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Recruitment Agencies in general
by Gathering_Dark
I would not advise anybody to register with Tate Recruitment in Cambridge. They are only contractually obliged to find three months of work for each temp, each year, and most of the time, they don't even find that. Even if you respond to an advertisement on their website or window and call them, they tell you they will contact you when ... something comes in, and you get nothing. These things are par for the course for Employment Agencies.
However, recently, I had an ongoing contract, via Tate, with a very good company. Initially, I worked four days a week, and the company were so happy with my work, that they increased my hours to full time, and shortly afterwards interviewed me for a permanent full time job.
It was year end, and Tate had requested more money from the company, for providing temp services. This increase in their fees resulted in the company cancelling the entire contract with Tate.
The day this happened, Tate rang me and told me that I had lost the contract, because I was "too chatty". At the time, I did not know that Tate's actions had caused the cancellation, so they left me no choice but to accept the blame. I was left stunned, disappointed and confused. Tate told me a barefaced lie.
I found out much later what Tate had done, from the company in which I had been temping. Not only did Tate cost me the contract without any notice whatsoever, they cost me a permanent job. Having left me high and dry, and lied through their teeth, Tate have not found me a single days work since, despite having chased them and applied for contracts via their website and their office.
This is one temp that Tate have lost.
Permanently.
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Hays
by hcafclaura
Hays are a recruitment agency operating worldwide in 29 different countries. Companies and organisations use them to fill vacancies without the hassle of advertising and sorting through hundreds of applications themselves. They recruit for all types of work, from admin to social housing, permanent and temporary. Hays say they are experts ... in recruiting for the following areas:
Accountancy & Finance
Banking and Financial Services
Construction & Property
Education
Health & Social Care
IT & Telecoms
Manufacturing & Engineering
Pharma
Professional Services
Resources & Energy
Retail
Sales & Marketing
Support Services
I have been seeking work since graduating from university last July. Except for one temporary role cleaning, I have been unable to find anything, despite applying for three or four jobs a day. At the beginning I was reluctant to join any agencies, but as the weeks went on I realised I had little choice.
A few months ago I received a phone call from my local Hays office. They had seen my CV on Total Jobs and wanted me to register as they had many roles I would be perfect for. I made an appointment over the phone, and was told I would need to take some I.D documents along, such as my driving licence and passport.
When I arrived at Hays I was given a form to fill in. This asked for personal information, such as name, address, the sort of work I was looking for, my education and work history and the contact details of two references. Once the form was completed I was taken to a room to chat about possible vacancies I may want to apply for. There was one role I was very interested in, working for a company I had always wanted to work for, and we discussed this in more detail. I was told I would need a CRB check for this, which Hays would pay for. I completed this form, and the recruiter told me he would be in touch when the CRB arrived back.
A couple of weeks later I received my copy of the CRB in the post. I sent an email to the recruiter asking what the next step would be, but received no reply.
One week later, I sent another, very polite email, asking what I should do now. The recruiter called me telling me the job had been put back until May, but he would carry on working for me, hunting out vacancies, and he would be in touch.
A couple of weeks later, I had still heard nothing. I sent another email. As part of the Job Seekers Agreement I have to stay in weekly contact with agencies. Anyone who has dealt with agencies will tell you this is a good idea, so they know you are still looking for work and your name is fresh in their mind. I have in fact been emailing the recruiter weekly now for around 6 weeks, and have not had any response whatsoever. All my emails are very polite, and I have even said that I understand if the role has already been filled but that I would be grateful if he could let me know so I can give up on it. I have asked about other vacancies, asked for an update, but I hear nothing back.
I have discussed Hays with others, and it seems many people have had the same experience as me. They are very quick to get you signed up and full of enthusiasm at the first meeting, telling you they will find you a job very quickly blah blah blah. The truth is, once you're registered, they don't want to know. They have your name on that list, which is all that matters when they are trying to get business from companies. They have this huge list of clients ready for work.
Here's a few tips for dealing with agencies in general:
- Watch what you say. Do not tell them about any other interviews you have lined up. It's very likely they will contact them and say they have more suitable candidates. They will do anything for business.
- Be wary of giving references. They will probably contact them touting for business, and you don't really want to annoy your previous employers.
- Stay in contact. Remind them you are alive and looking for work.
- Do not believe a word they say. I hate to generalise, but they spout a lot of rubbish. I am sure there must be some good guys out there, but I advise not pinning all your hopes on anything they say.
So here I am, still looking for work, having missed out on my dream job through no fault of my own.
Anybody need a hardworking, reliable psychology graduate?
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