Online job web sites or online time wasters?

[FridgeMagnet]

The majority of recruitment firms and staff I have had the pleasure of dealing with - either as candidate or, more recently, recruiter - have been utterly fucking useless. They do send you a load of jobs which you've specifically said you don't want as well as advertise jobs which don't exist just to get you calling (as candidate) and a load of candidates who have no skills in the areas you've said are vital (as recruiter), even going to the lengths of asking failed applicants what questions they were asked during interviews and blatantly telling the next applicant those specific questions, so that they turn up knowing just the answers to those but nothing else about the subject.

Those people who are good at their job can be incredibly beneficial to all parties concerned, but it's a pain in the arse trying to work out who they are, particularly if you're trying to move into a field where you don't have much experience, or a new town, or any other situation where you can't get word-of-mouth. The result of this is that I wouldn't advise anyone to use them as a primary source at all, except in situations where there are few or no direct adverts and opportunities available, in which case you might have to but don't expect a lot. Bit like estate agents really.

 

[lights.out.london]

^ it's a breach of the REC code to advertise jobs which are non-existant. I'd imagine the DTI would have something to say about it, too. Also, it's an irrational waste of money.

Estate agents? Great. Thanks very much! Lol.

I'm hungry. I fancy an apple.

 

[lobster]

Job agencies online or offline are hit n miss sadly.
My best advice to you is not to give up with them, in fact bother them, they will notice you more and will eventually help you, after all they would not exist if they did not actually find work for people.

What does not help the employment situation is the government with pursuing more and more people to go to university when there really isn't the jobs for everyone whereby many choose different career paths to what they originally wanted and the employment rate is kept fairly low and more people completing university and everything is peachy in the goverment's eyes.

Just don't give up.

Good luck

 

[tangerinedream]

**shrugs**



No. You take the apples back to customer service for a refund, or for more apples. You then decide whether to shop there again or not. You tell people about the good or the bad experience you've had. If enough people have a bad experience, the apple retailer goes out of business. Espceially if apples is their core (boom, boom) business.

But what if, when you do that they at you and say

here we go again

or is apples a different matter?

 

[FridgeMagnet]

When I was on the market looking at job websites, it was very clear that so many of the entries were basically spam; vague ads for jobs specifying nothing much except a technical area, location and the number of a recruiter, duplicated across sites and sometimes on the same site with the same reference, none of which ever existed if you actually called them up. The reason I mention estate agents is that a lot of them do that too - or rather they leave nice-looking properties on sites long after they've gone, so that you call them up and they say "oh sorry that's gone but have you considered <place you didn't want but maybe you're desperate>?"

Posting things on websites is cheap and it gets you calls.

 

[lights.out.london]

But what if, when you do that they at you and say



or is apples a different matter?

Perhaps a 'bad experience' is subjective. The OP was a moanfest. That's not a bad experience. Rich coming from someone who has questioned my grip on reality! An inconvenience? A hassle having to repeat yourself a few times?

Anyway. After I've been to Tesco, I must go and do 500 words. I have a film script to hand in, you know.

 

[lights.out.london]

When I was on the market looking at job websites, it was very clear that so many of the entries were basically spam; vague ads for jobs specifying nothing much except a technical area, location and the number of a recruiter, duplicated across sites and sometimes on the same site with the same reference, none of which ever existed if you actually called them up. The reason I mention estate agents is that a lot of them do that too - or rather they leave nice-looking properties on sites long after they've gone, so that you call them up and they say "oh sorry that's gone but have you considered <place you didn't want but maybe you're desperate>?"
Posting things on websites is cheap and it gets you calls.

Okay. I'm perhaps being obtuse here, but not deliberately so -

an agency spends money on a job ad. Say £250 per vacancy (about average for a specialist board)
spend time fielding candidate calls and harvest CVs
interview
do appropriate regulatory admin (legal requirement)

...and all for jobs which the agency doesn't have? Bizarre. What an odd way to run a business.

 

[lights.out.london]

[/end work mode]

Tesco.

The offer I made in response to rocketman has always been there/here.

I get lots out of Urban online and IRL/offline (Urban saved my sanity last year re eyes and stuff). I'm always happy to help if I can - to put back a bit of that which I get from Urb.com and Urb people. If I can't help, I'll say it straight. If I can suggest other avenues, I will.

Tesco. No apples.

e2a I learned a lot from this thread today. Thank you.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Okay. I'm perhaps being obtuse here, but not deliberately so -

an agency spends money on a job ad. Say £250 per vacancy (about average for a specialist board)
spend time fielding candidate calls and harvest CVs
interview
do appropriate regulatory admin (legal requirement)

...and all for jobs which the agency doesn't have? Bizarre. What an odd way to run a business.

Hey - I don't make their business decisions. If I was in recruitment, I'd get jobs and clients and try to match the two, that's the best way to avoid wasting time I would have thought. But if they're crap anyway, perhaps they think that's a good way to get people to come to them Then they can get them on their books and give them calls about other things. They're only likely to get the more naive applicants that way I would have thought.

I'm not joking about the spam jobs, though. Last time I was out of work I learnt the hard way. I don't have anything particularly against recruitment agencies and headhunters, good ones are very useful for everyone as I said - it's only if they do stuff like that, or waste my time as a recruiter with candidates who are just obviously not suitable. Unfortunately, the shitty ones seem to be the most visible and the most insistent.

 

[SW12lad]

No. You moaned. I responded to a general attack on my industry.

It's YOUR Industry? Oh my gosh, you must billonaire or such holding such a big industry....

So basically Moaning = Attacking "your industry", I guess that in your dictionary anything that is related to the negatives aspect of your industry is synonimous of "moaning".

If those are the best examples of 'unprofessional service' you can come up with, and if they are your bug-bear re agencies; toughen up for goodness sake. Can't you state your case or argue your PoV with these unprofessional people and demand the service you deserve? It's a full employment market in IT! You have the aces. Play them at their own game, if needs be.

Well it depends what it falls in the "unprofessional service" for you, I dont know, how you call all the examples of thread? "Missunderstandings?" Confusions? Of course you can chose to call it "moaning" of course....
Unless, of course, you want me to discuss as a professional my experiences with certain agencies when hiring people (now I walk to the other side of the counter) you are more than welcome, but I dont think that is the rigth place and not the original topic.

And again you get it totally wrong, is not about "toughen up" , if I sell cars and I advertise BMW's, I call you, then you call me back and finally you decide to come to buy a BMW and what you found is a Ford Cortina instead instead of a BMW how you call it? Is simple.

What I'm saying is that while confussions and "unprofessionalism" in general is the exception to the rule, I'm finding quite a lot of this unwanted kind of events and if you notice the reason of what I'm asking if because despite being myself quite sure about my own responsability, I want to see if others had been trough the same kind of scenario, is a simple like that. And as you may notice already, other people also seems to have similar experiences, so thanks to that comments now I have a much biger picture than a few hours ago.

So well, now go to the bed, dont worry your industry is safe of my attacks

 

[lights.out.london]

**shrugs**

You're missing the point and you don't want to listen. Fine. No skin off my nose.

I'm finding quite a lot of this unwanted kind of events and if you notice the reason of what I'm asking if because despite being myself quite sure about my own responsability, I want to see if others had been trough the same kind of scenario, is a simple like that. And as you may notice already, other people also seems to have similar experiences, so thanks to that comments now I have a much biger picture than a few hours ago.

Again - I'm struggling with how you express yourself. ^

It's been a revelation reading your posts. Thank god I don't recruit IT professionals. When I'm locked in a room later, interviewing equity analysts, and if I get bored, I'll remember this thread. Thank you.

 

[Mr_Nice]

The temp/contract market [not my thing] is very competitive when it comes to agency margins. That tends to be driven by the client organisations, especially if they have PSL (preferred supplier agreements) in place.

They say "jump" and the agency says "how high"! Couldn't work that way myself.

Nice to know there is one satisfied agency worker out there, though!

*waves hands* another one here whos happy, I could not do with out a agent, some are better than others, but it all about reputation and I mean that on both sides the agent needs to knows there stuff but the candidate also needs to a good reputation .....
I contract in the SAP market so its very clicky, anyone worth their salt will know the key players