Recruitment Agencies – getting the best results
I am regularly asked about recruitment agencies with particular focus on “BEST”.
Who are the best agencies?
There are very good agencies in Ireland and very bad agencies. To complicate things further there are some bad consultants in the good agencies and good consultants in the bad agencies. With this in mind it is more important for you to find a relevant agency (see below for information on how to find an agency for your skills) and a good recruitment consultant rather than a good agency. How do you find these? You can ask friends and colleagues who they have used and more importantly found good. Recommendation is the best way to locate good consultants. If you have no network it is then the old reliable – trial and error. I can recommend agencies such as www.edenrecruitment.ie but I cannot stand by your experience because of the above points.
How do you get the best out of agencies?
Find a relevant agency – It is important to identify agencies that specialise in recruiting in your field. No point registering with financial and accountancy specialists when you work in sales. One way to identify relevant agencies is by searching on job boards such as www.employireland.ie and this will show you what agencies have jobs suitable for you.
Build a relationship with the recruiter – Ideally meet your consultant. If this is not possible at least stay in touch but don’t stalk. Staying in touch shoe that you are still available for work making life easier for the consultant
Know what you want – Be clear about what you want. Recruitment consultants do not offer career advice. They place people in jobs and do not help them decide what career path they should choose. With this in mind be careful what advice you get from consultants as they have an agenda and a job to fill – how impartial is their advice.
Manage your expectation – Recruitment agencies provide you with a free service so you should expect what you pay for. The biggest complaints from jobseekers about agencies revolve around the service level BUT jobseekers do not pay. Expect nothing so anything more than this is a bonus.
Tags: Eden Recruitment, EmployIreland, Job Hunting, Recruitment Agencies, Recruitment Consultants, Strategies
February 10th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
[...] I help clients to assess and select applicants BUT I do not help them attract or source candidates. I am often asked what agencies I recommend. I have many great contacts in the industry but I tend to let clients make their own decisions. The advice I give to clients is somewhat similar to that that is given to jobseekers. [...]
February 10th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
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