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Recruitment Agency?

  • 14-04-2016 11:59PM
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 853 ✭✭✭


    When seeking employment is it better to go to a RECRUITMENT AGENCY or direct to the Employers who have advertised. (which are not very many nowadays). Does it cost me to apply through an agency or how do the agencies make money?


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,727 ✭✭✭reallyrose


    Hi hillbloom

    I work in recruitment. It depends on what area you're seeking work in but generally you should do both.
    Apply directly to companies, target your CV to each company, and keep track of who you apply to.
    Select 2/3 agencies that appear to have a good set of jobs in your area and send your CV there, get talking to a recruiter you like.

    The way agencies (should) work.


    Agencies by law cannot charge you for representation. We make our money if you get you a job. So for any role I'm working on, I don't get a fee unless someone I find gets the job. :)

    An agency can't send your CV to a company without your express permission. You should told about the company, the rate/salary, the terms (contract? temp? perm?), location, any other info going, and be emailed a job spec. You should be explicitly asked the question "can I send your cv?" or words to that effect.
    Do ask lots of questions. Sometimes we don't have all the answers.
    I have had jobs called in over the phone where the client has basically said "we need someone to fix the graphics." leaving me staring at a post-it with 7 words on it wondering what on earth I was going to tell candidates!

    You'll be asked where you have applied. Feel free not to tell the recruiter but if they bring up a company where you have already applied definitely tell them. You don't want your CV being sent in twice, it will make you look like you are not paying attention to where your CV is.
    To be fair, part of the reason recruiters ask where you have been applying is to find out who else is hiring (we have to do our jobs too) but we do have a good reason for asking also.

    You'll be asked what salary you are targeting. Pick a number. The instinct is to ask "what are they paying". However, some clients I work with will tell me "€X and not a euro more", some will say "€X but if they're really good maybe more", some will say "Sure, see what people ask for".
    All of these could be for the same kind of job but just different companies!
    It's helpful if we know what the candidate wants.
    I mean, you know what you need to live on! Research your area too, you might be happy with €X but the going rate might be €XX!

    Find a recruiter you like. Working with someone you get on with makes all the difference - you'll feel comfortable emailing them and feel they want to help you. :)

    So, tl;dr is
    Apply to both.
    Recruitment agencies can't charge you.
    Recruitment agencies make money from the companies they place candidates in.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,274 ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    hillbloom wrote: »
    When seeking employment is it better to go to a RECRUITMENT AGENCY or direct to the Employers who have advertised. (which are not very many nowadays). Does it cost me to apply through an agency or how do the agencies make money?

    A lot of people will say to not deal with agencies. A lot of the time this is because they don't realise they're not the agency's customer - they're the product. They are not trying to put you in a job, they are trying to fill a role.

    They are usually a bit of a pain to deal with. But by not dealing with them, there is no doubt in my mind that you are reducing the number of opportunities.


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