Awful recruitment agency or am I just too sensitive 😢

[user1471867483]

I am currently unemployed and I registered with a particular recruitment agency just before Christmas. I either text or email this recruiter to 'check in' and let him know my availability about every week. He hasn't done much to find me work, but Monday he contacted me about a role for two months. I told him I can only work to 4pm each day (due to new personal commitments) and said I can start the role in a week's time. Like I said, I've waited 4 months for work from him! He told me he'd put me forward for that role and "I'll work my magic" regarding my leave time each day and start date, he said. Ten minutes later, I emailed asking for the job description (which I think they have to provide?) and reaffirmed my start date and 4pm finish time (I like we everything in writing). In the meantime he never emailed me the job description and I never heard back from him until yesterday. I signed on yesterday late afternoon and by the time I got home, he had left a voicemail at the time I was signing on, asking me to call him. It got a little late and I emailed to say I'd call him the next morning. I rang him this morning and was met with a very abrupt recruiter. He argued with me saying that when he rings me he expects me to pick up my phone right away and speak. I told him I'm a very busy woman with many interviews. I reminded him he told me he'd work his magic and he said jobs move quick and I need to work quick with him. He told me the job has now gone and I said, "Well, it wasn't to be". I told him I needed everything put in writing too including the job desc but he went on and on basically making me feel guilty and argued saying my name about four times like he was arguing with his gf or something. His voice rose and he wouldn't stop arguing. I can come and go as I please? I felt controlled. Am I wrong? There wasn't any respect for me at all.

I think you're probably both unreasonable. His attitude at the end was appalling. But, your comment about him doing not much to help you and that he hadn't found you anything don't put you in a good light. How do you know he hasn't done much? The fact you are still looking should tell you that you and other agencies also haven't found you anything. Have you not done much either?

The way he spoke to you was wrong but he kind of has a point about keeping your phone on you. If you're actively looking and are on benefits to support you in the meantime, you really should be doing everything in your power to get a job which includes being ready to answer the phone.

I've dropped this agency. Never experienced anything like it ever.

He was rude, but you aren’t exactly making it easy. You could have phoned him in the time it took to email. Considering you are unemployed and can only work until 4pm you need to be more proactive in replying

He sounds rather odd, but you sound like you don't really want the work that much either. Companies use temps at massively inflated costs because they want quick solutions. You knew that there was something in the pipeline, why didn't you just answer your phone or call back straight away?

You really need to think about how recruitment agencies make their money. The employers are the customer. You are effectively the product. As things stand, you're making yourself a product that is relatively hard to shift.

Unemployment is relatively high right now, so the agency won't have a shortage of temps on their books. If you make it difficult for them to place you, they will eventually decide to just focus on the people who are actually going to make them some money.

He was rude, but I'm also unsure why you want the JD for a job role that went to someone else and you were no longer being put forward for??? I too would have cut ties with them.

What degree/area/skills/experience do you have? We might have some suggestions of better agencies or other job ideas for you.

I couldn't call him as I was waiting to be interviewed for a job and it got too late.

You said in your OP that you were at the job centre, signing on. Now you're saying you were at a job interview. Which was it?

You say he hasn’t done much to find you work. That’s because that’s not his job. He works for employers to find people that they need. He doesn’t work for candidates to find them jobs.

A two month temp role absolutely does not have to have a job description provided. I never saw one for any short-term temp jobs that I did.

It’s totally understandable that you can’t answer the phone every time he calls. But you need to understand that if he needs to fill a temp job urgently, he will just call others until he finds someone who does respond.

It sounds like he was rude and argumentative, and there’s no need for that. But I can see why he became frustrated with you. You sound like you really want to work yet you are not picking up
when he calls, and you are telling him to put everything in writing when he is probably thinking that he doesn’t have time for that (and may not even have the information that you are requesting). My advice to you would be to learn how to work with a recruitment agency and you might find that things go better in future.

The interview was immediately after signing on. Anyway, I've dropped the agency now. I'm not putting up with that. I'm not being harassed.

He was perhaps rude however he is correct in that jobs do move quickly. Especially temp roles. I always find people who are out of work and apparently looking for work but then tread their feet and delay returning calls as if they’re the only one in the mix rather odd.

As someone else has mentioned it seems you may have misunderstood his job. He works for the client to find someone for them, it’s not his job to find work for you. If he gets a brief for a role and your CV happens to fit into the pool of relevant candidates he has on file then he’ll give you a call but if you don’t pick up or engage quickly then one of the other 15 people he’s calling will.

Sounds like he was rude but probably because he was frustrated. Recruitment agencies work for the employer, not the candidate. They get paid to place people so ultimately his ‘loyalty’ for want of a better word and best efforts are to the folks who pay him.

If you are unemployed then only being able to work til 4 isn't going to find you a job. Terms like that come along once you've been in work for a while.

It doesn’t sound like you wanted to work, why call the next day.

You should have taken his call - and being defensive was very unprofessional of you. He may well warn other agencies that you're tricky to deal with.

Why can you only work until 4pm? Sounds like your restraints are the reason you haven't found work.

For someone unemployed your terms of leaving at 4pm seem ambitious.

Too late for whom? If you’re with other agencies, please be reassured that they keep out of normal working hours because they know people often need to speak after/before work.

Although I suspect it was too late for you - was it after 4pm?

I am certain the job centre would have been only too happy for you to answer a call from a recruiter while you were signing on.

PPs are right. Jobs move quickly, especially temp jobs. If you don’t answer then he’ll be confirming interview times with one of the other 10 CVs that match.

Hope you get good news from the interview, anyway.

If the no working after 4 is due to childcare, could you get afterschool club?

I agree with those who have said you appear to have misunderstood his role. He isn't there to find you a job he's there to find a candidate for his client.

Whilst he was perhaps unprofessional in his tone on the call he's probably exasperated that you seem to be putting in so many obstacles (can't take calls, can't work after 4pm, want everything in writing). I suspect he's probably quite relieved you have dropped his agency and he's probably informed other agencies of your seemingly ambivalent attitude towards accepting any work.

This is a job OP, it’s not a hobby you are signing up to. The agency are tasked with finding candidates for the employer, they aren’t working for you. You sound defensive and a bit entitled. While his behaviour wasn’t great, your response isn’t either. Finishing at 4 isn’t ideal in the temp world.

When you sign up with an agency for work, they don't know you at all. They might have your cv and they might have had an introductory phone call, but anything after that is relationship building. If they offer you work, they may well have offered the same work to others, and it is the person who responds most promptly and with the least fuss who will seal the deal.
Demanding a job description in writing is not going to help. They are not going to send that to someone who has not yet committed. Yes, circular, I know.

You seem to have misunderstood how agencies work. They are not a supermarket shelf choice of jobs that you can size up, pick up, put back if you don't fancy it. . They are working flat out to help you, because in their business model that will help themselves. The more work you accept from them, the more they will know and trust you, and come up with more tailored suggestions each time.

Your responses this time have possibly not helped to build up to that relationship. There will be other people who will bite their hands off for 2 months' of ANY work, so I expect you might now be bumped down their list..

He shouldn’t have been rude

presumabky, this was a temp
role? you can’t always expect a job description. Go with the flow a bit more.

leaving at 4pm is likely going to rule you out unless the company is super flexible

the reason the agency hadnt found you a job is because the economy is fucked.

He does sound very rude but I agree with others: it’s an absolutely cut throat job market at the moment and leaving hours before responding is just going to count you out for many roles, particularly given the fact you can’t work past 4pm.

There will be times you can’t jump as quickly as you need to inevitably and that’s life but I think you need a bit of a wake up call about what the environment is like. If you’re not available then they will just go to someone else.

Ultimately his brief is to fill the role not to find you the perfect job and if you make it harder for him than it needs to be you’re not helping yourself.

I think he was very rude especially the way he nagged you by name, I can picture it. "But, Jane, when I call you, you need to pick up. The job has gone, Jane" etc. Ugh.

However, I also think it was a misstep to email him to say you'd call back the next day. You should have called immediately.

You don't need to like the man. You just need to get a job

I've waited 4 months for work from him!

This won't have been his "fault" as such, it'll be because you weren't suitable for any of the positions he had.

I think a quick way to open up more options is to be more flexible with your availability. Why can't you do after 4pm? We might have ideas for solutions?

He sounds very rude and unprofessional. You likely were a credible candidate so he took out not getting commission on you. He could have emailed. You are getting job interviews, so hopefully you will get something soon.

I also assume you were the last interview if the day - so 'too late' means after the recruitment company has closed for the day at 5/6pm?

Good luck in your job hunt.