To think this is unfair and that I wasn’t given a fair chance at my new job.

[Sunnysideup95]

Recently I started a new job at a recruitment agency, for what would have been my first proper job. I was interviewed for an office administration position. A few days later I received a call from them and they said the position has gone to somebody else but there is another department within the same agency who need an administrator and they could take me on.

On my first day I arrived and soon found out it wasn’t an office admin job but was to call up nursing staff and see if they were available to take a job in care home that the agency had on their lists. A lot of the times I was ringing up and they would say they are not available to work that day. I felt pressure as I was just given a list of names and contact numbers and had to ring anybody on the list. I had no training and nobody helped or really told me what I needed to be doing

A few days later I was called in to the office by office manager who said he had been listening to my calls and thinks I’m not right for the job. But I was never told what to say to the nursing staff on their lists and was just trying my best

Aibu to think this isn’t fair

I know a few people who work in recruitment , and I find them all to be of a certain ilk. Same with those in Sales/Marketing. They are all very assertive/confident and very good at banter/small talk and creating rapports with strangers /randoms. It's not a job I could do, because I am a bit more reserved. It would have been great if your employer gave you training, but maybe they wanted someone to hit the ground running, or perhaps they thought you were not a good fit for the role. I mean, you keep telling us that you applied for an admin role , doing paper work and you don't seem happy that they made you cold call people. Do you think this might be bc you know you are not very good at it and that your strengths lie elsewhere? If that's the case, this employer is merely agreeing with you. Admin work does involve calling people depending on the company. For example I have seen lots of admin jobs for plumbing /gas work companies where the job role includes having to call various engineers/plumbers for jobs. So admin work in some sectors would include cold calling to some extent. Even admins in gp surgeries have to cold call patients sometimes to get them to book smears/ diabetic reviews and they are not always met with friendly patients. I would just dust myself off and keep looking OP. This is not the job for you, but there will be one, you just need to keep applying. Good luck!

Ask for training and how to check the list of people's detail's, before ringing.

It’s not your fault OP and, having worked for one of the national recruitment agencies for a short time, I’d echo those that have described it as a lucky escape.

Bait and switch is a common tactic in agencies, in my experience as a recruiter and a candidate. It’s very unlikely that they had an open admin role, but knew that advertising for what they really wanted would get a very poor response.

For example I have seen lots of admin jobs for plumbing /gas work companies where the job role includes having to call various engineers/plumbers for jobs. So admin work in some sectors would include cold calling to some extent

One of the key differences here, though, is that those adverts were honest about that requirement (otherwise how would you know?!) AND it was a small part of the overall role. Neither seems to have been true for OP’s recent experience.

This is classic in the recruitment industry. I know of so many young grads who have fallen for this. They accept what sounds like an interesting admin role learning the ropes and end up shut up in an office on their own cold calling for hours on end.

i guess a few people might thrive on this but a lot of people struggle. Its awful and abusive and the best thing anyone can do is get out of there ASAP.

Register with a temp agency and get some experience working in different companies to get experience on your CV and a sense of atmosphere and ethos. When you find an environment that works for you try looking for a permanent role there.

Your husband sounds like a selfish and arrogant human tbh.

As others have said this is his last act to his children. Regardless of if they can/will have any contact ever again. They should all get an equal share in will.

If he does this I would adjust my Will
accordingly to protect my child.

Yes, it's unfair. Even the most basic of roles at a decent company involve training. You clearly weren't given enough information on what the role entailed, or given any guidance. For any new job this is poor practice, for your first job it must have a nightmare.

If you're looking to work in an office/admin role, I'd look at an apprenticeship or the Civil service. You'll get training and experience.

It didn't work out because they were poorly run, not because you were hopeless. You obviously impressed enough at interview for them to offer you the job. Move on and put it behind you & good luck in your next job, which I hope will be a much better experience.

I went for an interview at a recruitment company once and as part of the interview process they put me on the phone to IT professional contractors to do something similar. I was 21, had never had a job outside of working in retail and they gave me no training or context. It was the most stressful and unpleasant 30 minutes of my life, absolutely excruciating. Obviously they told me I wasn't right for the job, no shit sherlock! You dodged a bullet

What did she say when you asked where that information is held/how were you supposed to know that so you don't do it again?

It’s disappointing how it panned out but honestly I’d be relieved to be out of there. Onwards and upwards.

I work in recruitment, sadly these types of cowboy firms still exist and there is little
that can be done about it. YANBU but I agree you have dodged a bullet. If you want to work in recruitment there are loads of other firms who do it better.

If they can't be bothered to train their staff they will have similar problems with future candidates surely? I hope you find something better that does sound like a bad company to work for

Most Recruitment companies hiring policy seems to be employ anyone who applies, chuck them in at the deep end and keep any who don’t sink.
Ironic really

Don't take it personally, sounds like the company is utterly shit and badly managed, probably part of the reason why you got so many NOs.

You really had a lucky escape there . Bait and switch, lack of training, being laughed at and laughed at instead of supported. You deserve better than this.

Can't believe the responses from people proud that they'd put up with this treatment and get on with it. Just demonstrates why shit employers get away with being shit. OP you can do so much better.

What exactly did you think admin in a recruitment company would be? That sounds completely like an admin job, and I suspect its not that you didn't persuade them to take the job but that you didn't get info out of them as to when they would be avaliable and what there skills are so that next time you don't have to call everyone on the list.

Everything should be stored on a database to ensure it is kept confidential. There are no bits of paper to shuffle (and most places have a no print policy these days).

It sounds like an awful job, OP. You do not want to end up stuck in a job like that, with no training or support. Maybe the woman quitting the role thought it would be a foot in the door to becoming a recruitment consultant, but clearly not, or she wouldn’t be so sour grapes about it and might actually be helpful. It’s just the role of trying to flog the work the agency knows nobody on its books wants to do. They clearly do not work in the interests of their clients or their employees.

It's the op's first job

You haven't done anything wrong. Ypu weren't trained for the role and you should have been. It sounds like they expected you to bully people to work. And we're not willing to train, guide or support you. I personally would not want that job.

Recruitment people can be unbelievably pushy, it’s really a sales job, and these take a particular type of person / range of skills. I think you were treated really badly, but you should be relieved you don’t have to work there any longer.

Then why wasn't the nurse who was travelling to Australia flagged anywhere?

This kind of work needs real training. I used to do a cold calling job and I had two weeks of training, and shadowing staff. It’s not fair, OP, and it’s not def not an admin job. Good luck with the next step.

Thank you everyone for taking time to comment.

Time to start looking for something new

It seems I have dodged a bullet as a lot of reviews from people on their lists say they are an untrustworthy company and there has been lots of issues around them paying the temp staff etc

There was one comment from somebody who said they were being made to work shifts that didn’t suit them and then if they didn’t do it they would not be contacted again

@AngryGreasedSantaCatcus

Some recruitment agencies are incredibly professional and well run.

Others (particularly at the lower paid end of the job market like catering and care) are the Wild West -run by cowboys who don't give a shit about procedures and protocol but who are very good at fast talking people into low paid jobs at a moments notice. They aren't going to waste time in training or record keeping because that doesn't earn commission. They won't care about reputation because even on the management side, staff turnover will be so high that no one will remember in a months time what agency it was that misinformed them.