To have an interview for a job when I don't know what the job is?

[Madmarchlockdown]

Contacted a recruitment consultant about a great job advertised in my industry.

She seems absolutely lovely and has come back to me and quickly scheduled me in for what I thought was a brief chat to see if I'm a good fit for the job. She hasn't told me what it is, I was just assuming it was quite confidential.

But I've just realised she's scheduled me for a proper formal interview with lots of forms to fill out! I'm slightly concerned - what if I'm absolutely wrong for the job and it's not suitable for me? Wouldn't I just be wasting her time? Is it normal nowadays to interview for a job if you don't know what it is? I've emailed to ask for clarity but now second guessing self - is it normal now to do it like this?

YABU - perfectly normal get on with it!
YANBU - you need to know what you might be getting into!

Is your industry known for secretive roles?

I think even the jobs where there is some degree of secrecy required they give you a bit of a clue. Can you ring her and ask for a bit of background so you are prepared?

Is the interview with her or with the hiring company?

Contacted a recruitment consultant about a great job advertised in my industry.

Why did you contact about the job if you don’t know what it is? How do you know it’s a great job?

You can’t interview for a job without being told what it is, it could be a complete waste of your time. Best case scenario would be a stressful ‘bluffing / guesswork’ situation during the interview.

It is common for headhunters / job adverts not to mention the employer by name until the candidate and employer have expressed interest, but they always tell you before interview!

I've done this before through recruiters - presumably if you saw it advertised and think it a great job you have some idea of what it actually is! I'd assume the forms will be part of getting you signed up with the agency, as even if this one doesn't work out they might have other opportunities for you. No harm in asking for clarification, but I wouldn't be put off by the paperwork.

MI5?

But you contacted her to start with, so you must have seen a job ad with details of the role? If not, ask for the job description so you can make sure you are prepared. Some recruitment agencies do place ads out there for jobs that don't exist just to get people on their books but it should become obvious pretty quickly if this is the case.

To echo a few other posters but the great job you've seen possibly does not exist, it is just a way to get new clients. The paperwork you've been sent is to sign you up to their books. Once you have done so, you will either be given details about the job or be told you're not suitable but they will be in touch if something similar does come up.

I loathe dealing with recruitment agents for this very reason, so few actually come through with anything.

what @sansucre said

Probably doesn’t exist
Once the RC has got you on their books they will ring round companies to tell them about this great person they have who is looking for a job.

Okay, this is all such good information, because bizarrely I have just realised that I haven't applied for a job a recruitment agency since I was temp-to-perming in the noughts. I've had them contact me about roles and also to help them head hunt.

Answers to questions - I freelance in a very niche UK industry with only six large corps (two of them are umbrella orgs) and lots of tiny indies - the job description is very specific in terms of area, title, job responsibilities and that it's one of the top six companies. I used to be in-house and reasonably senior but took a break after kids as it was too mental (both DH and I had crazy hours/schedules, not fair on kids etc)

@MuddleMoo yes it would be normal for recruiters not to say who the job is in the advert with if it's confidential (it's a one year contract, so if it was mat leave, they might not have announced that to clients yet, or if someone key is leaving and they need someone to hold the fort for a bit).

But, normally they phone you and say I have this job, do you want to know what it is, and obvs you say 'yes,' then they tell you as it's not the kind of industry where you could just swap in and out.

There only are two small recruitment agencies in this industry as it's so niche. It's not quite everyone knows everyone, but most key people know most key people. So you would absolutely definitely need to know the company and the job before you went for it, in case you know that you loathe the MD, or that their working practices don't suit you.

I would be really surprised if there was no job at all, but am so grateful people have suggested this, as it wouldn't even have crossed my mind! Absolutely crazy that people do this!

@Palavah

Is the interview with her or with the hiring company?

With her.

@sansucre

To echo a few other posters but the great job you've seen possibly does not exist, it is just a way to get new clients. The paperwork you've been sent is to sign you up to their books. Once you have done so, you will either be given details about the job or be told you're not suitable but they will be in touch if something similar does come up.

I loathe dealing with recruitment agents for this very reason, so few actually come through with anything.

This is so helpful. Recruiter is currently on leave, but I'm not signing up to anything until I hear what the job is. This is what used to be absolutely normal in my industry (because people do a lot of headhunting at a certain level) but since I've been out of the mainstream for five or six years (but working direct on freelance short projects) I wondered if something had changed.

It'll just be an interview with the woman at the recruitment agency

@Madmarchlockdown

I sincerely hope I am wrong about this and the recruiters who specialise in your industry don't operate like the ones I have always had the misfortune to be approached by. Fingers crossed!