Recruitment Agency Query

CatFromHue

Just wondering what other people would do here.

A few weeks ago I applied for a position through a recruitment agency and didn't hear anything back. I followed up with them and just got an email back saying "my CV has been submitted for consideration". I've followed up with them since a few times but they've never gotten back to me so effectively I'm in limbo with them for a few weeks now. No phonecalls were returned but I did get the reply through email.

Now another agency is recruiting for what I think is the same position and the first agency has taken it off its website.

I do think I'm a good fit for the position so if you were in my spot would you apply to the new agency? It's always been my understanding that you should apply for the same job with different agencies.

Stheno

CatFromHue wrote: »

Just wondering what other people would do here.

A few weeks ago I applied for a position through a recruitment agency and didn't hear anything back. I followed up with them and just got an email back saying "my CV has been submitted for consideration". I've followed up with them since a few times but they've never gotten back to me so effectively I'm in limbo with them for a few weeks now. No phonecalls were returned but I did get the reply through email.

Now another agency is recruiting for what I think is the same position and the first agency has taken it off its website.

I do think I'm a good fit for the position so if you were in my spot would you apply to the new agency? It's always been my understanding that you should apply for the same job with different agencies.

Generally you would not submit your c.v. to multiple agencies for the same job tbh

CatFromHue

Yeah I'd be of that opinion too.

The only reason I'm even thinking about is due to the inactivity of the first agency (I've never spoken to them on the phone and have only the 1 one liner email back off them) and also the time frame involved (it's well over 2 weeks now).

Achtung Maybe

If the cv has been put forward then I would not allow your cv to be sent again via another agency. It is an employers marketplace at present so they invariably are receiving a number of quality candidates applying for each position.

I am sure you are a good match but if the other agency have taken it off their website it might e gone. Why not check the client company (not the agency) and see if they are still advertising it, that will give you a better barometer of the status of the role

nibtrix

If the first agency are not returning your calls then I'd send an application to the second.

CatFromHue

Achtung Maybe wrote: »

If the cv has been put forward then I would not allow your cv to be sent again via another agency. It is an employers marketplace at present so they invariably are receiving a number of quality candidates applying for each position.

I am sure you are a good match but if the other agency have taken it off their website it might e gone. Why not check the client company (not the agency) and see if they are still advertising it, that will give you a better barometer of the status of the role

I don't know who the client company is nor if the first agency sent it on to them as I never discussed anything with them. I've had only 1 one line email back from the first agency so if they sent it on they haven't told or asked me. This is the main reason why I'm thinking of sending an application off to the second agency.

Mrs OBumble

If you don't know who the employer is, then how do you know it's the same job?

Generally, if any agency listing is for a real job, then they will be unique and not just use the very same copy.


BTW, I never allow my CV to go forward without knowing the company.

CatFromHue

The job descriptions are too similar in roughly the same location for them not to be the same job as the job is relatively specialized. Through some research I've done from the job ads I've figured out who the client company is too, they have no careers or careers contacts on their website even though they're a fairly big multi national.

That's the thing, I don't know what the first agency has done as they don't return my calls or reply to my emails. I have just the one solitary correspondence from them which was 1 line so if they have submitted my cv to their client company they haven't told or asked me. If I'd had more interaction from them I wouldn't be thinking of going to the other agency but I've had nothing from them really which has got me wondering.

Beano

Did the first agency not tell you who the company was?

CatFromHue

Beano wrote: »

Did the first agency not tell you who the company was?

No all they've said to me is "my CV has been submitted for consideration" in an email. That's all they've said too, no phone calls, no other emails, nothing.

I don't know if that's an in house review or if they've sent it to their client as I can't get a reply out of them.

Eoin

Sounds like the simplest thing to do is ask Agency 2 what company the role is for.

If it is the same company, tell them that Agency 1 had submitted your application but you didn't hear back. They might suggest you send in your CV and then take it from there. Normally I wouldn't do that, but if the other agency aren't returning calls (though 2 weeks isn't that long), then you don't owe them too much of a courtesy.

CatFromHue

The thing that made me start the thread is that the first agency haven't said who their client is, I think I've figured out the client by my own research nothing to do with the agency.

My total interaction with the first agency is me submitting an application, no response from agency, me chasing them up, an email reply of "my CV has been submitted for consideration" just the one line with no info on who my CV has been submitted to, follow on queries from me, no response from agency, repeat follow on queries from me, no response from agency.

So if I do apply to the second agency and they ask me have I applied to XYZ company before I'll have to say no I haven't but I did apply to an agency for a similar sounding job but I don't know what they did and I'm happy for the second agency to proceed.

It just looks and sounds unprofessional to be honest.

Eoin

It is unprofessional, but not unusual at all - even from the companies with a good rep.

But in future, do always insist on finding out the company before your CV is sent to them; they're no more right to privacy than you do. There might be a company that you know you wouldn't want to work for; or where someone works that you don't want getting wind of your application etc.

Is it 2-3 weeks since you last heard from them, or since they sent your application in?

CatFromHue

My understanding of how it works with agencies is that they advertise a position but until you send in your CV to them they're not going to entertain you. Once you do send it in then you'd have a conversation about your background and the job and they'd ask have you applied to such and such a company and if not they'd proceed with contacting their client.

This could be wrong but that's how it's always been in the past for me, unless I'd dealt with that agency previously so they knew my background and we'd a relationship built up.

This time I haven't had the chance to discuss anything with them so I'm not fully sure if they have sent it on to the client company as they've neither asked or told me they have.

All I have is the one 1 line email which is kinda vague and which I received 2 weeks ago, my original application went to them 2 and half weeks ago. I have contacted them since this date but have had no reply.

Beano

I would send my cv into agency2 and see what happens.

Eoin

CatFromHue wrote: »

My understanding of how it works with agencies is that they advertise a position but until you send in your CV to them they're not going to entertain you. Once you do send it in then you'd have a conversation about your background and the job and they'd ask have you applied to such and such a company and if not they'd proceed with contacting their client.

This could be wrong but that's how it's always been in the past for me, unless I'd dealt with that agency previously so they knew my background and we'd a relationship built up.

Yep - if you contact them about a role, and they haven't dealt with you before, then that's often the case. I presume it's a mixture of building up their database and also validating that it's a somewhat genuine query, not a competitor of their client etc.

But upon sending in your CV, I would expect them to give you a lot more info - company name, salary range etc. It's your decision if you want your CV submitted, and that should be based on more than an anonymous job spec.

Anyhow, 2 weeks isn't too long (though frustrating) - some companies can take an age to go through applicants; they might not be vetting them one by one, but waiting until a closing date and doing them together.

I'd be inclined to email them and say that you're assuming the role is closed as the job listing has been taken down. If they don't get back, then forget about them.

CatFromHue

Just a bit of an update.

Sent email to agent 1 saying thanks but I assumed that they were no longer interested in me for this position and thanked them for their efforts, received no reply.

Applied to agent 2 and they seemed keen and arranged an interview with the client which went well.

There was a couple of things amiss for for me though (in the interview one of the guys went a mini anti Dublin/Dublin people rant which was a bit strange as I'm from Dublin!) and so, after a good bit of serious thinking, I let them know that the job wasn't for me.