Job seeking is the adult equivalent of sitting GCSE exams. It is a task that everybody dreads, but unfortunately it is inevitable. As with exams, you are as good as doomed to failure from the outset, without proper preparation.
Across all employment sectors, the basics are the same. Ensure that your CV is limited to 2 pages, write with the needs of the recruiter in mind and ensure that you have the correct keywords, which link your experience to your desired role, throughout the document. We've all read these pointers a hundred times, and we know the basics, however this doesn't make the whole process any less time-consuming. Especially when most successful job applications include a tailor-made CV and covering letter.
Unfortunately the process can be made even more difficult when certain recruitment agencies become involved. Many use unorthodox methods to attain job seeker CVs. Five of these methods are outlined here.
Recruitment agency tricks of the trade
1. Posting fictitious vacancies in order to collect CVs. Job seekers take the time to apply for these vacancies, believing that their application will be send on to an employer, when in fact their CV will be kept on file solely by the recruitment agent. Avoid this situation by ascertaining the name of employers to which you are applying via the agency.
2. Contacting a job seeker, the details for which they have obtained by buying in lists of data from job boards that sell it to them, with the promise of an ideal job vacancy. "But first" the recruitment agent will say "I need the name of your HR manager at your current/previous company. The employer for this vacancy needs references prior to interview". This is often a lie and the agent is actually collecting these details in order that they can approach your HR manager to fill the vacancy that you will soon be leaving.
3. When calling a job seeker out of the blue, again with the promise of the perfect role, they will engage in conversation and then ask "Did you work for Dave Smith at Company X?". This will be a made up name, they won't actually know anybody at Company X, but they pose this question in the hope that you will reply "No, I worked for Paul Smith". The agent then has a direct contact to approach at Company X to offer their services.
4. Agents will often ask the minimum salary, or rate if a contractor, that a job seeker is willing to accept from a potential employer. Job applicants should never disclose the minimum amount that they would accept, as this is more than likely the maximum you will ever receive from vacancies that you accept from that recruitment agent. Even if an employer is offering more than that rate, the difference will go into the pocket of the agent.
5. A trick that is particularly common in the IT contractor market is to ask the job seeker which organisations they have sent their CV to, in order that they don't duplicate their work. Some will even say that having your CV submitted twice for the same role will harm your chances of being taken forward for an interview (it won't). They are asking this so that they can contact those recruiters and put their other candidates forward for the position, thus increasing your competition for each of those applications.
By being aware of these tricks of the trade, a lot of time and effort can be saved in the hunt for a new vacancy. Certain recruitment agencies can be a useful resource, but it is an industry that is full of bad eggs. Ideally, when applying for a job you should do so directly to an employer or via a direct employer job board, which will not provide candidate details to 3rd party recruitment agents. This will save a lot of time on wasted applications for bogus jobs.
Andy Stevens, Marketing Manager for EmptyLemon. EmptyLemon is a direct employer IT job board. Website - http://www.emptylemon.co.uk/. Blog - http://blog.emptylemon.co.uk/.
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