How to get the most out of Recruitment Consultancies

Mairead1975 · 04-10-2009, 21:12

Just over 42,000 have viewed the "name, shame and praise recruitment consultants" in another post. Alot of people are frustrated with service standards from the agencies in Ireland. Below are some pointers on how to get the most out of recruiters and selecting the right ones

-Registrar with the top 3-4 maximum

-If possible, try and find out the specific names of recruiters that friends or colleagues have encountered EG you could go onto boards.ie and pose the question on a forum

-The main thing is getting a Recruitment Consultant with at least 2 years experience, and understanding of your discipline, who has forged good relationships with clients in your field. Recruitment is a high turnover industry, so this can be difficult, but it is doable if you do your research!

-Always call in advance if you see a job that you are interested in. Clarify that the role is still open. When recruiters advertise roles, they generally put them up on the sites as soon as the job comes in, and then start working through their database. They do all kinds of searches on their systems - google like searches of CVs, searches based on salaries, searches based on location, searches based on job title eg there is no point calling yourself a "Senior Manager" on your CV - you could be Senior Manager of anything. They dont have time to click into what appears to be irrelevent CVs. It's vital that they have all this info when searching. They will not have it if you have just got a "keep on file" acknowledgment.

- A lot of consultants can submit shortlists from their databases, so don’t end up considering people who apply through the jobs boards after 24 hours. A good recruiter will only submit 5-6 CVs to a client and generally this can be sought through their database. A 48 hour or so turn runaround of good quality candidates generally impresses most clients

-Request a meeting with the consultant. If they say no, push back on them and say that you would really like to registrar. If they have met you in person, it is far more likely that they will remember you

-A recruiter should give you some feedback on your CV. It is not their responsibility to go through it in too much detail, but it is in both your interests that you present yourself to your full potential

-When you meet, the consultant should know more than what is just outlined on the job spec. Ask them specific questions eg structure of the team, reporting structure, a background to the business. If they don’t know this information, I would question just how strong a relationship they have with the client. Are they going to be able to influence your application or have they just rang the client after noticing the job online??

-Clarify when next contact is going to be made and ask them if it is okay for YOU to call THEM every so often to touch base. Tell them you would like to remain in regular contact and ask them if they agree that this would be a good thing? Im sure they will agree to everything, so it is something you can bring up again if they do not do it!

-It is up to you to chase up recruiters. They are being pulled in every direction at the moment and cant really win! They are managing an increased volume of applications and are working extremely hard to get more jobs on to approach you about

-If an agency say that you are not suitable for a job, the best thing is to just accept it and move on. It is in their interest to put the best candidates forward, so they would if you were right for a job. You should always try and get feedback if you can.

-Remember, recruitment is a sales business. It is in their interest to get the best people in front of their clients. ALWAYS be honest and upfront with recruiters on everything eg. Do you have other interviews going on? ( you shouldnt disclose what companies these interviews are with ) Will you only move for XX salary? Is the location right for you? If you have concerns it’s in both your interests to get them addressed. Ireland is too small a place to annoy potential employers

-Never disclose to a recruiter what other companies you are interviewing with.

-Do not deal with agencies who have not requested your permission to send your CV to a client. This is the worst form of practice an agency can do. It is not fair on the agencies who follow the correct process and earn their commission! You should always be met by an agency and called about a job in advance.

-If it ever becomes an issue, I would suggest sending an email directly to the client indicating that you would like X company to represent you. Squabbling amongst the agencies is the last thing HR Professsionals in organisations want to get involved in.

-Quite often they will tell you the things you want to hear. I would have more respect for the recruiters who are honest and direct than ones who give general feedback such as “ you don’t have enough general experience” . You should be getting something more precise than that

-General Career Advice & Career Blog @ http://www.careermentors.ie

Mairead

Catmologen · 04-10-2009, 23:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mairead1975

Remember, recruitment is a sales business. It is in their interest to get the best people in front of their clients. ALWAYS be honest and upfront with recruiters on everything eg. Do you have other interviews going on?
Will you only move for XX salary? Is the location right for you? If you have concerns it’s in both your interests to get them addressed. Ireland is too small a place to annoy potential employers

Ya if you want the company you are interviewing with to be spammed with cvs from the recruitment agency. They have no business knowing what jobs you are going for, its just a sneaky tactic to find out what other companies are recruiting.

Mairead1975 · 05-10-2009, 08:08

Hi - agree, the point following on from the one below also advises this.....will edit the post to make this clearer! Thanks.Mairead

Remember, recruitment is a sales business. It is in their interest to get the best people in front of their clients. ALWAYS be honest and upfront with recruiters on everything eg. Do you have other interviews going on? Will you only move for XX salary? Is the location right for you? If you have concerns it’s in both your interests to get them addressed. Ireland is too small a place to annoy potential employers

Never disclose to a recruiter what other companies you are interviewing with.

mood · 05-10-2009, 10:23

Some good advise here but a lot of it doesn't apply at the moment. For example I have phoned and e-mailed a particular recruitment agency about a job and they simply don't answer the phone or e-mails. Also I have never come across an agency who understands my sector, they simple read the job spec out loud... hello, I have already read it!!! Unless recruitment consultants change they way they treat job seekers and act in a professional manner they will avoid you like the plague. If I was not unemployed and simply wanted to change jobs there is no way I would send a cv to ANY recruitment agency.

Mairead1975 · 05-10-2009, 10:52

Sorry to hear that is what you've experienced - I expect alot of people are the same. The process above is one that I would try to maximise your opportunity of getting the best out of recruiters. I take on board that the market is different and everyone is under pressure.

One thing I'll say - the same way recruiters are not getting back to jobseekers, HR professionals and In-house Recruiters often do not get back to them with any further information on jobs - you could leave 8-10 messages for HR and they wont return your calls - they just send you on the job-specs and refuse to take calls from there, so the recruiters can only "read off the job specs". It makes even experienced recruiters look bad. I know there are bad recruiters out there, but there are also very good ones who have relationships established with certain clients and are respected by those clients.

I worked in recruitment for 9 years and I am confident that I knew my market inside out. I know the person who replaced me is the same. If a company / HR worked with me then my delivery to candidates was 10 times better. If they didnt return my calls, I was restricted in the information I could pass onto candidates eg structure of departments, salaries, reason for the vacancy, how long the role had been open for ETC. 9 out of 10 times they did return my calls, but that's because I knew them from being in it so long. You need to find experienced recruiters.

Thanks
Mairead

mood · 05-10-2009, 11:00

How do you find experience recruiters? Imagine the reaction I would get if I asked how much experience THEY had!!! I know no one who can recommend one.

Also, you talk about recruitment consultants with good relationships with companies... this is probably only with large companies who recruit on a regular basis. I don't work in a sector like that.

Mairead1975 · 05-10-2009, 11:14

What area do you work in?

You could go on www.linkedin.com, key in the name of an agency you want to target in the "advanced search field", check out the profiles of alot of their employees and you will find out who the most experienced recruiters are. Takes work, but it's an option. There are over 900 Recruitment Consultants / In House Recruiters on LinkedIn.com

Takes tenacity to get through to them - wouldnt just give up after one voicemail. I used to leave my phone for half an hour and come back to 15 voicemails - that was in boom times when you couldnt get candidates, would say it's more like 25 messages in half an houur. I totally get your frustration - dont think I dont. This isnt going to work for all of them, but the odd one it might. If you can get an experienced recruiter who is at their desk then at least you get to speak to them!!

Spend most your time sending your CV directly, but dont totally write off agencies

Just trying to help....

Mairead

**eoin** · 05-10-2009, 13:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mairead1975

-Registrar with the top 3-4 maximum

How does that fit in with applying for jobs you see online? To get any details about a job, you pretty much have to send in your CV anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mairead1975

A recruiter should give you some feedback on your CV. It is not their responsibility to go through it in too much detail, but it is in both your interests that you present yourself to your full potential

I'm still amazed how many agencies don't seem to do this. I got about 8 CVs last year, and I think only 2 of them were under 3 pages - and two of them were more than 10!

Mairead1975 · 05-10-2009, 14:10

I dont think you should necessarily apply to jobs you see online. Alot of the jobs you see online arent genuine real jobs - this has been discussed at length on the other posting.

One of the most unethical agencies Ive come across had about 80% more jobs online than most - none of them were genuine. All you could see was that agency all over the jobs boards, when they were a small agency with a handful of recruiters and clients. They appeared to jobseekers like they had ALL the jobs, when in reality they had virtually none and were just building up their database.

What Im suggesting above is that you try and registrar ( ie meet - not just send in your CV ) the agencies that you have heard are more reputable irrespective of whether or not they have jobs for you at the moment. I know this is hard, but if you are worthwhile and have skills that employers are looking for, you will be met

The name shame and praise post may help find the few good ones - and also the linkedin suggestion to find experienced recruiters

Thanks
Mairead

**eoin** · 05-10-2009, 15:13

By only going for jobs that are coming through agencies you have registered with, you must be cutting down your chances considerably. My last two interviews (offers made both times) have been from vacancies I applied to on irishjobs.ie, and both were with agencies I hadn't deal with before.

I probably sent my CV to 12 or more recruitment agencies during this period. I wasn't delighted about doing it, but had I been more cautious, I wouldn't have ended up getting the job I am in now.

Mairead1975 · 05-10-2009, 15:27

At the end of the day - it's snippets of advice.....will work for some people and others it wont - people can take it or leave it much like alot of the interaction / exhanges on forums.

I believe it is good advice and important that you know where your CV is going - it worked for you, for others it'd end up a mess and their CV landing all over the place.

Congrats on 2 job offers in todays market - good to hear some positive news!!

Mairead

Kipperhell · 05-10-2009, 15:41

I would have to say it is crazy to limit yourself to a few agencies. It should be about increasing your chances not limiting them. Many positions are now going to less agencies than before so unless you are with the agent you will never hear of the position.

MysticalRain · 05-10-2009, 15:43

Thanks for the info. Incidentally, do you think recruitment agents pay much attention to cover letters these days?

**eoin** · 05-10-2009, 15:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mairead1975

Congrats on 2 job offers in todays market - good to hear some positive news!!

Thanks, unfortunately they were a couple of years ago, so I've battened down the hatches since!

While it wasn't ideal to have so many copies of my CV out there in the ether, it meant I had wider options. The worst thing that has happened to me is some phone calls about very irrelevant vacancies, but they take all of 30 seconds to get rid of.

mood · 05-10-2009, 15:52

Mairead1975 when I contact recruitment agencies I NEVER only phone or e-mail once. I'm a graphic designer and have ever only spoke with two recruitment consultants who actually understood what the role of a graphic designer is!!!

When this recession is over I think recruitment agencies will find it very hard to fill places they have. I for one will remember all the recruitment agencies who didn't phone or e-mail me back. I am shocked at the lack of professionalism by the vast majority of people I have contacted.

I have already reported one agency for advertising a position that didn't exist and I will do it again. If other also do this maybe we won't be wasting time and money applying for non existing jobs.

04-10-2009, 21:12	#1
Mairead1975 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dublin Posts: 43 Adverts \| Friends	How to get the most out of Recruitment Consultancies Just over 42,000 have viewed the "name, shame and praise recruitment consultants" in another post. Alot of people are frustrated with service standards from the agencies in Ireland. Below are some pointers on how to get the most out of recruiters and selecting the right ones -Registrar with the top 3-4 maximum -If possible, try and find out the specific names of recruiters that friends or colleagues have encountered EG you could go onto boards.ie and pose the question on a forum -The main thing is getting a Recruitment Consultant with at least 2 years experience, and understanding of your discipline, who has forged good relationships with clients in your field. Recruitment is a high turnover industry, so this can be difficult, but it is doable if you do your research! -Always call in advance if you see a job that you are interested in. Clarify that the role is still open. When recruiters advertise roles, they generally put them up on the sites as soon as the job comes in, and then start working through their database. They do all kinds of searches on their systems - google like searches of CVs, searches based on salaries, searches based on location, searches based on job title eg there is no point calling yourself a "Senior Manager" on your CV - you could be Senior Manager of anything. They dont have time to click into what appears to be irrelevent CVs. It's vital that they have all this info when searching. They will not have it if you have just got a "keep on file" acknowledgment. - A lot of consultants can submit shortlists from their databases, so don’t end up considering people who apply through the jobs boards after 24 hours. A good recruiter will only submit 5-6 CVs to a client and generally this can be sought through their database. A 48 hour or so turn runaround of good quality candidates generally impresses most clients -Request a meeting with the consultant. If they say no, push back on them and say that you would really like to registrar. If they have met you in person, it is far more likely that they will remember you -A recruiter should give you some feedback on your CV. It is not their responsibility to go through it in too much detail, but it is in both your interests that you present yourself to your full potential -When you meet, the consultant should know more than what is just outlined on the job spec. Ask them specific questions eg structure of the team, reporting structure, a background to the business. If they don’t know this information, I would question just how strong a relationship they have with the client. Are they going to be able to influence your application or have they just rang the client after noticing the job online?? -Clarify when next contact is going to be made and ask them if it is okay for YOU to call THEM every so often to touch base. Tell them you would like to remain in regular contact and ask them if they agree that this would be a good thing? Im sure they will agree to everything, so it is something you can bring up again if they do not do it! -It is up to you to chase up recruiters. They are being pulled in every direction at the moment and cant really win! They are managing an increased volume of applications and are working extremely hard to get more jobs on to approach you about -If an agency say that you are not suitable for a job, the best thing is to just accept it and move on. It is in their interest to put the best candidates forward, so they would if you were right for a job. You should always try and get feedback if you can. -Remember, recruitment is a sales business. It is in their interest to get the best people in front of their clients. ALWAYS be honest and upfront with recruiters on everything eg. Do you have other interviews going on? ( you shouldnt disclose what companies these interviews are with ) Will you only move for XX salary? Is the location right for you? If you have concerns it’s in both your interests to get them addressed. Ireland is too small a place to annoy potential employers -Never disclose to a recruiter what other companies you are interviewing with. -Do not deal with agencies who have not requested your permission to send your CV to a client. This is the worst form of practice an agency can do. It is not fair on the agencies who follow the correct process and earn their commission! You should always be met by an agency and called about a job in advance. -If it ever becomes an issue, I would suggest sending an email directly to the client indicating that you would like X company to represent you. Squabbling amongst the agencies is the last thing HR Professsionals in organisations want to get involved in. -Quite often they will tell you the things you want to hear. I would have more respect for the recruiters who are honest and direct than ones who give general feedback such as “ you don’t have enough general experience” . You should be getting something more precise than that -General Career Advice & Career Blog @ http://www.careermentors.ie Mairead Last edited by Mairead1975; 05-10-2009 at 08:12.

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05-10-2009, 08:08	#3
Mairead1975 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dublin Posts: 43 Adverts \| Friends	Hi - agree, the point following on from the one below also advises this.....will edit the post to make this clearer! Thanks.Mairead Remember, recruitment is a sales business. It is in their interest to get the best people in front of their clients. ALWAYS be honest and upfront with recruiters on everything eg. Do you have other interviews going on? Will you only move for XX salary? Is the location right for you? If you have concerns it’s in both your interests to get them addressed. Ireland is too small a place to annoy potential employers Never disclose to a recruiter what other companies you are interviewing with.

05-10-2009, 10:23	#4
mood Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 771 Adverts \| Friends	Some good advise here but a lot of it doesn't apply at the moment. For example I have phoned and e-mailed a particular recruitment agency about a job and they simply don't answer the phone or e-mails. Also I have never come across an agency who understands my sector, they simple read the job spec out loud... hello, I have already read it!!! Unless recruitment consultants change they way they treat job seekers and act in a professional manner they will avoid you like the plague. If I was not unemployed and simply wanted to change jobs there is no way I would send a cv to ANY recruitment agency.

05-10-2009, 10:52	#5
Mairead1975 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dublin Posts: 43 Adverts \| Friends	Sorry to hear that is what you've experienced - I expect alot of people are the same. The process above is one that I would try to maximise your opportunity of getting the best out of recruiters. I take on board that the market is different and everyone is under pressure. One thing I'll say - the same way recruiters are not getting back to jobseekers, HR professionals and In-house Recruiters often do not get back to them with any further information on jobs - you could leave 8-10 messages for HR and they wont return your calls - they just send you on the job-specs and refuse to take calls from there, so the recruiters can only "read off the job specs". It makes even experienced recruiters look bad. I know there are bad recruiters out there, but there are also very good ones who have relationships established with certain clients and are respected by those clients. I worked in recruitment for 9 years and I am confident that I knew my market inside out. I know the person who replaced me is the same. If a company / HR worked with me then my delivery to candidates was 10 times better. If they didnt return my calls, I was restricted in the information I could pass onto candidates eg structure of departments, salaries, reason for the vacancy, how long the role had been open for ETC. 9 out of 10 times they did return my calls, but that's because I knew them from being in it so long. You need to find experienced recruiters. Thanks Mairead

05-10-2009, 11:00	#6
mood Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 771 Adverts \| Friends	How do you find experience recruiters? Imagine the reaction I would get if I asked how much experience THEY had!!! I know no one who can recommend one. Also, you talk about recruitment consultants with good relationships with companies... this is probably only with large companies who recruit on a regular basis. I don't work in a sector like that.

05-10-2009, 11:14	#7
Mairead1975 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dublin Posts: 43 Adverts \| Friends	What area do you work in? You could go on www.linkedin.com, key in the name of an agency you want to target in the "advanced search field", check out the profiles of alot of their employees and you will find out who the most experienced recruiters are. Takes work, but it's an option. There are over 900 Recruitment Consultants / In House Recruiters on LinkedIn.com Takes tenacity to get through to them - wouldnt just give up after one voicemail. I used to leave my phone for half an hour and come back to 15 voicemails - that was in boom times when you couldnt get candidates, would say it's more like 25 messages in half an houur. I totally get your frustration - dont think I dont. This isnt going to work for all of them, but the odd one it might. If you can get an experienced recruiter who is at their desk then at least you get to speak to them!! Spend most your time sending your CV directly, but dont totally write off agencies Just trying to help.... Mairead

05-10-2009, 14:10	#9
Mairead1975 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dublin Posts: 43 Adverts \| Friends	I dont think you should necessarily apply to jobs you see online. Alot of the jobs you see online arent genuine real jobs - this has been discussed at length on the other posting. One of the most unethical agencies Ive come across had about 80% more jobs online than most - none of them were genuine. All you could see was that agency all over the jobs boards, when they were a small agency with a handful of recruiters and clients. They appeared to jobseekers like they had ALL the jobs, when in reality they had virtually none and were just building up their database. What Im suggesting above is that you try and registrar ( ie meet - not just send in your CV ) the agencies that you have heard are more reputable irrespective of whether or not they have jobs for you at the moment. I know this is hard, but if you are worthwhile and have skills that employers are looking for, you will be met The name shame and praise post may help find the few good ones - and also the linkedin suggestion to find experienced recruiters Thanks Mairead

05-10-2009, 15:13	#10
eoin Moderator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Up on my high horse Posts: 10,428 Adverts \| Friends Mod: Motoring	By only going for jobs that are coming through agencies you have registered with, you must be cutting down your chances considerably. My last two interviews (offers made both times) have been from vacancies I applied to on irishjobs.ie, and both were with agencies I hadn't deal with before. I probably sent my CV to 12 or more recruitment agencies during this period. I wasn't delighted about doing it, but had I been more cautious, I wouldn't have ended up getting the job I am in now.

05-10-2009, 15:27	#11
Mairead1975 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dublin Posts: 43 Adverts \| Friends	At the end of the day - it's snippets of advice.....will work for some people and others it wont - people can take it or leave it much like alot of the interaction / exhanges on forums. I believe it is good advice and important that you know where your CV is going - it worked for you, for others it'd end up a mess and their CV landing all over the place. Congrats on 2 job offers in todays market - good to hear some positive news!! Mairead

05-10-2009, 15:41	#12
Kipperhell Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,467 Adverts \| Friends	I would have to say it is crazy to limit yourself to a few agencies. It should be about increasing your chances not limiting them. Many positions are now going to less agencies than before so unless you are with the agent you will never hear of the position.

05-10-2009, 15:43	#13
MysticalRain Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Kerry Posts: 364 Adverts \| Friends	Thanks for the info. Incidentally, do you think recruitment agents pay much attention to cover letters these days?

05-10-2009, 15:52	#15
mood Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 771 Adverts \| Friends	Mairead1975 when I contact recruitment agencies I NEVER only phone or e-mail once. I'm a graphic designer and have ever only spoke with two recruitment consultants who actually understood what the role of a graphic designer is!!! When this recession is over I think recruitment agencies will find it very hard to fill places they have. I for one will remember all the recruitment agencies who didn't phone or e-mail me back. I am shocked at the lack of professionalism by the vast majority of people I have contacted. I have already reported one agency for advertising a position that didn't exist and I will do it again. If other also do this maybe we won't be wasting time and money applying for non existing jobs.