rung job with a local business doing a heavy lifting summer job.... I applied directly to the company and got paid something like £8.60 an hour. People doing the same job as me, but for much longer were only on £5.60 an hour, as they got the job through an agency who then take a cut of their wages.

Of course this then goes right up to specialist areas and recruiters who like to call themselves 'headhunters', so of course the fees can begin to get astronomical.

My Brother works in recruitment and they tend to bring in a lot of money into the company for each person they get into a position.

I'm not really a fan of recruitment because I think its a bit too middleman and some of it seems cowboyish, with many people not even being that highly qualified. While you can make some good money personally, I think that it would also become a bit boring even at the high end. Your entire career is just finding jobs for people, it doesn't really change or progress.

 

[tom_e]

That's not how all recruitment works.

There are many who will continue taking a cut upon getting a a candidate into a position somewhere.

For example, when I was 18, even a bottom of the rung job with a local business doing a heavy lifting summer job.... I applied directly to the company and got paid something like £8.60 an hour. People doing the same job as me, but for much longer were only on £5.60 an hour, as they got the job through an agency who then take a cut of their wages.

Of course this then goes right up to specialist areas and recruiters who like to call themselves 'headhunters', so of course the fees can begin to get astronomical.

My Brother works in recruitment and they tend to bring in a lot of money into the company for each person they get into a position.

I'm not really a fan of recruitment because I think its a bit too middleman and some of it seems cowboyish, with many people not even being that highly qualified. While you can make some good money personally, I think that it would also become a bit boring even at the high end. Your entire career is just finding jobs for people, it doesn't really change or progress.

I'm pretty sure they're two different things, there's job agencies which sounds like what you are talking about and recruitment agencies.
I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure they're separate businesses most of the time.