Sending CVs Without Permission
Agencies have had to stop sending CVs without permission from contractors.
Under the IT Agency legislation, any agencies who send off a CV to an IT client, without first obtaining permission from the candidate, could now be open to prosecution.
The legislation came into effect a few years ago.
There can be no more sending off a batch of CVs on spec to the client.
CV Appears at Client Multiple Times
There can also be no more of an IT contractor‘s chances of an IT contract being ruined due to the fact that his or her CV appears at a client‘s about ten different times.
The agency must also obtain from the client detailed information about the work. This includes risks to health and safety. This must happen before the assignment commences, and presumably before signing the contract.
Presumably, the agency will have to tell the contractor who the client is before sending off the CV. They can’t just say ‘a financial institution in the City’. Otherwise the contractor won‘t be able to say whether he or she is willing to do the assignment. It might be a company that the contractor doesn‘t want to work for, for one reason or another.
Identity Check
Another change is that the agency must obtain confirmation of the IT contractor‘s identity before sending out the CV. This can be via a passport or drivers licence etc.
This could cause a few problems for agencies and contractors. This could hold up proceedings, unless the agency had a copy beforehand.
Presumably though, all the contractor has to do is to have a copy of the correct page in his or her passport and a fax machine so that it can be sent through straight away.
Presumably, also, this is a one off and the agency won‘t need it every time.
Affecting Job Boards
It will be interesting to see how this affects IT job boards.
Moreover, it will be interesting, to see if a central register of contractors emerges which has all confirmations of identities for all contractors.
It all sounds a bit bureaucratic and has a touch of Big Brother about it.
I think it is to stop illegal immigrants getting jobs.
It all seems like a sledgehammer to crack a nut though. It is putting a lot of people to a lot of bother. That’s for a problem that hasn‘t been pointed out as major in the IT industry before.
Moreover, it seems to be just one more way for the powers that be to keep more control over us.
AWR Opt Out
It also may be an opportunity for IT agencies to work out who is and who isn’t going to opt out. Contractors who opt out presumably won‘t have to go through this rigmarole.
If this is correct, and I don‘t know if it is, it will be a good way for agencies to be able to work out which is which before they even send a CV off, thereby being able to exclude all of those who don‘t want to opt out.
Those who don‘t opt out, remember, will be able to go direct to the client at the end of their contracts and will be able to talk to the client about future work during the contract.
This will give them the opportunity to turn themselves into real small businesses rather than being indentured eternally to the agency.
The days of sending CVs without permission are over for agencies.
