How To Use A Recruitment Agency
How To Use A Recruitment Agency
Those in the recruitment industry will happily profess that is currently booming. Seemingly most high streets have at least one agency if not more advertising jobs and recruiting workers for a number of industry sectors. When you are searching for work, or even searching for an employee it is always a difficult decision which agency to use, if using an agency at all. For those hunting for jobs it is important to realise that a recruitment agency is not there to pursue jobs and act as your personal recruiter. In most cases you will be put on their books, and told if any job come up that match your criteria.
The recruitment agency is there not to find work for job hunters but to provide candidates for employers. It is important to understand this relationship; ultimately agencies are working for employers, not job hunters. If you do sign up with an agent, it is vital that you keep up your own job hunting efforts, not only will this help you to find jobs, but can also help you instruct the agent what types of jobs to pursue. As a job hunter it is also important to keep in regular contact with your recruitment agent, by staying at the forefront of their mind you may find more job offers rolling in.
When you are searching for jobs it is often the case that the same job will be advertised week in, week out. If your agency is doing this you should probably avoid their services. This can indicate that the agent is not proactive about their recruiting and simply uses a database of jobs to attract new recruits. Like much of life, if you find an agent that promises the world, you will probably be disappointed with the eventual results.
When you have signed up to an agency and have been given possible jobs it is important to find out everything you can about a job. Getting all of the details is essential, most agencies will be happy to give you information on the salary, where the job is and what kind of size the business is. Do not be put out however if the agent cannot supply the business’ name, often companies do not want their name given in recruitment information. This is normal, but if the previous information is not available be wary of the position and the agent more generally.
Whenever you are signing any documentation it is important to read and understand the intricacies of the contract. If you do not understand the contract fully, ask the agency to explain it and how it affects you, most reputable operators will give you a full explanation; if you still do not understand the fine print it may be worth talking to a legal professional to give a full and unbiased explanation.
When you have been given a job offer the recruitment agent should be able to supply you with a written copy of any relevant information pertaining to the position. This can be useful if you are going for an interview as it can allow you to research the position and get an idea of the responsibilities and duties involved. This can be beneficial as it makes you appear more knowledgeable and hence more employable at the interview. Also, do not let the agency pressure you into a job you do not want, it may be advisable to go to the interview for the practice but if you ultimately do not want a job, do not take it.
Most recruitment agencies work hard to find suitable jobs for their clients and help employees find the best candidates. Hopefully this information should help job hunters find the right job and employers fin that perfect candidate.
Career expert Thomas Pretty looks into the services offered by a recruitment agency and how to get the most from using one.
Posted by admin on October 8th, 2010 :: Filed under Contract Recruitment Agencies
Tags :: Agency, Recruitment