Are there any Good Recruitment Agencies in the UK
Like many other jobs, accountancy and corporate finance in particular, is a technical and specialized area and in order for employers to attract the right candidates they have to advertise their positions in the most effective place. Unfortunately, this is not perceived to be the local job centre or local newspapers but specialized recruitment agencies, the quality of which differs significantly.
A recruitment agency is designed to assist the employer in the recruitment and selection process from preparing the job description and person specification to sourcing candidates to arranging interviews to offering positions.
A recruitment agency is designed to assist candidates in finding a suitable job and provide opportunities that would be of interest.
A recruitment agency is designed to serve as a middle man and introduce the employer to the candidates.
In principle the role of a recruitment agency is simple so why is there such disparity between them? Why are some so good and others not? Maybe I am looking at the function in a too simplistic way but surely it is a standardized service that they provide?
Whilst trying to break in to the world of industry and commerce I have registered with many agencies. Looking back I should not have, but it is too late now. My views are based on first hand experiences with the agencies over the last eighteen months.
Recruitment agencies will only forward on opportunities that THEY think are suitable for the candidate. If they think that a specific position is not right then the candidate will not be made aware of it. On the face of it, this appears to be a good thing since the candidate will not get any old job opportunity offered to them. On the flipside, the candidate is missing out on opportunities that s/he may really enjoy and be good at. In most instances the candidate will never be aware that there is such a position in that company. I think that it is wrong that an agency can deny a potential candidate the right to submit their CV to an employer. The agency cannot know all candidates to that extent.
The above may also have a detrimental effect for the employer. By denying the candidate to send their CV the agency is denying the employer the right to see that candidate. Whilst an employer may require specific experience there may be a candidate out there with all the requisite skills and knowledge, the drive and the ambition to perform the job, but they may not have the experience. It may be in the best interests of the employer to take a punt and groom the candidate for the position. Using an agency will ensure that such a candidate and employer will never meet.
Recruitment agencies over promise and under deliver. They talk the talk but when it comes to action most, in my experience, have been quite poor.
If you do not allow some agencies the opportunity to send your CV to a specific employer then they do not send you any more opportunities or contact you again, ever. This has been the case with Pure Resourcing Solutions in Norwich. I have always had to chase them up. They never speak to me and they are not pro-active in any way, and I believe this is because I declined my CV to be sent to Norwich Union.
When opportunities are thin on the ground agencies do not contact you. OK, so the labor market may have slowed down and the number of jobs has declined but it is nice for an update every now and again. In my experience, it has become me who does the chasing and I increasingly find that many agents do not return calls, do not return emails and get their calls screened so you can't get hold of them.
No candidate I know is registered with only one agency. It is human nature to think that if I register with more than one there will be more vacancies. On the flipside no employer uses only one agency. They always use more on the assumption that they will have access to a bigger pool of candidates. Wrong! This arrangement results in candidates receiving the opportunity for the same vacancy numerous times and the employer receiving the CV for the same candidate numerous times! A frustrating situation all round.
When you are offered the same opportunity from different agents it becomes unclear as to which agent is representing you. The flip side of this applies to the employer as they do not know which agency is representing which candidate. Who gets the fees in these situations?
Agents can be economical with the truth and you only find out about this when you get the same opportunity from multiple agents. A prime example - I was offered an opportunity stating a salary of £30K. I got the same opportunity from another agent with a salary of £35K.
Another scenario where agents are economical with the truth is where you go for an interview and in my case a second interview and a third interview and do not get offered the position. The agent told me that the job was given to an internal applicant. I went on the agent's website 2 days later and the job was still advertised! I called the agent who assured me the vacancy had been filled, their computer/website team were out of date and that the job should not be on the website. I was a bit unsure of this so I got a friend to apply for the position through the agency. He got offered an interview and declined it. Why do agents lie? There is no need. I am a big boy and can handle the truth.
Agents' fees are extortionate for the employer. They charge a small fee to introduce the candidates, arrange interviews etc and if the candidate is successful in filling the position then they will charge a success fee equating to a percentage of the first years salary. Considering accountants are quite well paid (although nowhere near as much as an actuary or solicitor) this success fee can be quite significant. Why do employers bother? I think that it is their interests to at least advertise the vacancy in the local paper and seeing what response they get prior to engaging an agency. Luckily, candidates do not get charged.
Whilst most agencies ask your permission before they forward on your CV one I am registered with did not. One agency, Badger Associates of Norwich, sent my CV to every accountancy practice in Norwich on the off chance there would be a 'match'. This is a very lazy approach and is totally unacceptable. In addition, this agent sent my CV to my current employer resulting in a very awkward conversation. Luckily, I was still on probation at that time and said that I was looking out for myself since I did not know whether I would keep my job after the probationary period. Who knows what would have happened if I wasn't on probation. A recruitment agent needs to maintain confidentiality and be discreet. This agent is neither. He is also incompetent and lazy and should not be in this sector.
Unfortunately recruitment agencies in the UK are a necessary evil. Whilst I have scoured the local job search, various internet sites and other mediums to find that ideal position in industry and commerce I have found that opportunities are few and far between, and most of them are unsuitable. The fact of the matter is that if you do not register then most of the jobs will pass you by and you will never find out about them.
Other than using agencies, employers don't seem to use any other recruitment method, yet many are unhappy about the level of fees they have to pay. Surely it would be beneficial and more cost effective for employers to advertise their positions in the local job search before using an agency and assess the caliber of applicants they receive? How long does it take to review a few CVs, arrange interviews and actually carry out the interview?
Agencies can charge up to 20% of the first year's salary for placing a candidate. Let's take an accountant on £40K per annum that will be a success fee of £8K, which added to the 'marketing' costs of the position may add up to a significant amount.
