The semi-truth about employment internet ads
Early on in my career, I worked for an employment agency, for about a minute.
In that minute, I learned some things that you might find interesting.
When you see an employment internet ad that displays an awesome job, after you stop salivating at the annual salary being offered, you will want to know who it is that you are about to apply with.
Is it a real company or an employment agency?
How are they different? Well, sometimes the larger companies will only work a Recruiting agency.
The, I-am-to-big-to-be-bothered-companies give the list of their openings to the recruiters and they are free to search for the best possible candidates to later present to them.
The agency absorbs all of the costs for this undertaking such as print or internet ads, staff members, and all of their office overheads. They work solely on a commission type basis.
If they place you within a company, they can collect a finder’s fee. This is how they make their living.
The recruiting or employment agency screens all eligible candidates, saving the company time and money. When all is said and done, the companies are left to interview only the best of the pre-screened.
These agencies are highly effective for those candidates trained in highly sought after career fields.
Working with employment agencies or recruiters is not necessarily a bad thing but the truth is that some (not all) of the jobs they post can be bogus (again, this is based on my own experiences).
They post an exciting, carrot dangling ad to get you to respond. These ads are usually the ones with the made in heavenbenefits and salary package.
They use these ads as anchors to get you to sign up with them. Once they retain your resume and contact information from your online application, it is like giving permission for them to hold on to it until there is a real job. When there is a real job that matches an employers’ needs to your qualifications, they can choose to submit your resume to these companies.
Recruiters and Employment agencies all work for fees. Not yours (you should never be paying an agency to find you a job).
The companies that will eventually hire you thru the agency will pay them a pre-set fee if you work out (usually after you are on the job in good standing for about 3-6 months).
These agencies want desperately to get you a job.
That is the only way they can make money.
Sometimes, if you have a really excellent recruiter, they will cold-call a company and try to solicit some action, based on a hot new candidate (you) that they have just recruited.
They earn their money when they sell you to the company. Then they hope and pray that the company takes the bait. Sometimes the company has is a job that might be opening up that they haven’t even listed yet or maybe they just won’t be able to stand to let the competition get their hands on a new highly qualified applicant.
The hope is that they can get you in for an interview. The rest will be up to you to make them want to hire you before the other guys do!
Be aware and be patient, if the recruiter route is what you choose, you might not get a call for quite a while. Right now there are more applicants than jobs. But keep following up with them. Following up with every job lead is what you should be doing anyway.
Also know that when you apply with agencies online. They may tell you that they have jobs available but in fact they are just padding their future eligible candidate files.
You never know. You might get lucky.
Sometimes working with a reputable agency pans out.
But if time is a factor for you, utilize it wisely.
Applying with a well known company is one way to assure that there is a real position open and your resume will be seen by their in house HR department and not sitting stagnant in an agency inbox.
Whew. I hope that I have now successfully given you the hot and cold standpoint on employment agencies and recruiters with equal measure. I can move on.
