Recruitment agencies are useless

I wasn't even asked what kind of work I was good at/interested in, He immediatly tried to sign me up for 40 hour a week warehouse packing. Because the person I went there with had ask to be placed in that sector previously. Thanks for not even asking.

I have been looking for full time employment for 2 years having been made redundant. I am 56. Over the last two years I have applied for jobs through jobs sites and employment agencies. It has been a total waste of time. I was told by one agency that I would never get any job as I was "too old" and that I needed to "lie on my CV". The problem is that nobody had the time or the inclination to call you to ask you any questions -a lot of agencies seem to be filled with very young, inexperienced staff who have no idea how to approach other human beings other than by email. They also use a filer system called, I think, Boulion. So, if certain words do not come up on filter your CV goes no further. I realised that I needed to apply to the companies direct - which I have just done - and have now got two interviews lined up for next week. I wish that companies would wise up and realise they are missing some really good people by using agencies. My wife has never had success in using agencies and she is in a completely different line of work - she has always been employed and has always found a position herself.

I just got the pepe taken again by an agency, got me to travel long distances for hours on end for interviews, give them colour copies of every certificate, qualification, every bill, my driving licence, birth certificate, bank account details, work history going back 10 years, life history, made me get a CRB check for myself and hand it over to them, took scans of all the cards in my wallet and wanted passport photos, also asked me about 300 personal and prying questions and the attitude was answer everything I ask you or you will not get a job, in the end it was a Trawl without any real job being available.
They then asked questions about my financial history and my family, I never heard back from them again, I wonder if they ever sell on personal details and copies of documents for cash to those companies that take it, I heard that they tie people into certain book keeping/Umbrella companies for a percentage...

I agree entirely. I have been very successful all my life, I am 53 now. I have lots of experience and after 300 Applications I have finally given up on Agencies. You are put into a box and does a CV cover all the skills? Agencies search on keywords based on the clients specification, you seem to have to match 100%. Personality and fitting into the environment is equally important but having to go through Agencies for the last 3 years has made me realise I need to forget them and start my own business again. You have to find your own jobs to apply for in the first instance so what do the Ageny actually do other than match some words up and take commssion. There is no scope to move to a different type of career even if realistically you may be exactly what the client is looking for. My advice is to call companies direct or start your own business, there are lots of opportunities out there, only the agency is dictating your prospects. Forget them!!!

That sounds exactly like my experience with recruitment companies, Most wouldnt know the difference between SOAP and SOA if they fell over it yet feel qualified enough to box me into a "profile" that restricts my career options.

obtuse sounds like something that one of my previous employers would say about people on a regular basis, he was very full of himself so he was, not nice to people

Agencies are asking for first aid certificate, full clean driving licence, own car, own tools, technical qualifications, full backgroung records check (crb) as well as willingness to travel UK wide at your own cost, use accommodation at your own expense and deal with car insurance increase and petrol bill by yourself,then they offer 5.97 per hour before taking off a % for admin and insurance then the tax and NI, you end up with 90 pounds a week take home and spend 4 times that in doing your job.

Derek, you have hit the proverbial nail on the head! I came across this page doing a search for "no recruitment agency jobs" -- I have been looking for work for over a year - YES over a year! I have registered with at least 8 recruitment agencies that I can remember, and ALL of them without fail have acted in the very same way you have outlined above.

They are the gate-keepers, so if they pigeon-hole you, as they do, you have absolutely no chance of getting an interview for any job outside of the little box they have put you in. When I have been on the very interviews they have set me up with, the job has been completely mis-represented to me, and I to do the employer.

The staff in all these agencies are chirpy and friendly enough, but do not LISTEN - they clearly just scan your CV for particular buzzwords or markers they can tick off, and don't actually think about what other areas your skillset applies to besides the jobs you have listed. They clearly are too concerned with their targets to think outside their own little box.

Quite simply I do not trust recruitment agencies, but realise they are a necessary evil I continue to have to deal with if I want employment.

I do not apply-I receive mails with possible role. I do reply, no answer! Why would someone waste time to send me a mail when is not interested?
I do apply, they call! No mail, no scheduling, they just pick up the phone and think that can bother to call at any time?
I do apply, they almost never reply.
The truth is, all my jobs in the past I got with recommendation or direct contact :) We do use agencies just to feel that we are doing something "useful" until we are called directly by companies. What is ironic is: the agencies do not realities that we are the people who create the business for them: engineers, managers, analysts :) I do plan to open my own company soon and guess what: will never use a recruitment agency.

I have been looking for contract work for the last four months. I am a well qualified experienced project manager with all the right experience and knowledge. I tick all the boxes - apparently! I can't believe people want to work in recruitment. They are horrible, lying, slimey, backstabbing, two faced people. Worse even than estate agents or solicitors. I have decided to only look for direct jobs now. The try all the tricks! Some of you have already said what they are. One I hate is when they ask you what's the bottom line for you?

You say I am on £200 a day or whatever, then say yeah but what is the lowest you would take - say £300!

They’ll try and put a clause in your contract that they and the client company can terminate you with a month’s (or a week’s) notice, but that you have no notice period with them. Why don't employers tell them where to stick it?

My interview at the job centre has me believing that the govt lives in cloud cuckoo land.
They expect me to show proof of 20 job search activities between signings, I scour newspapers and online websites for suitable vacancies every day, it is a waste of time. I am a fully qualified engineering technician in an industry that is shrinking down to nothing, every manufacturing job is being relocated abroad and no one is hiring, Every vacancy on the govt website leads to an agency ads for jobs which dont exist, they are using the govt as a means of adding to their database of temp employees willing to work for national minimum. Agencies should be licenced as at present they are unaccountable to anyone and they help to bump up the number of jobs available to make the govt figures look great. License them and make a few quid in taxes and drive the dodgy ones out of business.

I strongly agree with you Derek! Hope we both find what we are looking for x Paula x pharvey1963@aol.com