Something new for contractors...

[AndreaG]

What (I think) makes a recruitment company great

Hello fellow contractors,

Instead, I’m looking for what you think makes a recruitment company great, little things they have done that have made your life easier, small services that make a huge difference and/or anything positive that has made you feel more comfortable in working with them.

Thanks,

Keith

Of all the many agencies I've used over the last 10 years, three stand out, for these reasons: Being upfront about the margin they are taking; Agreeing to pay me weekly (after I asked); At the point of negotiating the contract - just asking for what they need/ want (as opposed to asking pointless questions, chit-chat, etc.); Being easily accessible, before and after the contract is signed/ finalised - I had direct/ fixed names for the Agent, the person who deals with contact, finance/ payroll, etc. If I am late submitting my timesheet they will send me an email, so I don't miss out on my payment. Outside of my contract with them I asked them to provide a reference and they did so quickly and nicely. Their contract is electronic, making finalising it quick and easy. Quick to change the contract wording when I asked. Contacted the client before the end of the contract to confirm whether or not it would be extended. Fast tracked finalising the contract by not waiting until the results of the police check had come through - proof of me paying for/ submitting the check was sufficient. Keep in touch with me post-contract - occasional newsletters, any roles I might be suitable for/ interested in - without being pushy or inundating me with emails, calls, etc. Pre contract checks, questionnaires, etc. were negligible - and when present it was clear that this was at the specific request of the client. Nice/ pleasant (as opposed to overbearing/ pushy) telephone manner.
All three were small/ medium sized agencies, so this probably had something to do with it.

[Support Monkey]

On the subject of Rated People, a family friend paid £6k to a builder (he assumed it was a proper company) for some work and the builder vanished.
Rated People could not help, as they don't really do any checks they don't actually verify who the person is. Rated People is ultimately a lead generation site, they sell the leads on to tradesmen who may or may not be cowboys, he assumed that because the builder was on Rated People he was trustworthy.

The thing with agencies is that they are a necessary evil, if they have a role advertised which I am interested in then I am prepared to overlook a bad reputation.

Generally once you have been contracting for some time you have a gut feeling about whether an agency is legit. If there is a role advertised with Hays and I don't secure it and I leave a review "HAYS IZ DA WURST BAD AGENCY" how does that benefit or help anyone really? 90% of people may well have a positive experience but they will not post on the website. The 10% of complaints could be first time contractors that don't understand how to play the game.

Good experience with an agency is when there is a role advertised, agent understands the role and what the client is looking for, you get submitted and get an interview, agent gives you advice about the types of questions asked, you secure the role and you never really have to talk to the agent again. The chances are in a year or two when you are looking again that agent isn't with the same agency or even in that industry any more.

And you have just hit the nail on the head with this kind of review model.

For reasons I won't go into I have been researching the intruder alarm company ADT, now they get a very bad rap and very poor reviews (biggest supplier in the country with 220 thousand installs) and upon investigating further the reason being no one who's alarm is working would dream of going online and writing a review. because it's a fit and forget product much like agencies, get someone in the role and forget about them if its working its fine nothing more to say, however the moment they get a problem and they don't get the service they expect their straight in with the bad review

[PortSalutBoss]

Great points....

But surely working through an agency is no different to working through an umbrella company and they are reviewed are they not? e.g. allumbrellacompaniesareequal.com

Why's it different? Would bad ratings really put you off? If yes, would they need to do something special to win you over? or is having the right role enough for you not to look into the company/over look its issues.

Keith

[eek]

But surely working through an agency is no different to working through an umbrella company and they are reviewed are they not? e.g. allumbrellacompaniesareequal.com

Why's it different? Would bad ratings really put you off? If yes, would they need to do something special to win you over? or is having the right role enough for you not to look into the company/over look its issues.

Keith

Oh dear..... I really don't know where to begin here.......

[northernladuk]

But surely working through an agency is no different to working through an umbrella company and they are reviewed are they not? e.g. allumbrellacompaniesareequal.com

Why's it different? Would bad ratings really put you off? If yes, would they need to do something special to win you over? or is having the right role enough for you not to look into the company/over look its issues.

Keith

The fact you are employed by an umbrella but contracted to an agent makes them so different you can't compare. The whole model is different so different expectations, commitments etc. I'm pretty staggered by your comments. If you can't understand two fundamentally different things how can you hope to succeed??

[LondonManc]

But surely working through an agency is no different to working through an umbrella company and they are reviewed are they not? e.g. allumbrellacompaniesareequal.com

Why's it different? Would bad ratings really put you off? If yes, would they need to do something special to win you over? or is having the right role enough for you not to look into the company/over look its issues.

Keith

I pay an umbrella co; I don't pay an agency.

HTHBIDI

[northernladuk]

Oh dear..... I really don't know where to begin here.......

Indeed. That comment alone should kill this thread. Trying to discuss the solution any further with that level of understanding is just pointless.

[PortSalutBoss]

I pay an umbrella co; I don't pay an agency.

HTHBIDI

You pay a margin on top of your pay with an agency... So money is still involved you just don't see it coming out of your pocket.

So because you pay your umbrella your more inclined to be picky about which you use? & With agency your not really fussed as long as you have the right role?

[PortSalutBoss]

Oh dear..... I really don't know where to begin here.......

I'd love you to try...

[northernladuk]

You pay a margin on top of your pay with an agency... So money is still involved you just don't see it coming out of your pocket.

No you don't.