Sign contract no details?

danois

I was called in for an interview by an employment agency. I have never had any dealing with agencies before.

They looked at my CV and gave me a load of talk about how suited I am to the role, asked my expected wage and my availability date. All the usual questions.

Then they gave me a contract to sign. I didn't sign it as there were no details on it. It was basically a standard employment contract with spaces to fill in job title, start date and rate of pay. All of these areas had been left blank.

I asked them how could I sign a contract with no details. I was told not to worry they will fill them in later!

I didn't sign it. I said I would sign happily if there was a job offer and they could enter the relevant details. The man I was dealing with seemed very taken back by this.

Is it the norm to sign blank contracts and have I messed up my chances by not signing it??

Thanks.

Mrs OBumble

It's seriously weird. So much that I'd think it's some sort of a scam. You did the right thing.

Nody

Why would you ever sign a blank contract? For all you know they would sign you up as a McD starter pay as the CEO of a company...

danois

Thanks for the replies. It won't name them as not sure on the rules but it was a large agency that has been around a long time so I was suprised by this.

Time to go back to looking for a job. Thanks again.

Ben_Nevis

They were trying to get you to sign a contract with them which means if they did find you a role, they would then fill in the blanks and they would be able to charge their client (your new employer) their 'finders fee'. It's pretty standard in the world of recruitment. You didn't do anything wrong of course, but don't expect them to call you!

Mrs OBumble

Ben_Nevis wrote: »

They were trying to get you to sign a contract with them which means if they did find you a role, they would then fill in the blanks and they would be able to charge their client (your new employer) their 'finders fee'. It's pretty standard in the world of recruitment. You didn't do anything wrong of course, but don't expect them to call you!

I've had a number of jobs through recruiters, and never signed or been offered such a form.

A recruitment company does not need the candidate's permission to change their clients.

Hrududu

Ben_Nevis wrote: »

They were trying to get you to sign a contract with them which means if they did find you a role, they would then fill in the blanks and they would be able to charge their client (your new employer) their 'finders fee'. It's pretty standard in the world of recruitment. You didn't do anything wrong of course, but don't expect them to call you!

I've never seen this done. When going through a recruiter you'll be sent to the company itself for an interview. They'll tell the recruiter they want to hire you and the recruiter lets you know. You negotiate with the recruiter, accept the job and when you join the company they give you your contract to sign.

I've never seen it done any other way. I would never sign a blank contract either. I'm surprised that the guy was surprised that you wouldn't.

Nody

I've worked with recruitment companies in four countries as a candidate and I have never had anyone approach me with a blank contract; NDAs, permission to store personal data etc. yes (depending on role and country) but never a blank contract for a future role.

Ben_Nevis

If they don't get you to sign with them they have no proof that they found you so they couldn't charge their client. Well they could and their client would still probably pay, but if there was any refusal the agency wouldn't have a leg.

The employer would still have the new recruit sign their own contract with them of course. The agency would need your details on paper in order for them to add you to their systems along with the proof of ID they probably photocopied, CV and references etc.

It very much depends on what type of employment the agency are offering and the industry the job resides in. It's very common for commercial jobs such as office, call centres and the like.

They advertise for non-existent roles in specific industries and they receive a multitude of applicants. They then "interview" everybody that turns up, tell them they are the best candidate for the role, sign them up and then they go looking for a new client. Then - apologies for the terminology - they throw enough sh*t at their client so at least some of it will stick, i.e. the client asks for a number of candidates to be interviewed directly and the sh*t that sticks is the candidate that the employer is happy to take on.

Then they agency does it all over again. "Oh unfortunately you didn't quite pass the interview but hey don't worry - I have another interview lined up for you..."

BreadnBuddha

Ben_Nevis wrote: »

If they don't get you to sign with them they have no proof that they found you so they couldn't charge their client. Well they could and their client would still probably pay, but if there was any refusal the agency wouldn't have a leg.

The employer would still have the new recruit sign their own contract with them of course. The agency would need your details on paper in order for them to add you to their systems along with the proof of ID they probably photocopied, CV and references etc.

It very much depends on what type of employment the agency are offering and the industry the job resides in. It's very common for commercial jobs such as office, call centres and the like.

They advertise for non-existent roles in specific industries and they receive a multitude of applicants. They then "interview" everybody that turns up, tell them they are the best candidate for the role, sign them up and then they go looking for a new client. Then - apologies for the terminology - they throw enough sh*t at their client so at least some of it will stick, i.e. the client asks for a number of candidates to be interviewed directly and the sh*t that sticks is the candidate that the employer is happy to take on.

Then they agency does it all over again. "Oh unfortunately you didn't quite pass the interview but hey don't worry - I have another interview lined up for you..."

That is not how it works, anywhere.

danois

It was general operative work. I would have had no problem filling in a form saying they had permission to look for work for me or use my cv or anything like that. Just not a contract that they would fill in at a later date! I'm not expecting them to call me back.

Ben_Nevis

BreadnBuddha wrote: »

That is not how it works, anywhere.

How is it up there on Cloud Cuckoo?

Mrs OBumble

Ben_Nevis wrote: »

How is it up there on Cloud Cuckoo?

Ben, can you name agencies where you have filled in a form like this?

I can name a few large reputable agency who have placed me in professional / office jobs without it. Suspect there are plenty who can do the same.

whomitconcerns

Yeh I worked in recruitment it never worked like this...

Jim2007

Ben_Nevis wrote: »

Then they agency does it all over again. "Oh unfortunately you didn't quite pass the interview but hey don't worry - I have another interview lined up for you..."

Well like a previous poster I've had 25+ years working for various employment agencies and I have never come across this kind of thing. Where and how often have you actually experienced what you are describing?