Jobs advertised with multiple agencies?

[MEgirl]

I'm looking for a job in IT and many times find the same job advertised with multiple agencies. Is it okay to apply more than once in the hope that at least one of the agencies will pass my CV along or is it too risky?

If you were hiring and saw the same CV come across your desk from two different agencies, what would you think?

[karalime]

I may be wrong but a decent agency would contact you about the job and tell you which company it was with before sending your CV over to them, so what you describe should not happen.

So if it were to happen it would reflect badly on the agency not you as they should not be forwarding candidates CVs without their permission.

[HeyCat]

If you get the same CV from several different agencies it can look a bit desperate, apparently. I was advised to tell each agency they can only forward a cv with your permission, so you can keep track of which cv goes where.

[MEgirl]

Thanks for that. Am I not giving my permission purely based on the fact that I've applied? I have wondered how they work as many of the adverts don't give much detail and I've actually passed on a few jobs due to the lack of information. Do they all do phone interviews before forwarding CVs? The last time I applied for a job was quite a while ago so the process is new to me.

The question still stands though, albeit in a slightly different context. If I apply through more than one agency and they both call, would they be annoyed that I had tried more than once or would they understand that I'm trying to improve my chances of being selected?

[prh47bridge]

A recruitment agency is unlikely to forward your CV without talking to you first. Most recruitment ads in IT don't mention the actual employer so the agency needs to be sure that you are happy for your application to go forward once you know who the employer is. It won't necessarily be a formal phone interview - more likely just an informal chat during which they will usually tell you more about the job.

If an agency calls you and it turns out you have already spoken to another agency about the vacancy you must tell them immediately. If you don't it could end up with the employer receiving two copies of your CV which will pretty much rule you out - the employer won't want to risk having to pay two agencies for recruiting one individual.

The problem you may have is that, once you've told an agency that they can't take your application any further because you've already spoken to another agency about the vacancy, they may feel you have wasted their time. That is unlikely to make an immediate difference but, if you stop the same agency two or three times, they may discount you if you apply for further roles through that agency.

[MEgirl]

Thank you. I have a much clearer way forward now. There is a particular job that I've been put forward for. The agency kept coming back to me with more information as the employer fed it to them. I've since seen what I think is the same job advertised in at least 3 other places with the relevant information. Not sure why the first agency wasn't given all the information to start with.

The current method of recruiting is very different to when I previously searched for a job and a full job description was given from the beginning.

[EBearhug]

When I've gone for IT jobs, the recruitment agent usually asks that if I hear of it through other sources, to say that I am already been represented. This will be so they get all the commission if I get the job - but also, if I were the hiring manager, I would only one to see one application from one applicant, and if I realised there was more than one, i'd probably feel a bit miffed. There's enough to look through when recruiting, without duplicating effort.