The recruitment sector is a diverse one, with no two agencies adopting the same approach. In Jersey for example, we have a very specific job market, so the way we operate is significantly different to UK agencies. That said, there are a number of misconceptions out there which people apply to all recruitment agencies.
Here are the ones I hear most often:
Recruiters take a huge commission and a cut of my salary
The service we provide to candidates is 100% free at every stage. If you get a job through us, we certainly don’t take money from your pay cheque! We get a separate fee from our clients for the service we provide and this will never affect your salary level.
I need to be actively looking for a job to use an agency
Not the case! There are many reasons why people get in contact with us – some simply want to scout out the job landscape, others want to make sure they’re ahead of the game when new opportunities come up and many people turn to us for professional guidance and advice. Not everyone who comes to us is urgently looking for a job, or would necessarily consider leaving their current position in the foreseeable future.
I need to be actively looking for a job to use an agency
Recruitment is all about people, and recruiters are often drawn to this world because we have a compulsive need to help! We get enormous job satisfaction from matching a candidate with their perfect job, and many times a job hunter will actually go on to become a client. A lasting relationship is therefore incredibly important. People vote with their feet in any case – if we really were lacking in integrity and just ‘on the make’, it’s unlikely people would keep coming back to us or recommend us to their friends or colleagues. Our work wouldn’t survive without strong relationships – and we wouldn’t be doing this job in the first place without a passion to make them either.
Recruiters are rude and unresponsive
This is where it’s really important to know exactly what a recruitment agency does and doesn’t do. Although we’d love to speak with our candidates every day, if we did we wouldn’t have any time to talk to our network and actually get jobs in for you! If you haven’t heard from us, it isn’t because you’ve been forgotten – it just means that there isn’t anything matching your skill set at the moment. As with any relationship, you really do get out as much as you put in. We love hearing from our candidates, so don’t hesitate to pick up the phone if you’d like an update.
The jobs on recruiters’ websites are fake or old
This may be the case with other recruiters, but for us our web platform is a really important part of our service. We’re constantly updating our website and social media and only post real jobs that are active.
They don’t listen to what you really want
We can only match the right person with the right job if we listen to you first! We always listen to what you want and need from your job search and what your ultimate career objectives may be. Sometimes what you’re ideally looking for just isn’t available, but to make sure you don’t miss out on any opportunities we’d rather run something by you than assume you wouldn’t be interested. If you’re out of work, we may run temporary roles by you which might not be your first choice, but will give you the chance to get working while you look for your permanent role.
They send your CV to people without asking you!
We’d never send out your personal details without your permission – in fact that would be illegal under data protection laws! This is something we take very seriously and we’ll always ask you before sending your CV for a particular job.
It’s better to send your CV directly to companies
HR departments often receive hundreds of CVs a month so companies choose to work with recruiters, as we’re able to do the first stages of the shortlisting process for them – saving them a lot of time! We’re also able to pick up the phone and explain why you’re a good match for the job, if this isn’t clear from your CV. We always encourage a pro-active attitude towards your job search, however you can be certain your CV won’t be missed if presented to a company by us!