Best and Worst Recruitment Agencies

cerrutti · Joined: 14 Feb 2008 Posts: 3

Ok so from everyones experience what are the best and worst recruitment agencies to go to in looking for work.

CEEJAYO. · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 292 Location: Manchester

reed is worst

ItsallAboutConfidence · Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 11 Location: Birmingham

gum · Joined: 12 Feb 2008 Posts: 30

BRecruitment is terrible...they act all crazy and unprofessional if you dont like the placement they put you in...

So far I am happy with Brooke Street

CEEJAYO. · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 292 Location: Manchester

all recruitment agencies are USELESS!! they do give a shit about u as they don't help u..

Bluey · Community Moderator Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 5644

I think the agency is irrelevant - you can slip a fag paper between them for the difference in attitude and services - but market forces for the applicant is key.

As a spotty unskilled teenager with limited work experience, I didn't manage to get even basic temp jobs with them. As a spotty slightly experienced student, I got a few minimum wage jobs with them in term time.

As an experienced IT post-graduate with professional accreditation and significant experience in implementing complex projects in global companies, I don't even need to submit my CV - they call me up and I'm head hunted. Even when I take down my CV from sites, they pester me with calls from their database and crawl over each other to offer well numerated jobs.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it's not the agency directly...it's you and whether you are in a buyer or sellers market. If you lack experience and skills, you are just the bottom feeders in the pond life of market forces.

Don't shoot the messenger.

AussieGirl19 · Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Australia

To the bearer of bad news A.K.A 'Bluey',

Would you/or agencies in London classify 13months experence in a legal office as 'limited experince'? - i have worked for 3 different law firms during that time..the first for 6months, the second for 3wks (it was horrible) and the last for 10months..as you can tell i didn't really like any of them..the work wasn't that great.

I'm planning on moving to London in the next few months and am fishing around for any avalaible jobs that i could apply for. Although i'm hoping to get out of that area and into a job with more 'social' prospects i'm starting to think i'll just have to stick-it-out in an office job for a couple of months untill i find my feet.

What do you think? - people other than bluey can reply ..any suggestions would be great!!

castlelgr · Joined: 30 Oct 2006 Posts: 60182 Location: southampton

what line of work are you thinking of going into, and what relevent exerience do you have for it

Lilly Ann · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 139 Location: london

MSB by far is the worst agency on the planet. They are rude and quite pathetic.

I temped for them for two weeks back at the time and had to chase their accounts depertmant and the consultants for 3 weeks to get the first paycheck for the first week, and I still haven't got the paycheck for the second one (I've got a permenant job right now).

I've been handed by phone from one useless prick to another, and after they refused paying me for ages and never got back to me (and as a result I got into an overdraft which I've suffered from for weeks), they didn't even apologise. Yup. Didn't pay me and didn't apologise.

I actually thought of taking it to court.

They're unprofessional and highly annoying as an agency. Oh, and on top of that, one day I've been sick and when I called in to say I wouldnt make it, they didnt even bother ringing back to tell me they got the message.

Other than that, I've temped for one more agency, Keystone, which was really really lovely and professional, and I highly advise anyone who is thinking of getting a job through a recruitment agency to go to them.

Lilly Ann (who still hasn't got paid by MSB even though it's been months).

Elina · Joined: 30 Nov 2006 Posts: 19760 Location: London

I guess all companies have their share of eejits...

I've tempted only once and it was through Robert Half. They were brilliant towards me. No complaints! Having said that, I'm sure that they have the designated eejit but the lady I dealt with could not have been nicer

queen_sheba · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 14

A few of my friends found really good jobs with Search. They were both foreign language speakers and got to work in a call centre. they both said the company was pretty good and did what they said.

agreed with someone of the others though,

Laughing

scorf · Joined: 24 Feb 2008 Posts: 10

[quote="queen_sheba"]A few of my friends found really good jobs with Search.

What do you mean by Search? What is the link? Please give more details. Email me on futurediva007@yahoo.com
Thanks.

JPJONES · Joined: 05 Mar 2008 Posts: 1 Location: hounslow

:shock:well as a consultant the jobs we get are for candidates we choose to send forward!! candidates that project there self as confident human beings that are not going to let us down or the company that we have specifically said that we will provide quality no risk individuals that won't let us down Shocked

so stop your moaning were only doin our job!! Twisted Evil

Noushy · Joined: 21 Jul 2006 Posts: 38 Location: London

i found Kelly Services (London) exceptionally brilliant.

The only thing you must remember is that agencies are out there for themselves, and won't necessarily have your best interests at mind.

michaelwinner · Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Posts: 113

ALL recruitment agencies are SHIT and they are manned by brainless unqualified uneducated wankers - mainly of the gobby loud-mouthed female type who, if the world was not so fucked up and was organised properly, would command a job nothing more than serving pastry at Greggs bakers.

AVOID!

Embarassed

[/b]

Luigi · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 37

dvd.bts · Joined: 17 Mar 2008 Posts: 1

BBT and RGB are absolutely shite! That said I have experienced the biggest bunch of moronic thieves with Anders and Calco.

Avoid these at all costs!

Tornado · Joined: 23 Sep 2006 Posts: 9

Can you all please give me inputs on setting up a GOOD, People Centric, Efficient, Helpful Recruitment Firm.

What are the key parameters, one needs to keep in mind to ensure the recruitment firm excels and the candidates & employers stay happy.

Do let me know your thoughts.

Bluey · Community Moderator Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 5644

I'd just like to re-iterate my theory that it's the marketability of the candidate that forms the basis of how they are treated and not the agency culture.

Bottom feeders, the unskilled/lowly educated applicants, are ten a penny and aren't going to get much more than a bit of cursory processing, if any time is spent on their application at all.

Someone who is highly skilled/highly educated is going to find there's less competition for each post and agencies have no choice but to provide a better service. Some of my friends in IT don't even need to apply for positions - they just post their CVs online and wait for the agents to call and then just cherry pick the interviews they want. It takes them 2 minutes to post their CV on Jobserve and the phone will ring off the hook.

It's the same with estate agents - go to them with Housing Benefit and get shown dross (if they'll even let you register) but flag up that you have 2k to spend each month on rent and you'll get a better reception.

Basically, if you are treated like a number by a recruitment agent, it's because you are a mere number (in terms of how easy they can fill the role).

Foxy79 · Joined: 04 Apr 2008 Posts: 32

I have had a bad exprience with Blue Arrow in Liverpool. One of the recruitment consultants was very rude to me. When I walked in, she came to me hesistantly. I told her that I was looking for temp jobs and her first question was "do you drive?". I said no and she immediately said, "Im sorry but all the jobs here require you to drive as they are located in a remote area". I was so shocked. I said thank you and left.

Trust me, recruitment agencies are more interested in what the employers want and not what the candidates want. I know this because I have freinds in the recruitment industry.

Brook Street was very helpful though. The consultant was very nice and helpful.

nick0401 · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 2

its not unreasonable to reject you because you dont drive.

whats the point in the consultant telling you she's 5 jobs which suit you if you'll never be able to get to work?

and theres no point telling them your boyfriend/girlfriend/mum/dad/whatever will take you. employers dont take kindly to being told that. its just opening up a whole can of worms which generally contains a lot of excuses about why you cant get to work on most days of the week.

sorry, but not having transport is a fair point to reject someone on.

getting to and from work is a fundamental part of every single job in the world.

froggyal · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 1

Gum,

I totally disagree, i thought B Recruitment were great. Office angels and Brooke Street are awful. I've got more work from B than any other recruitment agency and they really look after you!

iammrj · Joined: 19 Mar 2008 Posts: 36

would it be a good time to say that I work in an agency now Very Happy

Foxy79 · Joined: 04 Apr 2008 Posts: 32

Has anyone ever been told that they are over qualified for a job? I get that all the time!! I just dont get it. I dont see how an IT granduate wont be able to do a simple data entry job!!

nick0401 · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Posts: 2

its not that you wont be able to do the simple job, its that the company pay a large fee to the agency for someone who will probably only stay in the role for 3-4 weeks because they'll get bored.