La Fosse Associates - experiences?

[Disguised Contractor]

Read my post. I phoned her. I got the job. Had I not phoned her I wouldn't have.

Sincerely, I'm very pleased to hear that. Once or twice, I had some success in doing that, too, so it's not entirely without merit - but for me it was against such a background of almost universal discouragement that I discontinued the practice.

[Disguised Contractor]

Yes, off the top of my head, it's probably about 6.

In the last 20 years (and 10+ customers) I've rarely been without work when I've wanted it. Sometimes through agents and sometimes direct.

Two of the agents know exactly where I am (one due to him placing me this time), another 2 know I'm not currently available, and the last two will probably ring me in the next month to get updates.
The two who know where I am are also trying to organise a time to suit when a few of us can meet up for drinks.

What would you say is the supply:demand ratio for whatever it is you do? Could many others take your place? How small or large would you describe your fiefdom of expertise?

[KinooOrKinog]

So, I'm wondering if everybody is getting this treatment, or just me?

It's just you. They read some of your posts on here & lost the will to live.

[PerfectStorm]

After applying for their roles, only ever get an email to say I was unsuccessful in even getting to an interview.

I don't know why but the fact they email you for each and every rejection makes them look worse than the people who you hear nothing from

I also wonder who it is they actually invite to interviews because it sure as hell isn't me.

[ladymuck]

I have been chatting to Aaron at La Fosse this past week about a role a friend of mine saw on LinkedIn and forwarded to me. She has dealt with LF a few times and has had good experiences each time.

I emailed Aaron with my CV, stated I thought I could be a good match for the role and industry but that my rate was a bit higher than he'd pitched it at. He called me back the next day, we had a good and fairly up front chat about the role and its IR35 status and he's putting me forward for it.

So far, no issues at all.

[CheeseSlice]

When the market is dead you can always rely on La Fosse to have loads of contracts on the boards with fabulous day rates on offer. They're as fake as they come.

Had the rejection emails within a couple of hours of the ad appearing... "sorry but the job has been filled already" or similar.
I also had the "your CV wasn't a good match this time" when I've had a lottery ticket match.

Glad some people have had some good experience with them, but La Fosse are on my avoid list.

[PerfectStorm]

La Faux?

[hairymouse]

Slight hijack, but I guess this is as good a place as any...

What about Venturi? They seem to post two very similar roles up every day on jobserve but I rarely see anything else. They also ignore me relentlessly when I try to connect on Linked in

[ladymuck]

Slight hijack, but I guess this is as good a place as any...

What about Venturi? They seem to post two very similar roles up every day on jobserve but I rarely see anything else. They also ignore me relentlessly when I try to connect on Linked in

No idea, never heard of them

[BolshieBastard]

I'd be interested in fellow contractor's experiences of La Fosse Associates - specifically, the proportion of successful applications have they won through this agency?

I ask, because every single one of my applications that I apply through this agency always results in a polite email response, telling me that my application was received after the closing deadline (which incredibly must have been less than an hour after they posted it, because I sit on Jobserve for eight hours a day), or simply that "I've not been successful this time", with no other reason.

This is noticeably different to the feedback I get from other agencies, whereby (if the role is genuine), I will usually get considered by the agency, and am often fortunate enough to be put forward, if we both agree I stack up well against the job description, rate, travel, etc. This is because I don't apply for every role I can do, just the ones I feel a perfect fit for, and am confident I can win over a hostile ClientCo interview panel should things progress.

(Of course, the end-client will then take a week to review the submissions, another week to organise a telephone interview, another week to process those, another week to book a personal interview.... but I digress)

Now, I strongly suspect that, on the evidence I see, that in fact I may have actually been blacklisted by LF, because some years ago I declined to go to a booked personal interview, as I'd already won a role that same morning as the day for which the interview was booked. LF wanted me to go anyway, but I preferred to cancel as I considered it dishonest - I was no longer in the market. Maybe that wasn't my smartest move, with hindsight, but it was many years ago, I was younger, etc. (Any thoughts on the morality of that would be welcome, too.)

If I have indeed been blacklisted, I would prefer to know, simply so I can stop bothering them and wasting my time, and chalk it up to experience - they're not obligated to provide me with their services. I have asked them directly, and they have told me that I'm not blacklisted - however, the continual rejection by them alone for any and every role I apply for seems incongruous.

So, I'm wondering if everybody is getting this treatment, or just me?

Please can I ask you to keep your responses limited to actual facts and experiences - I have no strong feelings for or against LF personally, and certainly don't want to see anything defamatory about them (or agencies in general) written in any way.

Yes, you're clearly blackballed by them. It happens despite people here saying it doesnt.

Ive been blackballed twice in the past, one by an ex colleague who via the old boys network, got himself a senior manager position on the Aspire(?) DWP project years ago and proceeded to load former colleagues into junior and middle manager level roles. Agents were amazed I was being turned down for interview until one who wouldnt take no for an answer got one.

Second time was with the LTSB Group because I turned down their gracious offer of an extension and left on completion of the 3 month contract. Obviously they considered there was MOO (or is it the other way around, I forget now!)!

The best thing is not to bother applying for roles via this agency no matter how tempted you are to apply. Alternatively you can continue to apply via them and just become more disgruntled. Or one day you may strike lucky.

But there's some bollocks spouted on these boards: Oh, I always phone the agent before \ after and I got the job. Yeah, that's really hard to do every time when many agents have stopped giving out phone numbers for you to ring.

Oh, if you dig around you'll find the number. Yes, you might and when you phone you get the 'he \ she's on another call, can they phone you back?