NOT TO BE TRUSTED (Temping Agencies in general)

Member Name: pontecaille

Product:	Temping Agencies in general
Date:	22/03/02 (2062 review reads)
Rating:

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Disadvantages: see op

Before you start reading this work, I would like to point out it was written few months ago. As I put it in my profile our situation has changed today. That is why I also put an update at the end. I never came round to publish this opinion before for the simple reason we moved out and for health matters but I finished it off and it looks slightly better than the original to my mind. Well in fact you’ll tell me what you think.



I am more than definitely expressing my dissatisfaction and my disappointment towards this service.
I need to explain few things first so that you can see why we approached employment agencies.
My partner has been unemployed for a certain length of time now and since the beginning we have put all the chances on our side to face this redundancy:

-Subscribe to employment agencies either by mail or via Internet

-Register to the Jobcentre

-Get newspapers or magazines containing specific job sections

-Personal research

-Mass mail

-Word of mouth

-Obtain funds for a specific training

And so on.

So far we responded to more than 50 ads by mail and we had about 23 feed backs being all thanks but no thanks.
The results being not flourishing enough my partner decided to create an interactive CD containing sample of his work, letter of introduction and a CV. It has been a hard work and a challenge but it kept him busy. He has never done such thing before. He might be working as Graphic Designer but building a CD from scratch to finish requires certain skills and knowledge.
Well after a while he managed to do it and it is a cracker. He even incorporated sounds when you click on a link…I might overreact but I personally think it is a brilliant idea and more original than sending just a CV on paper. And I am extremely proud. Some of you might laugh at my partner or me specially if you know how to design a compact disc but i
t is not easy when you are a dummy. Oups I should maybe not call him that way, he won’t appreciate the ticking off.

Anyway the plan was to list all the job agencies we would send this CD to, 17 in total. And also to any suitable job coming up in the papers…
What a disappointment when most of the agencies used the CD to print out his work and then file the CD but not showing it to potential clients as a reference guide. Some even returned the CD and said it wouldn’t be of a great use for them. To me this long lasting effort has been a flop and put my partner right down the bottom of the ladder. He thought he could boost up his position by being a bit original but he only put himself in an unwanted state of mind: feeling useless and being seen as a failure. And I’m not talking about the money we put in.
It hasn’t been easy to prove him wrong but he slowly concluded his initiative was not what the agencies were looking for.

By reading over these lines I noticed I diverted a bit from the main subject. I’d better get back to it now.
So job agencies. Their job is to find a candidate for a specific job requirement. And to do so they file your CV and when a position arises they screen their listing and dig out that perfect match, at least the one they think could do the job.
It is like if you insert something in a touch control combination micro-wave from “return to the future” and end up with a superb brown chocolate and blueberry brownie (still to be tested and tasted to prove the purpose built of the oven) ready to eat (and being my actual craving of today…). In our case they enter data in the computer that will pick one or several possible persons supposed to suit the job. The next step is to contact the chosen people either by phone or thanks to Internet by e-mail. I got a first shock when Stuart received a letter, well a compliment slip with the following words:

“Cal
l me as soon as possible”. Signed SW.

Is there something you want to tell me about Stuart? Is it a secret code? Is it the formal way agencies get in touch with clients? Despite the astonishment from our part towards the very unprofessional manner of requesting someone to phone, Stuart contacted the person to her usual office but only to know she was based in a different area this week (something she could have mentioned by ticking the appropriate phone number on the slip!). Being transferred few times Stuart finally talked her and got to know he has been put forward a position.

“Good but aren’t you supposed to ask me if I am interested before deciding for me?”
“The client is tied up and needs someone urgently. Beside that the job is an attractive package and I instantly though of you.”

Giving a brief on the job specification Stuart ignored her unprofessional manner and got excited about the whole thing. And according to her saying, he was the most experienced and suitable candidate. She also said he had a good chance to get the job as the client seems very interested in his CV and would like to arrange an interview as soon as possible. She said she would let him know at the end of the week where and when. Good news he mumbled. His hopes and his confidence boosted up, he waited. The end of the week has gone now and she never called.
The following mid-week Stuart phoned her up:

“I’m sorry but the client is holding up the position for another week but you are still in the lead and he still wants to meet up with you.”
“OK no problem just keep in touch this time.”

A far too friendly answer from Stuart’s part considering her total lax of attitude.
I would have barked at her and told her not to mess up with me. But I understand my partner smooth reaction: behaving like me would have blown up his chance of getting an interview and possibly
thrown him out of the agency listing.

The job interview finally came and everything went well. According to him but also to her he made a very good impression. Now it is only a matter of waiting again for their final say. She had professional and convincing words for Stuart and led him to think the job was in his pocket. She ascertained him she will phone as soon as the client will do on his part and asked if he could start this Monday coming. And once again he waited and he waited. This time the trick was she has been on holiday and therefore never passed Stuart’s file onto her colleagues. What a chick! Stuart was so disappointed not to have the job but also to have been so lenient with someone who has never been honest or trustworthy.

All those lines to say job agencies are to be used with moderation. They should only be a part of your job search and do not rely just on them to find a contract. Of course they have their advantages. They seem to be exceptional for temporary jobs and sometimes offer great packages but overall don’t reflect the quality of the service they praise. Their only target is to get as soon as possible someone for the job in order to get all the acclaim for it and most of all the bonuses. They don’t see jobseekers as individuals but as quotas.

So yes our agencies experiences (plural used for experiences because we had several misadventures with other agencies) have been a real disaster and most of all a waste of time and money (when I say waste of money I mean phone bills and mail expenses related to them).
I remember once Stuart went for an interview (about 100 miles from our home) and when he got there, the person who led the interview was never faxed his CV and therefore didn’t know anything about him and his speciality. At the end it happened they were looking for a programmer and not a graphic designer. If the agency would have done its job in the first place, such thing should have
never occurred.

So overall be aware and all the best of luck if you are looking for a new job.

Enough nagging now and let’s get back to our Friday job section in the newspapers.



*UPDATE:

Despite the long and somehow negative comments on job agencies, it is thanks to one Stuart has today a permanent position.
Things this time went very fast:
Got a phone call on a Monday
Went for an interview on the Wednesday
Went back to sign the contract two days after.

I suppose Stuart was lucky to fit into the company’s specific requirements. The managing director was a bit tied up and needed someone straight away. But he certainly didn’t want to pay the 17% commission the job agency was taking if he wouldn’t get a minimum commitment from Stuart so a no probation period but a permanent contract was also an essential condition. Lucky us because a week after we had the great pleasure to learn I was pregnant.
Finally things will start to kick in now.

Thanks again for reading.

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