Can I ask recruitment consultants a question?

[sleepychunky]

I don't have any contacts irl so here goes. I am leaving a job which I only started earlier this year. It wasn't the right fit for me and their expectations didn't match my reality. No hard feelings, but I'm now looking for another role. I found this job (the one I'm leaving) through a recruitment agency. The same agency is advertising a job I'm really interested in and would like to apply for. The problem is that it is exactly the same consultant handling this new job who placed me in my current role. So my question is, if you are a recruitment consultant, would you feel negatively towards me if I applied? And I know that my current employer has already been in touch with them (presumably to start the process around finding my replacement), so I don't know what they will have said about me that might influence things (to be clear, I didn't do anything bad). Basically how confidential are discussions and how much of what my current employer has told them would be shared with potential new employer? Would really like to apply but feel very awkward in this situation!

Indeed

@Nattalie18 said commission after 3 months

the op is on probation at 8 months. So therefore would know because @Nattalie18 would have expected commission 5 months ago!

I thought @Nattalie18 meant that she would have got the commission after 3 months as long as the OP was still there at that time irrespective of whether probation had been passed.

Go for it! They will be delighted to place you again

How rude! Honestly.

People on this thread have no idea how rec agencies work

why answer if you’re completely clueless?

No - @Nattalie18 can confirm but that isn’t how it generally works

Employers would have an incentive to extend probation then

Again not how it works

the commission 1 will be upon placement.

the next commission will be on the employee becoming permanent. Usually at 3 months. In the OP’s case, 8 months and still on probation.

So you think an employer would delay making someone permanent that they do highly rate and want to keep just to avoid commission 2??

where would be the logic in that.

so the employer does actually want to keep the placement and thinks they are ideal for the role, but risks pissing them off and confusing them by extending probation just to avoid paying the second commission to the recruitment agency

really?🤔

I would have thought it depends on the contract between the employer and the agency.

But anyway, OP - sorry it didn't work out at the new job. But these things happen (it happened to me but years and years ago when I was young). It feels awful but just put that one down to experience!

I'd expect the consultant to be disappointed that the last placement ended up not being a good fit for you - unless there is something specific prohibiting it in the original agency contract, they will be more than happy to put you forward for the other role.

Don’t be mean to me, it’s Xmas 🎄

I’m feeling sensitive atm 😢

It’s unlikey the hirer would have to pay money back to the agency after 8 months although i would offer a hefty reduction or even a free replacement to keep client happy.

no recruiter, no matter how good/experienced, can tell if a candidate is not going to perform
well once in post. Otherwise these situations would never happen. Sometimes it does happen and it’s nothing to be ashamed of OP! Humans make mistakes, we have all had jobs that weren’t a good fit.

As for recruiters being scum and only caring about commission? Its a hard job and a highly competitive industry. Most agencies only survive due to long term relationships with their clients. Its not about making a e bit of commission and caring about nothing else because the client would soon go elsewhere. Most recruiters want to do a good job and need repeat business or they would go bust!

Thanks all for your input. Yes, my probation was extended but without going into too many identifying details this was a them thing and not a me thing. A new role for the org with unrealistic expectations which weren't made clear at interview stage. But these viewpoints are all very useful and give me food for thought.

You don’t get the commission after 3 months it’s usually a 12 week rebate period from when a candidate starts so the recruitment agency have to refund a partial amount of the fee paid which tends to be on a sliding scale from when the person starts. This would then be taken off the amount of placement fees made by that recruiter for the relevant month so you have to make extra to make up the deficit to hit your targets.