I’ve seen a job advertised by various recruitment consultants. Through some cunning googling I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out the organisation with the vacancy, although it isn’t advertised on their site this might be because it is a temporary contract.

Is it bad form to get in touch with them directly? My main motivation being there might be more money in it for me that way, not sure if consultant would get a flat fee or a proportion of the day rate, as have seen it at two different day rates.

If it’s temp/contract then it could all just be packaged out to the agencies so they may not be interested.

You may find that the organisation will not deal with you directly. The recruiters often sift loads of CVs and only submit ones which are a good fit – providing the initial sift. There may be more money in it for you, it it will likely be a lot more hassle for them. Gotta be worth a try if you can do it without pissing off recruiters you may want to use in the future.

If it’s a temporary job then there is a good chance that the company will be looking to payrol via an agency for a few reasons. You wont get a better rate going direct for a temp role.

I its permanent then go for it! They’d love to save on a big fee

Absolutely not bad form Jim! You know recruitment consultants are the lowest of the low. Most companies would prefer someone to go direct with them to save fees (either mark-up on rates or finders fees).

The only problem is getting your CV in front of the right person in the company you’re applying to.

James Mc

Phone up the HR dept and ask?
Perhaps ask them who their favoured recruiter is too (in case of not accepting direct applications).

What Jimbo said!

Gotta be worth a try if you can do it without pissing off recruiters you may want to use in the future.

A lot of the time it won’t matter – many recruitment agents are on commission – they can’t afford to bear a grudge (or they are cutting their nose off to spite their face if they do).

Robz400 is correct
Fat-boy-fat is incorrect

They not be able to payroll directly so they may have to use an agency.

If you really want to go direct you could alway go on linked in and find the head of the department you’re interested in.

I’m a contractor. The last time my current role was re-upped, they had to go to ads for you know, openness and fairness and all that.

I got loads of phone calls from agents who had found my CV on the internet – even pond scum can use google. It was fun at first, but anyways the point of my story is that the job is offered to the agents at a certain day rate, say £500. If they can get somebody to do it for £400, they pocket £100 per day. If they can get somebody to do it for £450 they only get £50.

You can negotiate with them – I had a bit of fun trying to push up the day rate they would offer, before telling them I was tied to a certain agency.

The employer will likely send you to the agent, they may have a policy not to recruit contractors direct, HR legislation etc.

Tap up an existing employee and share the finders fee!!

(Easier said than done)

Bloody hell two ex-colleagues in this thread already, small world, better watch what I say on here, hope you are well boys!

It is a temporary position so yes they may just be going straight through agency to save hassle. I might give them a bell and check though before I speak to recruiter, but first, might go biking instead!

Perm roles, go direct, no harm in doing that at all.
Contract, most employers will want an agency involved for various reasons including tax, employment statuses, head count and other such fun and games. The rate is not taken out of your day rate such, hels describes the standard model above though big companies often control is with a percentage mark-up on the pay rate.

go direct jimbo, nothing to lose (except your bikebumhero status)

it isn’t advertised on their site

the agency are reusing old ad data to generate fake jobs to get more people on the books… or the agency are trying to find a suitable candidate and then pitch to the company using their new candidate as an foot in the door

Recruitment Consultants: the respectable ones are in the minority

If it’s a temporary job then there is a good chance that the company will be looking to payrol via an agency for a few reasons. You wont get a better rate going direct for a temp role.

I its permanent then go for it! They’d love to save on a big fee

^ this is correct..

Absolutely not bad form Jim! You know recruitment consultants are the lowest of the low. Most companies would prefer someone to go direct with them to save fees (either mark-up on rates or finders fees).

This isn’t. Yes they’d like to avoid a finders fee if they can if its a perm role, but would still need to payroll you through an agency if its a contract. Unless of course they are prepared to put you on a fixed term contract on their own payroll, which isn’t usually the prefered method.

I’d also say more than likely even if they were to take you direct, they won’t give you more cash. They’ll see it as a saving to themselves, otherwise they’d just be doing all the work the agency would usually do and be paying the same costs.

FYI I’m going to say that this is perhaps the first post I’ve ever made on here where I actually may know what I’m talking about, having spent the last 12 years in in-house resourcing roles within HR across numerous industry sectors

the agency are reusing old ad data to generate fake jobs to get more people on the books… or the agency are trying to find a suitable candidate and then pitch to the company using their new candidate as an foot in the door

Pure speculation and unlikely given the job is with various recruitment companies.
More than likely a temp role which is unlikely to be advertised by the company as they wouldn’t be the ’employer’ .

I was one of the peeps who dissed a guy for circumventing his agency for a contract when he was rumbled. However in this case its different.

Why should you not use your own initiative to try to secure employment. If you are told that they will only use xyz agencies then thank them and approach xyz agencies and nothing lost. If they will deal direct then you have been reqarded for your initiative.

The only time it is a bit iffy is like the example where you get in front of the company through the xyz agency and then you cook up some way of cutting the agency out of the deal.

What you suggested is fine.

the agency are reusing old ad data to generate fake jobs to get more people on the books… or the agency are trying to find a suitable candidate and then pitch to the company using their new candidate as an foot in the door

Unlikely at best. More likely is that the company have decided they want nothing to do with contract recruitment and have put it out to their PSL of agencies.

Worth trying the direct route, probably depends on the size of the company (the bigger the less chance you have IMO). My place only recruits through agencies or through staff referrals, I guess they don’t have the time for direct recruiting (even though we seem to have a gazillion HR bods).

Some companies are happy to take a direct contractor. No need for all that payroll stuff – you just invoice them as a supplier (if you are Ltd Co) or use an umbrella company (if you are not a Ltd Co). Another option is to call an agency with whom you have a good relationship and offer them the chance to get you in there.

I would never try to cut out an agency if they had put me forward to a company but I can’t see anything wrong with a direct approach if you have not already been put forward. If no joy with a direct approach just call one of the agencies advertising the requirement and get put forward that way.

Some companies are able to pay a higher rate when there is no agency involved.

As others have said pond scum/lowest of the low so I wouldn’t have a moments hesitation in your shoes. 95% of the time they don’t have a contract with the end client anyway and are hoping that your cv will open the door.

As above, it depends entirely on the company, nothing bad about a direct approach, worst case they will just refer you to the agency.

I’ve been on the other side of the coin, I had a really good temp but my higher ups were not liking how much tth agency charged, so after a nudge nudge wink wink conversation with the temp, I fired him and hired him back direct as a temp, saved the company a couple of quid an hour and paid him a couple of quid an hour more, everyone’s a winner!.. Well, apart from the agency!

Now that was naughty, but but my temp and I didn’t loose any sleep over it.

As others have said pond scum/lowest of the low so I wouldn’t have a moments hesitation in your shoes. 95% of the time they don’t have a contract with the end client anyway and are hoping that your cv will open the door.

I’ve said this before, you get the agency you deserve. The good people get to deal with the good agencies who have the contacts and make the placements. The opposite is also true.

I’ve been on the other side of the coin, I had a really good temp but my higher ups were not liking how much tth agency charged, so after a nudge nudge wink wink conversation with the temp, I fired him and hired him back direct as a temp, saved the company a couple of quid an hour and paid him a couple of quid an hour more, everyone’s a winner!.. Well, apart from the agency!

Except that everyone wasn’t a winner: you left your company open to being sued – breach of contract, possibly – and your temp possibly damaged his reputation with the agency – thereby reducing his options for future employment.

Very bad practice all round, sorry.

Yeh I’m gonna disagree with you there. It was a nation wide agency, a unit shifter if you will. They don’t have the time or resource to care about what happens to their temps once they are ‘fired’.

Breach of contract, of course, I’m not saying it’s good practice, it is however shrewd practice.. the guy is good at his job and we needed him and going to be laid off.. He’s now getting paid more and costing me less.