The truth about recruitment agencies

There’s quite a few unanswered questions regarding employment. I began typing ‘do recruitment…’ / ‘are recruitment…’ and ‘ why does recruitment…’ in to google search, and this is what I found.

It’s blunt, it’s honest, but here’s what you wanted to know! (Note: where we have used ‘we’, it refers to us, Essential Recruitment, not all agencies.)

Do recruitment agencies share information?

We use software which contains all of your details – this means contact details, work history, CV, and where you have worked for us/how long. This is available to all employee’s at Essential, meaning that when you call or pop in, or apply for a job you’ve seen posted on the internet, we can see who you are.

Are candidiates ‘blacklisted’ by agencies? 

Other agencies can confirm dates a candidate has worked when asked for a reference – they are of course contacted by us if they are your only listed employer. Within the company, however, your performance will be recorded on your candidate profile – this means if you have done things such as walk off site, behave badly, ring in sick or make excuses, it will be noted. (note: if you ring in sick benefit of the doubt is given, but we have had instances of candidates claiming unrealistic circumstances which we have proven wrong! see: Here)

Do recruitment agencies do CRB checks? 

We hold the forms you will need to apply for a CRB check – you will need to fill these out and pay for the check.

Do recruitment consultants check references?

Yes, we do. It is important that we know exactly who we’re sending out to our clients! We will contact the references you provide and ask them a series of questions to establish whether the information we have on your CV and the impression we get from you in your interview is correct.

Are recruitment companies free? / Any good? / A waste of time?

Agencies are free to candidates (job seekers) and there is a fee for clients (companies). We charge a margin on top of the wage provided by the employer.
Are we any good? That depends on you. Are you any good? Are you a waste of time?
Think of this: A bad workman blames his tools. You’re the tools (sorry, guys) and we can’t work with you if you’re bad! We like to think we’re pretty good at what we do, but if you’re not genuinely interested in working – A good workman gets a better toolbox.

What’s the point in recruitment agencies?

Why do we exist…? We recruit for time starved employers, or those in constant need of a stream of available staff. We supply a lot of warehouses, and if you’ve ever worked in a warehouse you’ll know that workload differs day-to-day. This means that one day the employer could need 50 extra staff, and another only 5. We are apply to supply these changing needs on a daily basis, within the company having to hire staff on a very unsecure basis.

For you, we offer the chance of working random shifts to fill employment gaps, getting your foot in the door and gaining experience, and letting you learn/build experience in an industry. You’ll gain new experiences, skills and most importantly, money!

Got any more questions? You’re more than welcome to ask away!

 

Read more about agencies on our blog: