Ain't that the truth. I've gone through the above scenarios at least a dozen times with different agencies.

Its a pity the Government doesn't ban job agencies, which will in turn force businesses to hire staff themselves. In the year of 2003, I've been to just over twenty interviews ... only one was through an agency, and even then the agent got the job specs wrong.

Paul Knapp - you seem to be a very depressed and bitter individual. You spend a lot of time bitching about recruiters, the job market, and anything else you can think of. It does not add value or credibility to your site.

You might like to consider changing the name of your site to bitchbox.com.au

It's a hard job but somebody has to do it. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll check the domain register.

Mmmm, I wonder if Jason works for an agency?

It would be nice to think that the recruiters are keeping an eye on independant industry sites such as Brainbox.

Wouldn't it be fantastic if they coped the criticism on the chin and accepted they need to do something to fix the problems.

For me Brainbox is an appropriate forum to speak out and yes even have a 'bitch' - I guess the truth hurts eh Jason!

I died laughing reading your article. Thanks! Bitch away - when it's that funny.

To quote an agent I know and trust "there are a lot of agents in this game who don't know about IT and don't care, and have no interest in the people, they're just salesmen shifting a product". And I'd say that applies to well over half of them.

My contribution:

The "Bait and Switch"

====================

<Project manager picks up the phone of newly hired contractor>

"Hi Bob, it's me Simon here, your agent, can you talk?" <Project manager grunts affirmative. He's just hired the contractor through Simon's agency.>

"Well, that other contract you wanted, they've come through with an offer - tell you what, if you take it now, then I'll handle the management where you are now, I've the second choice candidate ready to sell them, and - tell you what! - I'll cut 1% off my commission for you on the contract after next - how about it? You owe me a drink for this one!"

<Project manager puts phone down, thoughtfully>

The agencies are screwing us/YOU over, it's time for regulation that they at least enforce Australian work conditions ,punishable by crippling fines and jailable sentences,

BTW the large firms that are dictating to the recruiters ( get me someone at 150 a day , no limit on hours worked, ( say on call 24*7) are also to be held responsible, after all they are using the agent as a way of avoiding responsibilities to the actual workers

Here's a thought for those who are so fervently anti recruitment agents.

Get your own job!

And don't laugh or dismiss the concept before giving it some thought....

First some examples;

If you go to a real-estate agent and say "show me the 2 best houses that suit me and my budget, then negotiate me a good deal.." Do you think you'll get the best house or the best deal? Doubt it.

If you are buying a car do you rely on the salesman to select the best car and the best rate? And do you trust him to give you the best finance?" Hell no. You do your research, buy privately if possible, talk to your bank about the best financing etc. In other words you negotiate hard and make him earn the sale.

What about going to a dating agency and asking them to find you the perfect wife. Hmm....

You may use a real-estate agent, or a car salesman, or a dating agency - but you use them carefully and you know that in the end it's an "all care no responsibility" arrangement. Why would anyone think recruitment is different?

Why do people think recruiters are beyond question or reproach? Do you ask a recruiter if the job is real before applying? Do you demand to know who the company is before your resume is sent anywhere? Do you ask what matgin they are charging the client? Do you ask them for references? Do you ask them questions about their post-placement services? If not why not?

Back to the "get your own job bit...."

As someone who has been a recruiter and an IT contractor I can confirm that recruiters get their jobs the hard way. Like it or not they work their bollocks off cold calling, networking etc to get job vacancies. It is tough, competitive, and the people they call/contact generally do not like being contacted by them. It's a tough tough job.

They are often criticised rightly or wrongly for their techniques but what they are doing is no secret.

It is just that it takes hard work and a go get it attitude.

Many employers have observed that job seekers often seem too lazy to do the hard work themselves. Recruiters are great sometimes but at the end of the day they are like a resume, or a job site, or a good suit - they are simply a tool you use to help find a job. They should not be the be all and end all.

A few tried and tested tips that may give you some ideas of how to approach job hunting a different way;

1. Invest a few hours and prepare yourself a 1 or 2 page online resume. Get your own catchy domain name (as little as $100 for 2 years) and host it with a cheap and nasty hosting company. All up an investment of a few hundred bucks.

2. Put your resume online and take care to add in good page headings and metatags so search engines will find it. Try Google Adwords. Cheap and effective.

Note : there's no need for name and contact details on your cv. An email address will do the trick if you're worried about privacy.

3. Post messages on message boards and product user groups. Eg C++ Developer for hire. {link to your resume}.

4. Do a Google search for keywords that suit your desired role {eg C++ + Careers}. Fire off a personalised email to companies that look interesting. Keep it short and simple. "C++ Developer for hire in Sydney. Seeking contract rates, available now. 5 years solid C++ experience. Link to resume."

And so on. When you apply your mind to it there are loads you can do. The best piece of advice I can give is "instead of relying on recruiters to find you a job, then complaining about them making money from you, go and find your own job". You'll get a better rate, increase your chances of getting an interview, and learn that in most cases it is not as complex as recruiters will have you believe.

Cheers

What a load of crap. Recruitment agencies are simply a pest staffed by blood sucking morons who could niot succeed in their own areas. Wow, great idea, I will go and get my own website, probably funded by the dole money I dont get.

Ya know what, I too love bitching about recruitment agencies, but at the end of the day, I agree with Johnno. If we don't have the balls or the energy to take the initiative and find our own work, we will have to accept the middlemen of the recruitment agencies controlling our access to jobs.

I learnt this lesson well when I was living in Canada about 7 years ago before I got my IT quals. Didnt have a work visa, and needed to do whatever to survive. I learned a few skills in painting at this time, and realised that by posting up a few ads around town like in supermarkets or on street corners I would get people calling me wanting work done for them. And it paid well too.. if I had to depend on someone else to get the work, I would have been lucky to have got paid half for the same work.

Now I've got my IT degree and I live in Chile South America working for an IT outsourcing company. Sending your resume to recruitment agencies here is even worse as there are less jobs on offer in IT with less pay, so even a good professional needs to wait ages before getting an interview for a decent job. Solution? Market yourself, talk about what you do when in social gatherings, hand out personal cards, send your resume to local companies, flirt with the company receptionist then leave her your resume ( and number if all goes well ), start your own business...whatever...and then be patient, just dont get stuck in this mentality where we think the world owes us something and we dont need to try as hard...

You are the dynamite hot C# programmer/Business Analyst/Network Engineer/Oranguatan Trainer that is worth $110,000/year, and so with the sizzling Aussie economy at present, do some leg work, and go get the job that pays that.

hi guys,

i'm an account manager/business developer in the IT sector that did a short stint in recruitment after they convinced me and yes they are as dodgy as you say hence the reason it was a short stint.

Basically recruiters put in dummy adds to gather data, use your references to get leads or candidates, they get you to come in with no intention of getting you the job you applied for and want to know the minimum you'll work for. Of course this is to the extreme.

I am currently looking for work and applied for 7 jobs late last yr. i only agreed to meet up with the recruiters who advertised the jobs on the provision that it was a real job and provided they were happy with our meet that they should put me forward for the roles i applied for.

Only two of those recruiters were genuine- launch amf MP. one got me in as a joke as i worked with one of his mates, one was out to another meeting and the recruiter left in charge couldnt tell me about the job, another got me in to gather data and to see if i could give her leads to jobs i was working on before i quit recruitment and did not discuss the role at all- i vowed never to deal with this co. again but was told she left and a consultant at the same co. got me in for a total of 4 min to copy her notes which she had me down for 45k when i told her min was 75k base and did not discuss role i went in to discuss. By the way the original recruiter here tried to convince me to get back into recruiting which i made clear i was not interested and guess what she wanted to discuss when i was there?

The jobs are always 'just filled' or someone more qualified, another pranked called me again because his mate use to work for me and i left the co and they had it in for me and so they prank called me too and now i'm limited to the recruitment co's i can use which has really limited my job options.

To try and combat some of their dodgy ways i always have on my resume 'testimonials and references on request' , i ask if they have a specific job in mind before i agree to see them, i get them to disclose the company and wages so i don't waste my time. i tell them there are certain co's i wont work for and i don't want to waste 'their' time.If they agree that i'm qualified for the position i get them to agree to put me forward if they are happy with our meeting outcome if i still want to be put forward.

To be honest i don't know why they are so dodgy. I mean ultimately it's a sales role and you wouldn't want to waste time by meeting a candidate you don't plan on hiring so.it just doesn't make sense to me having come from a sales background.They are the biggest time wasters-the majority,their own and yours.

hope this has been informative. by the way heaps of other professionals can't stand them too because their busy and they ring to gather data only. they ring to find out their job title, co they work for, who they report to,decision makers,find out any collegues,flat mates, friends on the look, when your contract ends and then use this info to 'pull' jobs.

I only did IT recruitment for 5 weks but the amount of candidates who told me and thanked me for giving them feedback, assistance and basically encouraging them and treating them like humans was astounding.

Once i got told off because i told a candidate i couldnt promise him a job but i'd try my best. the poor guy had been made all these promises by recruiters that never called him back. Bunch of bastards.

Yeah I have to agree that I have been on the hirdie girdie with some of the best con artists in the business they give you a real sense that they are working for you and your one of the best candidates for the position and presto: someone more qalified has got the job, I went for an interview with a Company that asked what i would accomplish within the first 30 days 60 days and then 90 days also they asked for a specific detailed plan of how to turn around sales that were down by half after preparing a way forward and powerpoint presenatation detailed report they got in touch with the recruiting agency and told them i was in the top 2 people that they had interview, guess what suddenly a person whom was not presented by the agency poped up and they apparently offered thewm to job, very dodgy so beware.

As someone who has worked in recruitment it is interesting to see what the general public things.

Companies use agencies so they can focus on there core business as the process is EXTREMELY time consuming. Alot of candidates can be rude and at the end of the day for temp roles the candidate is being employed by the agency on a set time or ongoing basis. Would u talk to your employer badly before they hire you???

On the flip times in my experience I have worked with a lot of F**king morons who are basically used car sales men and yes do a lot of shonky things.

At the end of the day agencies are vital(how many SMES could hire a full time recruiter when they have roles once every blue moon). However get all the dumb, immoral parasites out of the industry.

I applied for a position that was advertised as "permanent,fulltime".After the first day on the job, I couldn't understand why they were pressuring me to learn the(very difficult,detailed)job extra quickly - then I discovered it was only temp! I quit and gave the agency a serve! So there are some good recruitment agency like below link are doing their great job..

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george

Recruitment Agency