Sorry for the absence, I have out and about in the UK doing careers surgeries. One thing I was frequently asked was how to use recruitment agencies.
In the current climate finding a job can be really tough, especially for recent graduates or if you are returning to work after being made redundant or having time off for any other reason.
Recruitment agencies can be useful in your job search as they are used by companies directly, sometimes before they are even advertise positions externally. Agencies are a common and effective way of attracting good-quality candidates for the company, saving them time in looking through all the applications.
They can also give you heads up on new positions, provide you with access to contacts, temporary and permanent work and are available at different levels, from graduate to executive level. They are experts in their field and occasionally can provide you with an idea from the left field which might lead you into a new career.
Of course they are ultimately working for the company, since they pay the wages but they can, and do, work hard for the client too, since it is you who gets them the pay! There are many recruiters out there and if you don’t get on with the first one, try another until you do.
For a list of recruiters in the UK see:
http://www.rec.uk.com/home
One of the things to remember is that
they should never charge you for anything. If you are worried about ‘fake jobs’ and job scam websites, there was
this article over the weekend that gives some advice.
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