[tigerlily]

Can someone please explain the process of working with a recruiter to me? My husband has applied for jobs, basically been told by recruiters "come in and talk to us when you get here". He thinks that they will want him to sign something with them, so they "own" him and shop him around if a good job comes up for him. Just his guess, so we are wondering how the process works. His first recruiter appointment is with an agency who only occasionally has things come up in his specialty. Another recuiter will still be on holiday when we get there and has encouraged him to come in for a meeting as soon as she's back. My concern is that the first recuiter will want him to be exclusively with their agency, whereas the second recruiter has lots more jobs come up in his area. What to do?

I see that recruiters get a fair amount of money for placing someone. Why don't more of the government agencys advertise their own jobs?

[Chiba]

No, they don't own you. They probably will make you sign something, but it's likely to be a data protection disclaimer so they can put your data on file and make it available to their clients, and something that says you won't lie to them. Pretty standard stuff. They'll likely also wank to know which companies you've applied for jobs with already, so they don't duplicate effort and potentially scupper your chances. Agents often have exclusive (or near exclusive) deals with their clients, so having a few on the go is sensible. When I dealt with them they all seemed fully aware that I was using more than one agent, and it was no issue.

[Smiler]

Tigerlily

I think it's also a case of you physically being in NZ and turning up to meet them to show that you are serious about coming here, applying for the jobs and can commit to a start date etc.

[DMcG]

As the others have said - it's not a contract to sign only with one recruitment agency. A few agencies are quite specialist in the areas they look at - and if you have a wide range of skills, you end up being registered with 3 or 4 of them. They mostly want to avoid putting you forward for a job that another agency is already working with you on. Otherwise everyone looks emabarresed. I'm still on record with a couple of agencies and get regular emails from them - even though I've been working in my current post for over 18 months.

Dougie

[CjChris]

...Great question! I have some about this, too.

So what do recruiters do once you sign on? Do you interview with them, do they help you revamp your CV, do they offer tips and advice?

Or do they just put your info out there if it meets their approval?

And how do you find one that "specializes" in certain career fields?

Thanks!
Christine

[Chiba]

Do you interview with them, do they help you revamp your CV, do they offer tips and advice?

I can only speak for IT. The good ones will, yes. Of course's, it's finding the good ones that's the trick!

With a good agent it's kind of like a partnership. They have a responsibility to you to help you find a job, so they'll help with your CV, give you advice on interviews, etc. They're a specialist kind of sales person, basically. As the commodity, it's your responsibility to tell the truth about your skills, to be well presented, to do your research, to show up for interviews on time, etc. For this, the agent gets paid (by the hiring company), and you obviously get a job out of it.

Bad agent are like those speed dating companies. They try to hook you up with as many dates as possible in the hope that you score.

[Ricky]

Chiba, you mentioned good agencies but how do you know which agency is good.:roll

Can you give us some advice which are good and which one are bad?

Cheers

[Chiba]

All I can say is, you'll be able to tell. To name one: Hudson in Welly. Very impressed!

[bobbyj]

I am a recruitment consultant so hopefully I should be able to help with any questions you may have.

I currently work in the travel recruitment industry...but I have a job in Christchurch with a more general firm. I will be working on the IT desk which is a new one on me but I'm excited because its a fresh challenge - and there seem to be plenty of IT candidates coming over from the UK. Anyway...here's what generally happens...

You might call or email in to apply to a job advert you have seen. I would then run through the details of that particular position as well as gain some info on your requirements so I can match you up to a few other roles you might be interested in. I would ask you to come into the office to register with us. Now, I'm not yet sure how the law works in NZ regarding this, but it is illegal for UK recruiters to put you forward for any jobs unless they have registered you. The very basic requirement is that we have checked your eligibility to work in the country and you have signed a form giving us permission to search for work on your behalf. Where possible, I will always try to get new candidates into the office to meet them as it allows me to register them, talk in more detail about the roles they are looking for and, most importantly, get a bit of commitment from them. It never ceases to amaze me how many people will go as far as interviews before turning around and saying they are not actually looking for work! Bizzare.

Anyway...with candidates who are coming to the UK from abroad, it is more difficult to meet them. I would then have a nice long chat with them on the phone (it would have to be a phone call because email is usless for things like that). I work in a horrifically candidate driven market at the moment. That means there are very, very few candidates, and a huge number of jobs. With this in mind, speed is of the essence so I need to quickly work out what you are looking for and get you sent over straight away before another agency puts you forward for that job.

From the candidate point of view, sending your CV to a number of agencies can seem like a good idea. You get maximum coverage and it should increase your chances of getting the job you want. However, talking from experience, this isn't always the case. Just as you wouldn't put your house on the market with 8 different Estate Agents, you should think twice about putting your CV out there with 8 different recruitment agents. You have to look at your CV as an asset. It sets you out from the crowd and sells your abilities to a potential employer. If you put your house on with loads of agents, it can come across as a bit desperate (I use that word reluctantly by the way), and its the same with your CV. You will end up getting sent to all the same companies and each hiring manager will see your CV several times from all the different agencies and it can get a little embarassing in the end. The major problem with this comes when a recruiter will get hold of your CV and send you out to literally every single company in town. They will then be setting up interviews for you for jobs or locations you don't even want and at salaries well below what you can afford. And when you tell them you don't want to go for the interviews, it leaves the prospective employer with a less than rosy opinion of you.

My advice would be to register with 1 agency for 1-2 weeks and then re-assess the situation. Any good recruiter will be able to come up with some options within this time or advice as to the best next stage. And you won't get the feeling that you are being chucked around the job market like a slab of meat. If somebody registers with me alone for a couple of weeks I can almost guarantee a job.

Its a bit of catch 22 for those looking for interviews when they are not in the country. And if you are not arriving for several months, the jobs currently available probably won't be by the time you get there. From my experience, when I have had Kiwis coming to the UK I have been able to set up telephone interviews, or book face to face interviews up before hand, ready for when they arrive in the country. Unfortunately, companies won't employ somebody on the basis of a telephone interview alone so you really need to get out there on a reccy.

Finally...and I know I have been going on a bit...I just want to tell you what a good recruiter should offer. They should be keen and committed to finding you the right job, give you all the info you could possibly want on a job (not just "I'm waiting for a job spec") and keep you informed at every stage. They should be able to help you with CV design and interview tips. They shouldn't just toss your CV around the whole city, only call you if they have an interview and mis-inform you at every stage.

I'm not going to mention who I will be working for in NZ because I don't want people to think this post was just an advert for them! haha But what I would say is that you should call a few agencies, judge how you feel about each one and then pick one to register with on a sole basis for a couple of weeks.

Good luck with it...and post back if you have any other questions at all about recruitment.

Cheers

Bobby J.

[Marco]

Hi all

I can write long stories about my experience with several recruitment agencies in Wellington. Will not bore ou with that though. The key in my opinion is, that you have the skills and experience that employers are after (like IT, but this is only one example) - if this is not the case, bad luck! And then recruiters are as useless as anything.

Several recruiters adviced me on my CV and thus I ended up changing it around several times - unfortunately, it did not get any better and it did not bring me any better job either. By saying this, it is important that your CV is done in a 'NZ standard' style. Apart from that the job recruitment market is still a mystery to me.

And Chiba, it is also very dependent on the person you are dealing with at an agency - and my experience with the company you mention are totally different (I have also worked with them from the employer side).

Good luck,
Anita

[tigerlily]

Thanks all. Great information. He's actually an Organisational Development consultant type person, not IT (and I love him for it). He's noticed already that one of the recruiters is really attentive and great to deal with, so I think he may wait to go exclusive with her. Ahhh, giving us time for a nice camping trip!

[fitzandindiana]

Hi Bobby
I won't be over in NZ for two years yet but keep looking at jobs for me as abit worried about how easy i will find work as we will be coming over on my husbands skills of an annestetic technician. I currently work as an reconciliations administrater iin a private bank which i have done for ten years although no qualifications in this field. I would very much like a change in job and do more reception, or office work. Would i get a job easily in nz do you think? It does worry me as i enjoy working and don't want to come all the way out there on my husbands skills and then not be able to work myself.
Thanks for listening to me.
Beverley


I am a recruitment consultant so hopefully I should be able to help with any questions you may have.

I currently work in the travel recruitment industry...but I have a job in Christchurch with a more general firm. I will be working on the IT desk which is a new one on me but I'm excited because its a fresh challenge - and there seem to be plenty of IT candidates coming over from the UK. Anyway...here's what generally happens...

You might call or email in to apply to a job advert you have seen. I would then run through the details of that particular position as well as gain some info on your requirements so I can match you up to a few other roles you might be interested in. I would ask you to come into the office to register with us. Now, I'm not yet sure how the law works in NZ regarding this, but it is illegal for UK recruiters to put you forward for any jobs unless they have registered you. The very basic requirement is that we have checked your eligibility to work in the country and you have signed a form giving us permission to search for work on your behalf. Where possible, I will always try to get new candidates into the office to meet them as it allows me to register them, talk in more detail about the roles they are looking for and, most importantly, get a bit of commitment from them. It never ceases to amaze me how many people will go as far as interviews before turning around and saying they are not actually looking for work! Bizzare.

Anyway...with candidates who are coming to the UK from abroad, it is more difficult to meet them. I would then have a nice long chat with them on the phone (it would have to be a phone call because email is usless for things like that). I work in a horrifically candidate driven market at the moment. That means there are very, very few candidates, and a huge number of jobs. With this in mind, speed is of the essence so I need to quickly work out what you are looking for and get you sent over straight away before another agency puts you forward for that job.

From the candidate point of view, sending your CV to a number of agencies can seem like a good idea. You get maximum coverage and it should increase your chances of getting the job you want. However, talking from experience, this isn't always the case. Just as you wouldn't put your house on the market with 8 different Estate Agents, you should think twice about putting your CV out there with 8 different recruitment agents. You have to look at your CV as an asset. It sets you out from the crowd and sells your abilities to a potential employer. If you put your house on with loads of agents, it can come across as a bit desperate (I use that word reluctantly by the way), and its the same with your CV. You will end up getting sent to all the same companies and each hiring manager will see your CV several times from all the different agencies and it can get a little embarassing in the end. The major problem with this comes when a recruiter will get hold of your CV and send you out to literally every single company in town. They will then be setting up interviews for you for jobs or locations you don't even want and at salaries well below what you can afford. And when you tell them you don't want to go for the interviews, it leaves the prospective employer with a less than rosy opinion of you.

My advice would be to register with 1 agency for 1-2 weeks and then re-assess the situation. Any good recruiter will be able to come up with some options within this time or advice as to the best next stage. And you won't get the feeling that you are being chucked around the job market like a slab of meat. If somebody registers with me alone for a couple of weeks I can almost guarantee a job.

Its a bit of catch 22 for those looking for interviews when they are not in the country. And if you are not arriving for several months, the jobs currently available probably won't be by the time you get there. From my experience, when I have had Kiwis coming to the UK I have been able to set up telephone interviews, or book face to face interviews up before hand, ready for when they arrive in the country. Unfortunately, companies won't employ somebody on the basis of a telephone interview alone so you really need to get out there on a reccy.

Finally...and I know I have been going on a bit...I just want to tell you what a good recruiter should offer. They should be keen and committed to finding you the right job, give you all the info you could possibly want on a job (not just "I'm waiting for a job spec") and keep you informed at every stage. They should be able to help you with CV design and interview tips. They shouldn't just toss your CV around the whole city, only call you if they have an interview and mis-inform you at every stage.

I'm not going to mention who I will be working for in NZ because I don't want people to think this post was just an advert for them! haha But what I would say is that you should call a few agencies, judge how you feel about each one and then pick one to register with on a sole basis for a couple of weeks.

Good luck with it...and post back if you have any other questions at all about recruitment.

Cheers

Bobby J.