I have a website dedicated to this very topic... www.evenitup.com.au which reviews recruitment companies and direct employers in order to empower jobseekers. The information is provided free by Even It Up! as a community service. There is a also a blog and forum (now that's where you get to find out what jobseekers really think!).
Hate to say it, but jobseekers generally HATE dealing with recruitment agencies. They are treated appallingly... just read any number of reviews on the site, and they are all saying the same thing, regardless of the company or position.
At Even It Up!, we are hoping that the GFC forces recruitment back in-house. We also contend that businesses that use recruitment companies are damaging their employer brand when the candidate experience is less than desirable. Certainly, we know many well-qualified people who would refuse to apply for a dream job if the they have to go through a recruitment company.
Recruitment Agencies - Partner or Pest?
By Melissa Lourenco | June 1, 2009
BNET Australia Contributors
Aussie Rules
Biography
BNET Australia Contributors
Brian Haverty is editorial director for CBS Interactive Australia and is responsible for the company's BNET and ZDNet Australia sites.
Robert Gerrish is a coach, author and professional speaker and the founder of Flying Solo, an Australian online community for solo business owners.
Melissa Lourenco is the HR manager for CBS Interactive in Australia.
Chris Golis is the author of The Humm Handbook: Lifting Your Level of Emotional Intelligence. He runs seminars and workshops on EQ.
Suzi Dafnis is Community Director of the Australian Businesswomen's Network.
Yvonne Adele helps organisations build a culture of ideas by teaching people at all levels to access their untapped creative thinking skills.
Like most HR professionals, I’ve had positive and negative experiences in dealing with recruitment agencies.
To save on costs, we first try and fill a vacant role in-house. If we’re unsuccessful, we then turn to recruitment agencies to assist us finding the ideal candidate.
Even when we’re not looking for candidates, it seems I get at least one call a day from a recruitment agency seeking to assist us — and when I post an ad up, oh boy, the real bombardment begins. My phone rings off the hook! Most understand that we prefer to recruit in-house first or directly through ads, but there have been some that just don’t get the message. Persistence is something I admire in job applicant, but it can be pretty annoying to come across an agency that just doesn’t seem to understand or want to accept that no means no!
Having said all that, there are times when the in-house and advertising approaches just don’t work, so we have a list of preferred suppliers who are great to deal with and have placed some stellar staff in our business. What makes them easy to deal with?
- They seem to have a good understanding of our business/industry,
- They often provide some valuable insight into job market
- They’re just nice, patient people to deal with.
- Oh yes, and they don’t try to shove a candidate (who in their mind is perfect) down our throats.
Let us know what you think of recruitment agencies — feel free to share your good and bad experiences.
Talkback 1 Talkback
RE: Recruitment Agencies - Partner or Pest?
diane219
06/03/2009 02:06 AM
