I know job agencies exist to make money and get someone into a job so they get their commission.
I know some agencies don’t actually have a job, and that some jobs are on alot of agencies books.

What is the best way of using job agencies when trying to get a job, having had a look around very few vacancies are being advertised by companies, seems to be agencies only.

send CV
phone them
send amended CV
phone them
phone them
ask why you aren’t getting interviews
send amended CV (different for every job)
Go meet them
Phone them

Get feedback throughout, after every job interview/stage of application.

Phone them.

Tell them exactly what you’re good at and what you want.

Phone them.

Oh, and finally, phone them.

Pook (3 months out of work, using agencies, now with great job starting in jan)

Send in your CV for the advertised but non-existent job you like the look of.

Proceed to phone them every day until you get a job.

As you find more and more jobs you will find you are calling more and more agencies, but it’s a numbers game so don’t give up.

Unless you have some weird skill that is in incredibly high demand then you might get a call back from the agency.

You have to be a tenacious so and so with them.

Phoning them up regularly and going to see them in person are good things to do.

i guessed that nagging would probably be the best approach, oh well have a few weeks off as i guess no one is really going to be doing anything till the new year now and then make myself a pest.

That sound like a good New Year’s resolution mate!

I’ve found that often you can cut and paste the job details from the agency website into goggle and you can find the actual company details, thus enabling you to go direct.

getting job agencies to work for you

Now there’s a collection of words you rarely see.

Few ideas:
– have a killer CV and interview style that they can sell
– if you have neither, ask for help.
– make the CV concise, easy and fast to read. It’ll get maybe 30 seconds attention. It’s just a tool to get you to a) show up when they search their database, and then b)to get you invited to interview.
– don’t be shy about flagging up achievements (eg sold loads of something, saved last employer loads of money, delivered a project ahead of time & budget etc)
– never lie. But present things in the most positive light possible
– by all means remind them you’re there sometimes, but don’t call every day, don’t be a nuisance. They’ll think you’re either an idiot, or desperate, or both
– make sure your phone number(s) and email are on the CV (shouldn’t need saying, but you’d be surprised how many people forget). Don’t just put them on the cover letter, these are rarely filed
– carry your mobile all the time. If you can’t speak when they call, say so & agree a time to call back
– ask the agency what sort of positions/clients they work with. Are they really active in your area of interest? If not, ask if they can recommend another agency who might be more appropriate
– work with them, return their calls/emails, even if it’s just to say “no thanks”
– don’t rely on just one agency.

Source – 11 years of working in the business. They were the only industry that’d have me!

As Pook says

Keep on phoning (twice a week) the ones you want to find you a job, there are a load of rubbish ones out there.

JohnClimber (3 months out of work, using agencies, now with great job started in August)

I got it from a niche agency I’d never heard of or used before but who who saw my CV on Monster