Recruitment consultants are a job seeker’s worst enemy

They go to great difficulty to maintain the professionalism conceit; but their interactions with their candidates could not be more inappropriate and even frequently veer into the bizarre. In the past I have had recruitment consultants swear, yell, forcibly demand, omit the less attractive features of the job, laugh histrionically, relentlessly criticise and dress inappropriately.

But the major concern is that they post vacancies for jobs that don’t actually exist. I have had several consultants disclosing to me their gimmick of hoodwinking hordes of job seekers by posting vacancies for job that don’t exist: not to meet new people, but to proliferate their databases with CVs for headhunting. And there are the ones who get all defensive and say that they have never heard of such a thing...

Anyone else feel this way?

Reply 1

Zerforax

21

The same with every generalisation, it doesn't apply to all.

No doubt there are some recruiters who are questionable and others who are just bad at the job. However there are plenty out there who are good at their job and help many people either find the right job for them or negotiate a better than they could've.

If you don't want to use them, just politely say no and hang up.

Reply 2

Gordon1985

6

Original post by Zerforax

The same with every generalisation, it doesn't apply to all.

No doubt there are some recruiters who are questionable and others who are just bad at the job. However there are plenty out there who are good at their job and help many people either find the right job for them or negotiate a better than they could've.

If you don't want to use them, just politely say no and hang up.

Easier said that done when so many companies use them these days.

My experience is good and bad, like you say.

Essentially, just don't get tricked into thinking they're on your side, they're on their own side. Don't get your hopes up after a RC fires you off an e-mail saying you'd be suited for a job or tells you it either. It's a numbers game for them (as it should be for job seekers to a certain extent) and you are a number. As long as you don't expect any better, you won't be dissapointed.

Reply 3

datpiff

13

Most Recruitment Consultants are scum of the earth. Filthy liars and disgusting people who pretend to me your 'mate' but call you every name under the sun when you leave the room. A lot of them really do have some sort of 'superiority complex'. They are up there (in terms of most hated) with estate agents. Few good ones to be fair, but there are more bad ones out there.

In my experience the main places that use agencies are: warehouses, care, call centres, distribution centres, driving jobs and sales. If they are interested in you will get the ball rolling immediately and start putting you in for interviews. Here are the infamous lines they will say when they aren't interested:

* 'We will get back to you if anything is available'
* 'We'll call you when we want you to come in'
* 'We are expected to get in lots of jobs soon and we'll contact you as soon as they come in'

They will NEVER get back to you.

I personally wouldn't bother with them. Most of them these days are just the annoying middleman. You don't need 'em, though in a lot of warehouses and of course at the infamous 'Amazon Warehouses' they mostly only hire agency staff. The only staff they actually hire are the arse kissers and the people who will drop dead and be willing to take a bullet for them; in other words the loyal lapdogs.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 4

Huskaris

16

(Recruitment "Consultants" and believe me, they can consult about recruitment about the same as I can consult about landing a rocket on the sun) are, and I am willing to go out on a limb here, without exception, ********s.

Look at it this way.

Placing a candidate at £15,000 @ 15% = £2,250.

If they could be bothered to put the work in to get you £18,000 they would get £2,700, That's a 20% difference. They are interested in volume, not the quality of your placement.

They are estate agents, but they **** with your lives rather than the value of your property. Scum.

Reply 5

JackersAFC

11

I know I'm late to the party but I just stumbled across this post and I have to agree. They are ALL WORTHLESS, LOW-LIFE, LYING, MERCENARY, SCUMBAGS.

That is all :biggrin:

Reply 6

Jebedee

17

So are the clients they deal with. Who expect the world but think they're too good to spend ten minutes on the phone to properly explain what they want then complain they're receiving irrelevant cvs.

Constantly changing their requirements and not getting back on cv feedback. It's a crappy environment on all sides and the toxicity trickles down from the top.

Reply 7

username853993

21

Original post by Jebedee

So are the clients they deal with. Who expect the world but think they're too good to spend ten minutes on the phone to properly explain what they want then complain they're receiving irrelevant cvs.

Constantly changing their requirements and not getting back on cv feedback. It's a crappy environment on all sides and the toxicity trickles down from the top.

please dont pointlessly bump threads that are over 3 years old

Reply 8

Jebedee

17

Original post by madmadmax321

please dont pointlessly bump threads that are over 3 years old

5/12/2017 was a bit more recent than that.

Reply 9

EvoBoost4Days

5

Use them for interview experience.

Reply 10

Whitesocks57

2

A friend of mine has responded to a marketing job ad. The recruiter (agency) arranged to speak on the phone. Woman knew nothing about the job, but quizzed my friend on all of her marketing experience, We checked them out. No website or web presence, I did an Experian business report they've nothing financially. A clear case of database building. A few years back I went on a wild good chase 2.5 hours each way on the bus to register with an agency before they would give me the details of the job I applied for. When I got there, the job interview had been cancelled, yet for 6 weeks after, I saw the job advertised again and again and only ever with that one agency. The recruitment industry is the bottom of the barrel. They stand between you and a decent employer who thinks candidates are being screened for suitability. All they are interested in is a juicy commission. You don;t matter to them as they've plenty of saps to throw at the vacancies using the mud sticks principle. An utterly vile and parasitic industry.

Reply 11

Old chen

3

I've used them for some jobs. They have many tricks. Often they use you to get information on what jobs are 'out there' being handled by rivals, or to find out who's unhappy and about to vacate a job. They will use a job which doesn't exist or one which they recently filled in order to get you to call or visit them. They ring to get you to name 'references' for your former jobs to get contact details of hiring managers. One friend's girlfriend handed her notice in at one job to go to another then it turned out the second place hadn't accepted her - the agency had made a mistake. I can't understand why companies use them when their fees are so high but their service is so poor.

Recruitment consultants are a job seeker’s worst enemy

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