I don't like to criticise or stereotype employment agencies, much......
but there is a very good reason why such employment agency stereotypes exist in the general urban opinion, and have a bad press.
Because I have found all the employment agencies that I have visited in person, to have the same faults.
From new start-ups, to major agencies like Reed, Adecco, etc.
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I have quite often been to the initial interview at the agency high street office where it was conducted by a ( seemingly ) 17 year old school leaver ( cheaper to employ ) who, quite understandably, obviously do not have a faintest clue about engineering / mechanical design / grave digging / companies, and their own particular requirements.
They know only what they read from the employee requirement script from the employer,
( the contents of which are vague at the best of times )
but you can be sure that the interviewer doesn't understand a word of it.
So they do not know it you would, or would not, be a suitable candidate for the position at that company who is paying the agency to find them a worker..
The agency staff never consider actually calling the company on the phone, so that the job applicant can actually talk to someone who knows what he is talking about.
I have actually ASKED several interviewers to call the company for clarification, but they refuse to do so.
Why is that ?
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So you have spent hours carefully writing out your final polished copy of your CV, especially crafted for that position that you are applying for.
Mistake.
You are now sitting in one of the larger, more national employment agency offices.
You have just been handed a bland, soulless, indifferent looking two page form for you to write your entire life and working history on.
All over again.
Because the agency requires their own standardised job application forms for their internal filing systems.
Stuff you !
How damn irritating is that ?
What's the point of spending time writing out your own personalised CV when the agency will not accept them ?
This is the point when I get up and leave, for the most part I have been in the fortunate financial position to do just that, go to another agency, find something else, but many people will not be so lucky.
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Seems to me that if any technical words that you have written on your CV do not exactly match what is written on the requirement sheet from the company, you go in the bin.
Even if the applicant had been doing that same type of job previously. For years.
It would be greatly beneficial for job applicants if employment agencies employ staff who have actually been previously employed in the same or similar type of industry.
Smaller employment agencies should not try to generalise, across the county, country, but preferably specialise in just one or two markets, those employers that are most relevant to the town and local area that the agency is situated in.
As some indeed do.
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"Ok, leave your CV with us, I will fax it over to the company now, I will call you when they have made a decision"
They never call back....EVER.
I call them two weeks later =
"Oh, er, um, I'm sorry, we don't seem to be able to find your application.
What's your name again " ?
Because it obviously went straight in the bin.
Post-interview feedback = Zilch.
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Web based Agencies.
Same as above, but worse.
There are hundreds of web based agencies to trawl through, write CV's for, send CV's to.
Each seem to have the same jobs advertised, all twenty-five of them.
It is easy to spot where the same position is being advertised.
Many agencies sometimes cannot even bother to alter the exact wording in the text of the request script sent directly from the employer.
Except........
Agencies have their own reputation to upkeep, competition for finding the better class of potential employees compared to those offered by their rivals.
I have noticed that some agencies make little additions to the original script, in order to attract the "better" applicants.
Suddenly, for obviously the same job, where an HND certificate was sufficient for the qualifications list, now they require a Degree.
A graduate, of course.
They are probably not legally allowed to advertise for a YOUNG graduate.
And then they also expect the degree applicant to have a few years hands-on experience of working in the position they have just applied for.
Oh, and of course, full working knowledge of the company's XYZ obscure Win 98 software programs.
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Printed at the base of some employment agency web pages >>>
Unfortunately, due to the high volume of employment applications we receive each day, we are unable to respond.
If you have not been contacted after three weeks, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion.
This means =
The agency cannot bother their idle little Ass to even send you an email to let you know the results of your initial interview, or whether you will ever receive an ACTUAL interview at the company.
That's assuming that you have not been forgotten about already.
So you wait around.....wondering.
How long does it take the agency to send even a vanilla flavour stock email ?
You failed - now Sod Off.
More preferable to receiving no answer at all.
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Distance to workplace.
Why don't web agencies indicate exactly WHERE the position is situated ?
Post code, map, etc.
It is very common to read in the job adverts >>>
Position is easily commutable from Basingstoke, Reading, Newbury, Surrey, Kent, John-O-Groats !
Not much use for people like myself who do not have a car.
If I cannot get there easily by bus or rail, there is not much point wasting my time and hours of futile effort in even applying for the position.
I call the phone numbers of the respective agency and they always refuse to give the exact location = "It's somewhere near Newbury, that's your final clue."
What's the point of all the SECRECY ?
With a little detective work, it is possible to guess roughly where the company is located, or by exactly what products they produce, and every other agency will of course know that another agency is advertising that same position.
It is not really likely that any applicant could then by-pass the agencies and go directly to the company and apply for the job.
No one at the company would interview them.
They would be sent straight back to the agencies, that's what the employment agencies are paid £ LOTS for.
Just my £2.50 worth !
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So ....Answers to your questions
Keep job advertising to the local area.
Specialise to just the major, more common types of industry in the area.
Actually visit, talk and understand the requirements of the local companies who are most prevalent.
Send emails to keep candidates informed about what is happening with their application.
Even if they fail.
Will be much appreciated for those waiting around for information !
Tell the candidates where / who the company is.
They may not be living in an area to travel there easily.
Call the company to clarify any technical details they require
while the candidate is with you.
Don't "upgrade" any of your job advertisements.
Don't ask the candidates to write out ANOTHER CV
on your own specially printed agency stationery.
Just keep a copy of their own lovingly crafted masterpiece, of which they have spent hours working on !
You could keep track of individual job applicant's skills, CV's and availability using a cheap free-form database.
I use idailydiary proffesional - excellent quickly searchable bottomless throw-all-in database and diary for £ 20
3w dot splinterware dot com website
for a free no-registration nonsense trial !
A good reputation as a honest recruitment agency will soon get around the town !
Dave
