Have any temp/contract workers had phone calls like this?

You submit your CV for a job on the web, a "consultant" rings you up.
After a brief preamble about the "job" they want to put you forward
for the "consultant" then starts going backwards through your CV
asking for the name of:
"Who did you work under there?"
"What was the name of your manager?"
"Can you give me reference at that company?"
If you query their queries it's:
"I have to ask this on behalf of our client as we have a Service
Level
Agreement with them"
Obviously the caller is only interested in what they can get out of
you for their own canvassing, so that he/she can ring these new
contacts (that you have generously provided) and give them a sales
pitch on the agency services.


This has several effects:
1) If I give genuine names for my refs and managers they get plagued
with agency phone calls canvassing for business.
2) The caller had no intention of putting me forward for a job
3) My time is wasted (and worse if I made and paid for the phone
call)

Question is how do we react to these cowboys? Go along with it and be
a sucker? Or hang up saying "Take my name & CV off your database" and
reduce your chances of getting a job?

I can name the agency if anyone is interested, they tried the same
stunt twice in two months, so much for their own record-keeping, with
the second call I saw it a mile off and gave them false referee-
names,


Gissajob

wrote in message 
news:1188980366.175470.38100@o80g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> Have any temp/contract workers had phone calls like this?

Eh?? They've all been doing it like this for decades. Of course we've all 
had plenty of calls like that.

> Question is how do we react to these cowboys?

It doesn't really matter, as there's no job, so you can say what you like. 
The polite version a lot of us use is "I only give references to clients at 
interview". This won't get you the job ... but then there wasn't a job 
anyway, so *nothing* you say will get you the job.

-- 
Tim Ward - posting as an individual unless otherwise clear
Brett Ward Limited - www.brettward.co.uk
Cambridge Accommodation Notice Board - www.brettward.co.uk/canb
Cambridge City Councillor

In article ,
googlenospam@hotmail.co.uk  writes
>Have any temp/contract workers had phone calls like this?

All of us, eventually.

>You submit your CV for a job on the web, a "consultant" rings you up.
>After a brief preamble about the "job" they want to put you forward
>for the "consultant" then starts going backwards through your CV
>asking for the name of:
>"Who did you work under there?"
>"What was the name of your manager?"

They are gathering leads.  This happens:

a) in the first couple of weeks of January (all fired up with
enthusiasm);
b) toward the end of March (nobody recruiting until new financial year);
c) when the agents come back from holiday (and have a credit card to
clear).

They are trying to populate the contacts database so they can have lots
of people to ring up during the quiet times.

I have had agents from relatively reputable agencies do it.  If you
'blacklist' them, you will eventually end up dealing with no agencies.

>"Can you give me reference at that company?"
>If you query their queries it's:
>"I have to ask this on behalf of our client as we have a Service
>Level
>Agreement with them"

Lies.  ALWAYS lies.  There isn't a company out there willing to put that
much effort into their recruitment process that they will check
references prior to selecting a candidate.  What is the point for them?
There isn't one so they don't do it.  Dammit, very few companies (public
sector too) will inform you if you don't get the job at interview these
days, they just leave you hanging on.  So they're not likely to spend
hours chasing references for 200 applicants prior to shortlisting for
interview.

>Obviously the caller is only interested in what they can get out of
>you for their own canvassing, so that he/she can ring these new
>contacts (that you have generously provided) and give them a sales
>pitch on the agency services.

Correct.  And you end up with no reference when you need one because
your contact gets cross with you for giving out their details.

Even worse is when they phone your current line manager, tell them you
are actively seeking work and start sending CVs for replacements for
you.  They get commission for replacing you but you end up on the street
with no job to go to wondering what happened.

>Question is how do we react to these cowboys?

"I only provide references at or after interview."
"Client confidentiality prevents me from doing so."
"I have been asked by my referees to stop giving out their details to
agencies unless I have a job offer."
"Only after you tell me the client details."
"No."

Oh, and beware.  I have been invited to an interview ("I'll email the
precise details, company name, map, etc.") have forwarded my referees
then gone out and bought the beer and given up work-seeking for the day.
Two thumb-twiddling days later I'm chasing details and been told "Oh,
um, it's on hold" and heard nothing more.  They will lie and lie and lie
to get this information from you.

I had quite an interesting chat with a numpty at Aggressive Recruitment
a few months ago about this.  She was absolutely adamant one always has
to give these details for management jobs prior to interview and that it
is normal for them not to reveal who the client is.  She went on and on
about how it is the correct procedure and they only ever work this way.
She only packed it in when I pointed out that I was already dealing with
a colleague from her office that does not work this way.  Rumbled!  So,
they will be quite forceful trying to get this information from you.

> Go along with it and be
>a sucker?

If you do it will be followed by:

"I cannot tell you who the client is at this time" and "so you must tell
me of any jobs you want to apply for so we make sure you are not put
forward twice."  Staff at both REC and ATSCo registered agencies will do
this (I have records to prove it) so don't take those as any sign of
different behaviour.

> Or hang up saying "Take my name & CV off your database" and
>reduce your chances of getting a job?

If you are one of the few that can maintain contract employment without
using an agency, then go for it!  You will be wealthier and happier.

>I can name the agency if anyone is interested,

I could give you a list.  Just assume they all do it.  A given agent
will get upset at the accusation then you'll get a call from a colleague
of theirs doing just that.  There are actually a few decent agents out
there some of whom work with utter gitbags.  Try to maintain a list of
'good agents' rather than 'bad agencies'.  There's much less work
involved!

> they tried the same
>stunt twice in two months, so much for their own record-keeping, with
>the second call I saw it a mile off and gave them false referee-
>names,

I have never had the guts to do it but some people give out their other
mobile phone number and then wait for agent to ring on it.  I have also
known people to have an arrangement with a colleague to reciprocate
'references' specifically to catch this behaviour.  I am assured it is
great fun to have the agent call seconds after you hang up wanting to
find vacancies but it just seems like catching dung-flies to me.

>Gissajob
Nah, you gogettajob  :-)


-- 
Sent from Simon Reed .
Use the Reply-To address to reply.

"Simon Reed"  wrote
>
>>Question is how do we react to these cowboys?

Just give the names and phone numbers of your previous agency contacts as 
referees. Then they can ring each other up...