Question about job sites

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Anyone here has worked for a recruitment agency before?
Reason I'm asking is that during my job search on the major job sites, I can;t help but notice that alot of particular job ads are listed at a certain time particularly 18:05 and 21:02. Or jobs that are newly listed but have 300-400 applications?

Now, I'm only asking because I'm wondering if they are automatically "relisted" or are they bumped to the top. I find it annoying that I'm probably applying for a job that is probably like 4 weeks old or a job already filled thus wasting my time especially when finding a job is a job itself and time consuming! Of course I only know that some "newly" listed job ads are old because of the closing date.
I've being seeing a job ad from an IT firm every week for a whole year or even longer

What's everyones experience with using job sites on the internet? Did you find your job through sites like Monster, Reed etc?

ps. Since registering on totaljobs with my cv searchable, I get alot of spam regarding "job offers" and other things that are unrelated with jobs. Also I got a reply for a non existing job yesterday for a gumtree job ad I had applied to. The person used a Live email address; didn't address the email to me but with a generic "Dear Applicant"; no contacts details or company name and tried to get me to open a rar file

 

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I reckon about 75% of IT jobs posted are fakes. They're just designed to get information from candidates about suitability for other roles. I, personally, have never applied for a job - I've always had recruiters ring me.

 

You're better off adverting your CV on job sites for recruiters to view only and then the geniune ones would contact you with a job opening etc. Best wishes and most jobs advertised on job boards are just a means to get new CV's in.

Cheerio and best wishes

 

How do recruiters find you to contact you?

 

I'm registered with them.

 

Any particular ones you get good responses from?

 

It's my biggest hate about the industry is having to rely on agencies as for every good agency there are dozens of really bad ones. As pointed out by Zeb (though I wouldn't agree with the %) a lot of jobs advertised are just for them to get leads out of you so they can try to get work at places you have previously worked. They reel you in with a job and then start talking about your previous work and who the manager was etc so that they now have a company and contact to try and get work from and you never hear from them again. I got done like this inmy early part of my career and I'm embarrassed to say I got done not that long ago as well. In my area the good agencies who I've dealt with and do things by the book are Nigel Wright, NRG and Reed who tell you the client names and don't mess you around.

As for reposting I was told that it's automatic depending on how much time they have paid to advertise the job. This is used by agencies for legit means but also by the cowboys to datamine more people's CV's. For me it's a disgrace they get away with it but it's part of being a contractor these days.

The online job sites I'm a member of are jobserve, reed and jobsite.

 

I've started just immediately saying "What's the Salary?" because, that should iron out right away whether there is an actual job.

 

Then they usually ask, "what are you on now or what are you looking for?"

 

Thats another trick they do is to ask you how much you want or are on. They know how much the client is paying so they don't pass the saving onto the clients they just pocket the difference.

 

Some also find your profile from places like monster.com.

 

Monster actually seems to be the ONLY one I ever get any phone calls from. Well the only ones they mention, everyone else just says "I've seen your CV".

 

Here's Zeb's 'guide to dealing with arsehole recruiters'

#1 - Expect every call you get from them offering the chance to interview for a great new role to be fabricated toss.

#2 - Treat them as you would used-car salesmen, lawyers and estate agents.

#3 - First thing out of your mouth should be 'what's the salary'. If they umm and aah about it, tell them that without that information you aren't going to waste their time or yours.

#4 - If they aren't fishing for your information for their database of potential candidates, they're fishing for information about your current employer.

#5 - If they aren't willing to tell you the employer's name, treat the rest of the call with a heightened level of suspicion. Personally, I don't bother listening to the rest of the call if they don't.

#6 - Be especially wary of any company that calls you in 'for a competency test'. 99% of the time this is an agency looking to pad out their candidate lists and they don't actually have any real role to offer you.

#7 - They don't give a monkeys about you, your career prospects or your current employment. They ONLY care about their commission. Remember that, and treat every conversation you have with them as if you have it printed out on a piece of A3 in 72pt Arial Black.

#8 - Look for obvious signs that they are just looking to identify you as a potential candidate for future roles (competing technologies in the same role, asking whether you're competent in about a zillion different fields etc), rather than seeing if you would be a good fit for a specific role.

Of course, these are all just guidelines - above all, treat every call you receive from a recruiter you have never spoken to before with the suspicion it deserves.

 

It's not really agencies I deal with, more individuals. they may work for agencies, but - in common with most companies, there are good people and bad. If I've had a decent experience with one in the past, when I'm looking to move on I generally let them know a few weeks in advance and they start looking for things that they think might suit me. For instance - a while back I contracted for the same firm for a bit. Every six months the contract was renewed and I always got an increase in hourly rate with the agency - so I put them on the 'contact when looking for new roles' list.

 

So basically keep in touch with the ones that place you? and then let the ones that placed you know when you are looking for a move?

Sounds like good advice to me.

 

Once a recruiter has got you a position - stay in touch with them. The good ones are hard to find, but when you do they become essential in securing your next position. I'm on pretty good terms with a few in the NE, and I speak to them on a regular basis even when I'm not looking for work.

That way when a position does come up they will hopefully think of me first, sometimes even before it's advertised.

 

I've fallen for that too when I didn't know better. Now I'm more on my guard. Had a call recently from an agent who was fishing for information and making up bs to me.

Good advice Zeb. Thanks