Seeking your advice (again - lol)

Discussion in 'Employment & Jobs' started by Leehaa, Feb 26, 2008.

  1. Leehaa

    Leehaa Gigabyte Poster

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    Hey,

    Been getting a bit down of late with interviews...

    I've had 3 in the last month-

    ...one where I turned down the second interview because the company was smaller than mine (4 people) and in the interview, they basically said how stressful the role would be and how we'd have to arrange time off between us all, can't have too many days off sick etc etc....all this in the first interview - would anyone want to go to a second one after that?? Lol!

    ...another seemed great - started off bad because I had to call them to delay it (customers email had gone down and I had to solve the issue before I could leave work)...
    They seemed fine about it, and it felt like it went really well...but the agency I went through never got back to me despite me leaving 3 answerphone messages (two a week or so later, and another one 5 weeks later - 2 days ago) + 3 emails in-between - how rude??!? So yesterday I sent an email direct to the company's HR department - very polite, asking for some feedback because for some reason I can't get hold of the man from the agency I went through 8) ...hopefully they will come back with something...


    ...then had another last week - again went well, but they kept saying that they were concerned that it was junior and I was too technical - how long would I be there before I was itching to move onto something else etc etc...but it seemed to go ok....
    I emailed the agency for that one yesterday and the lady got back straight away - said that although a strong candidate, they didn't feel I had enough experience talking to third party companies....bit odd after what they'd been saying, but fair enough, and again, how rude of the agency to get back like that....


    ...Have been head hunted by another company who seem great and the job seems too good to be true, but they've gone silent too now that i've sent the application (which took an age to fill in) in (it's only been a day since I emailed them, but still it seems a bit odd, as no acknowledgement from them)...


    How do you guys who've been through this type of thing keep plodding through it all? It's starting to really drag me down as all this chasing takes up a lot of time / energy and, as you know my current job isn't exactly relaxing...


    Gonna take a week off to chill / paint our new house asap, but not really sure how to cope once that's over...my friend suggested quiting current job and temping whilst looking for a proper one, but I'm worried that'll be just as stressful as the one thing I do love about my current job is it guarantees i'll pay my mortgage!! :biggrin

    Cheers
     
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  2. JohnBradbury

    JohnBradbury Kilobyte Poster

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    You never get used to the way agents operate. Whilst I have come across the odd one who actually acts like a human being the vast majority are bottom feeding scum.

    Things are a little tight in the industry right now but things will improve. I've spend the early part of this year out of work but recently had three offers come along at once.

    Come late March you'll see the job market pick up again.
     
  3. sunn

    sunn Gigabyte Poster

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    A couple of things:
    I find the slowest times in the hiring year are the first and last quarter of the calendar year. The first quarter is when the budgets are being released and managers are trying to figure things out. The last quarter is when things tend to slow down and managers don’t want ‘new blood’ to pick up bad habits (December habits aren’t always good :unsure ). Obviously there are exceptions and this is only my opinion.

    About quitting your current job – DON”T DO IT!!! :noway
    You are never as valuable when you’re unemployed. It sends a bad message. Why will a manager want someone who is unemployed? Potential problems with this candidate?
     
  4. Mitzs
    Honorary Member

    Mitzs Ducktape Goddess

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    I don't know how things work over there so I'm just gonna ask some questions.

    Do you really need to go though agency? Can't you pick up an application on your way home from work or during lunch or have someone that can do it for you?

    I went though one here once and would never do it again. You don't receive the full pay, they have to make a living too. More important then that you don't recevie any kind of benifits health or otherwise while though a agency. Plus if you do it yourself, you should hear from the company yourself and not have to wait on others to get back to you. Like I said though. I don't know how things are done over there.
     
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  5. Mitzs
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    Mitzs Ducktape Goddess

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    I agree with sunn, don't walk from your job yet. Unless you just can not take it anymore.
     
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  6. Stoney

    Stoney Megabyte Poster

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    Hey Mitz,

    In the UK a recruitment agency will get paid a percentage of your salary as commission for placing you in employment. You do not lose of your own salary for this, it is like a fee that the agency will charge the employer.

    Also you will be not be employed by the agency, so you will receive any benefits that the employer wants to offer you.

    You can get agencies that hire staff for temporary or contract work, and under these sorts of employment you may not receive any benefits. It can work out as though you are self-employed depending on the nature of the contract.

    And Leehaa, I agree. Don't quit no matter how bad it gets. You still need to pay those bills!

    I'm not surprised you haven't heard anything back on those jobs because most companies are at the end of their financial year. They could well be holding off the recruitment process until April when they may contact the candidates they interviewed months before. Believe me this is quite common!
     
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  7. BosonMichael
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    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    Stoney's right: the employer pays.
     
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  8. BrotherBill

    BrotherBill Byte Poster

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    I have to agree with the others for the most part. Leaving your present employer without having something else to go to could prove disasterous. Even with a second income. I assume your other half is working.

    Try to look at your current position in a different light. It does provide an income. It keeps you current within the industry. And you can think of it as a "safety net" until something better comes along. What happens if you leave your position, and nothing turns up for quite a while? As long as you are already employed, no matter how rough things get, it keeps you from accepting an even worse position out of desperation.
     
  9. Mitzs
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    Mitzs Ducktape Goddess

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    The employer may pay but they do not pay you as much as if you are hire directly from that company. I went though this and I have a couple of friends that don't get paid as much as their coworkers even though they are doing the same job because they went though an agency. Not to mention you can only work for the company so long though that agency then must leave and can not reapply for another 6 months or something like that.
     
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  10. BrotherBill

    BrotherBill Byte Poster

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    There are a lot of cases where the employer will only hire through an agency. Companies can receive hundreds of applicants for a single position. Many don't want to bother with the process of screening potential employers until the field has been narrowed down a bit. I suppose you just have to find the right agency.

    Hang in there Leehaa, something will turn up. It just may take a bit.
     
  11. BosonMichael
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    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    I've also gone through this, twice... and the employer paid both times, to the tune of $12,000 each. And I made more than my replacement was offered.

    If your friends are making less than their co-workers, I'd suggest that they avoid that particular agency.

    Not sure what you mean about "working for the company so long through that agency"... as soon as the employer pays the agency's fee, you no longer work for the agency - you work directly for the employer. If they pay the entire amount up front, then you don't EVER work for the agency.
     
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  12. BrotherBill

    BrotherBill Byte Poster

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    There are temp agencies that work like that here. Probably some around Nashville as well. They farm out skilled services to various companies for periods of time.

    A friend of mine worked for one part time while he was getting his own business off the ground. They would have him working at one client for a period of time, then move him to another client. This kept them from getting too comfortable with any of the clients. He also signed an agreement that he would not accept an offer of employment from any client that he had provided services for through the agency within a certain period of time. But, if a particular client asked for an employee to be released for employment, the agency seldom argued. I suppose they were hesitant to cut off their nose just to spite their face.
     
  13. Mitzs
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    Mitzs Ducktape Goddess

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    Not around here you don't. You are employed though the agency. Maybe because it is for a different field I do not know. What I do know I have already stated above. This is not nashville there are not several differnt agency to go though around here. And several of the factories here hardly hire from the inside they go though the angency. One does what one must when they need a job.
     
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  14. zebulebu

    zebulebu Terabyte Poster

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    Lee - I concur with the other posters on this thread - I would NEVER leave a job without another to go - simply because unexplained gaps on your CV look puzzling (and worrying) to any potential employers. No matter how shite it is, stick it out until you find something better. I've left ONE job without having a definite start date for another - and that was only because, if I hadn't, I would have tucked one of my coworkers in he was ****ing me off that much.

    Stick it out lass - end of the financial year is coming up and, like others have said, a LOT of places will be re-evaluating their budgets for the next 12 months and looking to see whether they can afford a new hire (even if it is a replacement for someone who's left)
     
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  15. harpistic

    harpistic Byte Poster

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    Same here - no matter how bad your job is at present, being out of work and dependent on recruitment/temp agents is a lot worse - at least you have a steady income for now, and you can keep your options open rather than have to take the first job which comes along.

    The temping market is pretty erratic, and not that reliable; it could take weeks before your first assignment comes up (or something could come up immediately, and then it'd be weeks before the next one. Etc.)

    Recruitment agents are a necessary evil we all have to suffer, but don't let them get you down, and remind yourself - once you get another job, you won't have to deal with another agent again for a reeeeeeeally long time (fingers crossed!) :rolleyes:
     
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  16. BosonMichael
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    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    Yes, but that's usually by choice... you know what you're getting into before you sign the agreement.

    Something similar happened to me in my first job as a field service tech. I wasn't part of an agency - I was employed by the company. One of my customers liked my work and wanted to hire me, and my employer released me at no charge to the customer.
     
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  17. Leehaa

    Leehaa Gigabyte Poster

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    Thanks guys - I talk to family / friends about it but it's always more re-assuring to hear it from people who are working in a similar field - had the experience of interviews etc...

    Finally heard back from that agency and it turns out that the man I was liasing with has left the company - so that's why he hadn't gotten back - lol. What is more re-assuring is that they have since done loads more interviews and no-one has been successful - they are looking for someone with a lot of experience as it's requires keeping server up time to the max. Sounds like I did very well to get an interview 8) and I shall take on board the compliments they gave (that they were amazed that I have learned so much etc in the 4 and a bit years that I have been in the industry - really impressed with my answers to technical questions etc) 8)

    Going to keep plodding on. There is one interview in the pipeline for a similar job to the above, but at a junior level (they are taking on 5 peops - junior to more senior)...so If my CV gets picked, I shall give it my all, as sounds really exciting...also waiting to hear back on a possible interview for something else...

    ...meanwhile I'm gonna keep hunting but just see it as being lucky to get so much interest when the market isn't exactly booming...and "what will be will be"...but will no doubt be back on here for some more support at some point soon - lol!! :D

    Cheers again for the advice :D
     
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