Is it pointless to chase up Rec Consultants after applying ?

[AvsFan]

I've been contracting for over a year now and one piece of advice I followed after reading up when I first started that that you need to sell yourself etc. (which was all sensible & good advice), and one particular thing I read was that you have to chase up rec agents after applying for a role if you have not heard from them. Get to the top of the pile and your name noticed & build good relationships etc.

What I've found however is that this isin't the reality in practice. Whenever I've applied for roles and not been contacted by agent on the same day, I've followed that up the following day with a phone call to the agent following the advice I read. On only one occasion have I ever managed to get hold of the agent (and then only to be told the role had been pulled), & on all the other occasions I have left a message whereupon the agent has never ever returned my call. Often I have called several times.

My feeling is that this therefore is a waste of time and if the agent doesn't contact you on the same day you posted your CV, then it's not worth chasing up as either:
the role never existed
the role has already been filled (albeit very quickly)
your CV didn't match up to the requirements

BTW, this isin't a post about why I'm not securing contracts as I have not been on the bench as yet and more often than not being contacted by agencies without applying for anything.
Moreover, the question is whether it is worth contacting agents to chase up if you haven't heard anything within 24 hrs after applying for an advertised post as per the original advice I read. My personal experience now is that it's a waste of time. Just wondered what others personal experience is ?

[SuPaStA]

I don't think its worth it - if I apply for a role and they don't contact me the same day then I presume I wasn't a good fit for it or I need to re-adjust my CV.

[cojak]

Yes.

[JoJoGabor]

I've never chased up an application by phone, they'll contact you if you're in the top 5 of their 200 applications. They won't want each applicant phoning up chasing them.

... and I've never had a problem finding a role

[eek]

I chase if I want the role. Don't chase if I won't.

But by chasing I ring once half an hour to an hour after sending my CV. Merely to ensure they have received it and using the excuse that Jobserve has been tulip in the past...

[I just need to test it]

Same as Eek for me.

Someone once reckoned their top tip for beating the resume robots was to add lots of keywords multiple times to the last page of their CV (in white ink, of course).

[cont123]

i think you are correct is saying this today only i try to call the agents but but couldn't get hold of any one also no point ins leaving voicemails .....

[northernladuk]

I chase if I want the role. Don't chase if I won't.

But by chasing I ring once half an hour to an hour after sending my CV. Merely to ensure they have received it and using the excuse that Jobserve has been tulip in the past...

Same for me. In all my years I have never gained anything by chasing an agent so I just don't bother now. If the unwanted me they will call. If it's dead in the water they won't. Me calling makes no difference at all.

[Project Monkey]

Same as Eek for me.

Someone once reckoned their top tip for beating the resume robots was to add lots of keywords multiple times to the last page of their CV (in white ink, of course).

Shhhh...

[Project Monkey]

i think you are correct is saying this today only i try to call the agents but but couldn't get hold of any one also no point ins leaving voicemails .....

In my experience, agents often work in pairs answering each other’s phones. The agent answering the phone will take your name and "just see if he/she's in", if they don't want to speak to you, they're out, if they do, they're in.

If you're unlucky and they're out, just say thanks very much and move on to the next application.