Question:
As an unemployed technician from the wood panels industry I had
enlisted the services of a number of job agencies, in my quest to be
re-enlisted in the domain of the working peoples, among other ways
of job-seeking...
While these agencies remain anonymous (for fear of nothing really,
I just don't wan't to cause any ill feeling!) I ask the good people of
New Zealand (ie...you lot reading this) if they have had much to do
with any local agencies in your quests to find what I'm looking for
(ie...work).
Reason I ask is that I am beginning to question the moral and ethical
grounds with which some of these agencies conduct their business.
This example is why I wonder so. A job was advertised in a paper
which I really liked the look of. I had the experience and enthusiasm
needed I believe to have been a candidate (never a dead cert tho'!). I
had also been interviewed by the Manager of the facility where I'd
have started, had the job been granted to me, for an unrelated role.
The Managers words were to me that my skills would be better
applied to roles soon to appear in the near future (which is why the
original role was not granted to me) and that I should keep my eyes
open for these upcoming roles. One of these two identical roles did
'upcome' via an agency, who soon interviewed me. I didn't get the
job but was a contender as the agency told me. I kept my chin up as
the second of the two identical roles was still in the planning. Soon it
was also advertised. I rang the agency asking if they would like me to
send a new application/CV or if my previous application was fine.
They said that none of the applicants for the previous identical role
were being reconsidered as they wanted 'fresh faces that fitted the
role'. Considering that myself and as many as 10-12 other applicants
were deemed as suitable it really did knock me for 6!...
These points were clear to me...
A) The agency had been very unfair to not reconsider previous
suitable applicants.
B) The agency had 'about faced' on myself and all the other
previous applicants by saying we were suitable and then not
reconsidering us.
C) All threads of common sense and ethical and moral fairplay
have been exhausted by this agency.
If anyone else has experienced trouble such as this then please
voice your concern. Companies pay good money to agencies
for the service of staff recruitment and it irks me to be at the
receiving end of agencies 'playing God' in this manner.
Answer:
-They're pretty hopeless. About as ethical as an insurance agent or a
real estate agent or a used car saleman.
Lots of non-existent jobs advertised "Oh, that one's been withdrawn. But
you might like to try for this one".
A fair amount of "You're a shoe-in for this job. Come down for an
interview" followed by "Oh, that job was withdrawn/went to someone else.
But we could put you forward for this one."
A whole lot of misunderstandings about what words mean what skills.
"Don't talk money" means "The salary is a lot lower than what you want.
We hope to talk the employer into a higher salary or you into a lower
one".
-Unfortunately we are at the mercy of employment agencies and the companies.
It may have been that the company had decided not to reconsider all previous
applicants. Having dealt with various employment and temping agencies here, it
is the company who call the shots in the end.
One job advertised here that I went after was with an agency. At the end of
the interview, the interview presented me with a contract, then produced a
chart to show how much *I* would pay *them* if I was the successful applicant
for the position. I forget the percentage entailed but it was quite
substantial and was required to be repayed over a 6 month period. Considering
the job had a starting rate of US$30,000 plus, the % was enough for me to say
"thank you but no thank you.Too bad if I didn't like the job and quit or
they fired me - one still had to pay
