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The relationship between recruitment agents and contractors has always been stormy. Neither can do without the other, but there's no end to the tug-of-war. But could it ever be more than dog-eat-dog? After all, a footballer's agent will work tirelessly to achieve the best deal for the player, and an actor's agent will manage their client's rise from treading boards to Hollywood Boulevard's walk of fame. Many contractors conduct fulfilled careers with honest agents that openly discuss rates, percentages and renewals. But just as many, it seems, have serious gripes about the way business is sometimes conducted. Writing on the CUK bulletin board, one contractor with the pen name DimPrawn, put forward his opinion of how contractors relate to agents, "Clients are the supermarkets, agents are the slaughterhouses and we are the cattle." And agreeing with the commodity theme, Frankco, IT architect for a financial consultancy, said, "The empathy element is often missing in the agent-contractor relationship. That's not a very useful approach in the long run, for companies and contractors both." Surely agencies are missing a trick. If an agent could manage a small group of highly-respected, talented contractors, they could source high-paying opportunities and help attain the best positions their talent was capable of filling. The agent would take payment from the contractor not the client, and an agent would have a pool of loyal, exclusive talent. A distant utopian dream? Not so. One long-time recruitment agent has launched a talent management service for top-of-the-form game developers. 1 Game Agent's website says, "The leading actors in Hollywood or the world's top performers in the music or sports industry would not dream of showcasing their talents without the benefits of working with an experienced agent. How about you? Don't you think you would benefit?" David Smith, IT & Communications VP for the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), and brains behind 1 Game Agent, told Contractor UK it was "an opportunity to forge a new path." The model works well in the film industry, so there is no reason it can't work for games developers, he explains. But to make the idea an economic reality, Smith targets high earning individuals with potential in the £70-100K bracket. Those that have built a reputation and have a track record of successful games projects. "An agent will look after the stars in the game industry, game development talent, star games developers, star lead programmers," he says. However, there can be an element of confusion because nothing like this currently exists in the UK, and many rising stars are happy with the way recruitment currently operates. "I want to do the choosing. They must work with me exclusively," he says. Despite his excitement about 1 Game Agent's prospects, Smith doesn't believe the recruitment industry is about to treat all IT contractors like Wayne Rooney, even though he's aware many mainstream contractors are within the target earnings band. "There is a lot to overcome," he says, explaining how, legally, recruitment agents are not even allowed to take payment from candidates for securing a position but must charge the client. It is a well established mega-industry. 1 Game Agent, is not, therefore, a recruitment agent, but a talent agent. And yet Smith believes that if niche talent agents aim at the higher paid, rarer skills side of the IT market the benefits will become clear, and who knows what the industry might be like in ten or twenty years. "We want to promote trust and the long term," he says. Certainly many contractors like the idea of a career manger to look after marketing and public relations, and many have become disillusioned with traditional agencies. But appeasing the cynicism of oft-bitten contractors will be difficult. Bryan Pickard, SAS business analyst, said of such an agent, "I expect to be best man at their wedding, be godparent to their children, and they to mine. We will exchange birthday cards and Christmas gifts, and support each other when times get tough... of course, in the real world, it is nothing like this." And yet, as a model for contractor placement, Smith's ideas might suit the higher paid IT stars currently dulled by the numbers-game mentality of recruitment companies. Presently, the choice is recruitment agent or go it alone, and selling yourself is a risky business for even the most outgoing contractor. William Knight Aug 16, 2006 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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