Graduate using recruitment/temping agencies

I graduated this summer, and despite having decent work experience/loads of volunteering and skills and a 2:1, I can't even find a retail job willing to take me. I'm currently living at home and hating it - my hometown is miles away from all my friends and nothing ever happens here. Ideally I'd like to move back to Cardiff where I went to uni, but it's difficult to find a job there too. So I've been thinking over the idea of just taking the plunge and moving back there and signing up some temping agencies to tide me over whilst I try to find a more long term thing. Is this doable? Would it be enough to keep me busy/earn enough money to live (my parents said they would be willing to help me out a bit if needed) , or will it just be more soul-destroying than being unemployed with no positive view of the future?! Any stories/advice would be welcome :colondollar:

Reply 1

Charlottey!

2

I graduated this year and was sick of working retail so I joined a temping agency, was a temp for ~6 weeks, cos while I was at the company I was applying for permanent roles and got one - it's not amazing and it's not brilliant pay but I hate not working so it's something to tide me over - and it pays a lot better than retail tbh.

My experience with the temp agency was really positive, they get a percentage of your pay or something, so they genuinely want to find you work, and they told me that being a graduate was basically enough to walk into any temp job.

Good luck! :smile:

Reply 2

JMP92

I signed up with an agency when I graduated and was placed with a very reputable, well-known company on a long term assignment within a few days. I would recommend it to anyone but you do get lucky with recruitment agencies. I have now been offered a permanent role at the company which I wouldn't have got had it not been for working there as a temp initially. I am also on a decent wage (£20k+) and able to support myself. It is very doable but there is an amount of luck that plays a part also.

Reply 3

randomgeeza

14

Recruitment companies are **** mostly but some times they can be helpful. The last few I signed up with got me a few gigs but it was too late because I had already found a job by then.

Original post by -aimz

I graduated this summer, and despite having decent work experience/loads of volunteering and skills and a 2:1, I can't even find a retail job willing to take me. I'm currently living at home and hating it - my hometown is miles away from all my friends and nothing ever happens here. Ideally I'd like to move back to Cardiff where I went to uni, but it's difficult to find a job there too. So I've been thinking over the idea of just taking the plunge and moving back there and signing up some temping agencies to tide me over whilst I try to find a more long term thing. Is this doable? Would it be enough to keep me busy/earn enough money to live (my parents said they would be willing to help me out a bit if needed) , or will it just be more soul-destroying than being unemployed with no positive view of the future?! Any stories/advice would be welcome :colondollar:

Upload your CV to Reed, i've been getting so many phone calls/voice mails/emails from people who want to offer me something.

I've never used an agency before in my life, but i've managed to secure a few graduate interviews through them. There's definitely some potential there, if you've got enough money to live on until you can find something then do it!

Reply 5

SirMasterKey

18

Original post by sr90

Upload your CV to Reed, i've been getting so many phone calls/voice mails/emails from people who want to offer me something.

I've never used an agency before in my life, but i've managed to secure a few graduate interviews through them. There's definitely some potential there, if you've got enough money to live on until you can find something then do it!

Going to update my account then. I'm getting so very frustrated at applying for positions locally and nationally and have only had one place contact me back and that was a rejection. It is ridiculous in the age of 'apply online for position' that they can't send you a rejection email. It would just be common courtesy.

Reply 6

lizlaz350

16

It depends how good the agency is, it's worth signing up for a few of them in case one stops finding work for you and also it's worth putting CV on Reed and make sure you constantly update it when you do more temping, as I got so many phonecalls from there about jobs.

The first recruitment agency I was with gave me 5 weeks of work with no gaps with 3 different companies and now I'm half way through a 3 month placement from a different agency.

It's definitely worth doing - you learn what you want out of a job and it can lead to more. I'm hoping my current role will extend my contract or make me permanent, as they do tend to do that. Even if they don't, I've at least got some great experience from being there, especially as it's a well known company.

Reply 7

YoungAdviser

2

Original post by sr90

Upload your CV to Reed, i've been getting so many phone calls/voice mails/emails from people who want to offer me something.

I've never used an agency before in my life, but i've managed to secure a few graduate interviews through them. There's definitely some potential there, if you've got enough money to live on until you can find something then do it!

2nd this for anybody who reads (heh) it.

Reed is fantastic.

I'd say from the two weeks where i had my Reed profile up and running, up until i accepted my job and stopped caring, i had a good 20-30 people contact me via phone + email with relevant jobs (financial or recuritng were my two main areas). And that doesnt even count the mildly relevant jobs which people emailed me about every day.

Recruitment especially, i put my Reed profile up on day 1 and i remember by day 5 i had 7 people to contact about recruiting jobs that had left me voicemails (was before a holiday).

I then had about 4 or 5 graduate recruitment companies in contact with me seeing if i fit any jobs they had, all interested in finding me a job because obviously they get commission then.

I'm a regular LinkedIN user, on JSA for free money and confident in general job searching, but Reed was by far the most "profitable" for finding job opportunities.

Graduate using recruitment/temping agencies

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you