If you cannot spot bad recruitment agencies then theyll walk all over you and probably
even cost you money.Most agencies want contractors when they are available.Their best way of working is to post jobs they have on jobsites and wait for contractors to come to them. Gone are the days when agencies held massive databases of contractors.
The best way for agencies to get hold of those jobs in the first place are twofold, firstly from companies where they have supplied people before and secondly from contractors.The latter is the best route they have for finding new companies who will take contractors and adding to their database of clients.Their client database is far more important to them than their contractor database, whether the contractors be in Umbrella Companies or Limited Companies.So, how do they get contractors to tell them about these new clients?
Do they just call them up and ask them do you know any companies that are looking for contractors?The likelihood is that contractors wouldnt tell them as the contractor usually only knows about them as his or her CV has been sent to them and they dont want further competition.So, what does the agency do to try and coax this tasty piece of cheese out of the contractors mouth?Why subterfuge, of course or as you and i would call it, lies.
Theyll call up contractors and tell them that they are looking for work for the contractor and are there any companies that you would not want us to send your CV to as it has already been sent there?It is not the contractors welfare that the agency is worried about, it is their own.If the contractor passes a list of places where his or her CV has been sent that constitute a load of real live leads for the agency and theyll endeavour to contact those companies to try and put their own candidates up against you.The more devious may even put in a bad word for you or say theyve had a bad reference for you.
Thats pretty easy to do as all they have to do is send in your CV themselves and then call up saying that they are withdrawing it as they have had a bad reference for you.That counts out your chances of getting the job without you even knowing anything about it.It can cost the contractor a job and prevent him or her getting one of those specialist contractor mortgages for their dream house.
So, one must be wary of agencies.Even a long in the tooth contractors can be caught out by agency tricks. Beware!