Jobseeker Experiences of Recruitment Agencies
A reader sent us this article, about his Jobseeker Experiences, in response to our article ‘My Experiences as a Jobseeker in the Current Market’.
Good evening,
Just like the writer JR Barnett, I have found exactly the same problems.
Recently I answered an advertisement for a position in Reading, which is some 50+ miles from home. The job specification could have been written just for me. I followed this up directly with a telephone call. That was only to find that the agent was busy and would call me back.
Wonderful news, he did ring back immediately!
He explained the requirement to me and asked for my CV. I told him that I had already sent it only 5 minutes previously, ‘Oh yes’ he replied ‘here it comes!
Not Put Forward for Contract Position
He opened it, and immediately told me that he would NOT be putting me forward for this position.
On asking why, he said although the money was what I was looking for (some 15k less than I had been on previously), he said the client would not accept me. I lived too far away, and I would probably leave to look for better money. It is exactly the problem they wished to avoid.
I then stated that, had he looked at my CV, he would have noticed that I used to work in Reading for some 2½ years. So, I explained that I had been out of work for nearly a year after a redundancy. It was my desire to work. I want to get back into the swing of things, not take a job and then immediately look for something else. I suggested to him that maybe he should put me in touch with his client and let me talk to them directly.
At this point the guy was getting very frustrated with me for harping on. That’s not half as much as I was, I can assure you! It goes without saying that I am wasting my time and I hung up in real frustration.
Comments as Regards Jobseeker Experiences
As for the comments regarding the Jobseekers, I quite agree with the way the JR assessment of these people. They have absolutely no clue whatsoever.
They seem to think that if you have done a job previously, say when you left school, that you should apply for it. That’s regardless of the fact that they know they are setting you up for rejection. They are not likely even to looked at you. That’s all the while they are treating you like you are a scrounger.
They speak to you in a patronising and condescending manner. It’s all because you are qualified and have experience. That’s when they allow people that have been signing on for years to walk in and out without so much as a by-your-leave.
They quickly forget that you have been paying somewhere in the region of 40% tax for a good many years, but it counts for absolutely nothing at all.
Didn’t Bother Claiming Dole
Things got so bad for me that I decided to sign off and not bother claiming. I decided to live off credit cards, and do temporary assignments as a PA as opposed to my real skills, which are sadly going to waste.
There is so much talent going to waste out there that it is quite unbelievable. The way I look at it now is that I may have run up some huge debts, but by the same token, I have my integrity and my self-respect intact.
And yes, the adverts for position leave a lot to be desired.
Well that‘s my jobseeker experiences diatribe over with. What little good it will do who knows.
