I’m looking for a new job in quite a specialised sector. There are only 2 recruitment agencies in the country who deal with it.

One of them called me yesterday to inform me about a job with a company. I was told the availability of the post was confidential and was very new.

So I look at the company’s website, the job is advertised there!

I have not yet instructed the agency to do anything. I also think in going through them it will put me at a large disadvantage due to the commission they’ll charge. Other candidates may have applied directly through the website and not have the commission hanging over them.

I will probably apply directly but could the agency have any comeback if I get the job because they told me about it? I have no formal agreement with the agency, not signed up to anything, no terms have ever been discussed. One day I saw they had a few jobs advertised so sent my CV to them. They then kept me ‘on file’.

The circumstances under which I would use an agency would be if the post was not as yet advertised. The advantage would be clear there.

I am considering ditching the agencies completely as the market is small and I could find things myself

go direct.

they’d screw you over in a heartbeat.

thing will be mainly if they have already sent your cv to the employer.

If they haven’t and it’s a publicly advertised post then you sending your cv direct isn’t a problem.

I’d go direct too. Speculative application to the employer, and if anyone says anything, deny all knowledge. Employers hate recruitment agencies too…

they would need to prove they dealt with the lead so thankfully you have not confessed to this on a popular website 😉

I would apply direct and try the i had already seen it and we have no contract line with them..it snot like they have not lied to you now is it

I think you owe it to reciprocate the inherent respect afforded to individuals by this industry, which rightfully prides itself on the strong ethical and moral stance that it takes on issues such as this

So without their prompting you’d never have known about this role.

What if the agency has a good relationship with HR or the hiring manager and says ‘you’ve already received direct/when? Oh because I briefed him ….’ (can put a doubt if the client trusts the agency).

Only two agencies in your specialism and you want to piss one off?

What if they know of another vacancy in the future but avoid calling you?

The worst that could happen is if they claim to have introduced you to the role – they’ll whine to the employer that they should still get paid, you’ll just say that as far as you’re concerned you never instructed them to act, they then get told to jog on by the company.

Don’t worry about burning bridges with the agency – chances are half the staff will have changed by the time you’re looking again and the other half would rather have their commission than any moral high ground.

ETA – FWIW if I see jobs advertised by agencies on line I’ll search for specific key phrases they use knowing that they’ll just have lifted them from the company’s job description, so you can find the company and go direct. Can’t see how that differs too much from the OP’s situation.

Hora – have you declared your involvement in the Register of Members Interests? Have you? Eh? You naughty boy! 😀

thing will be mainly if they have already sent your cv to the employer.

^^^ this.

What if the agency has a good relationship with HR or the hiring manager

^^^ and this.

apply direct to the employer. any issue over whether it was a referral or not exists between the employer and the agency.

On the flipside the agency may have spotted the vacancy on their website (theres software that searches/collates for just this sort of info) and said ‘its confidential/new etc – lying bollocks to you/only us working on it’ (then they’ll speculatively submit your cv)…

I’d be careful if it’s a job you’re actually interested in. I know that some companies will reject a direct applicant who has been told about the job by an employment agency that they use to avoid any issues over payment if they then get the job.

You don’t want to miss out on a job because you’re trying to pull a fast one…

I approached a company directly after seeing a job on a recruitment website and was told to go through the agency, even though it was also on their website.

Cheers,
Jamie

hora – Member
So without their prompting you’d never have known about this role.

What if the agency has a good relationship with HR or the hiring manager and says ‘you’ve already received direct/when? Oh because I briefed him ….’ (can put a doubt if the client trusts the agency).

Only two agencies in your specialism and you want to piss one off?

What if they know of another vacancy in the future but avoid calling you?

With 20 years of experience as a Recruitment Consultant…This ^

Surely it can’t be the same job, the one they told you about was confidential.

So phone the company & tell them the situation. Ask if they would prefer you to apply direct or go via the agency. Sorted.

The agency consists of a single person so I could be dealing with them in the future. I can’t tell if they’re a blagger or are actually quite well connected in the industry.

However, I have made more progress in representing myself, i.e. got responses and even interviews (although not got a job yet!). Applications via the agencies have not been anywhere near as successful. Plus it is the sort of industry where you need to be able to represent yourself and skills to win business/contracts.

There are two agencies who operate in this sector but most companies in it are small and the commission is a large outlay.

The advice I’ve had from people in the industry, well respected ones at that, is to avoid agencies due to their commission as most companies are small.

Agencies do tend to fiercely protect their business. If you do go direct and they find out about it then expect some grief!

Not sure why you asked the question in the first place? You’ve evidently convinced yourself of the route to take?

Companies often use an agency to sus people potential employees out, that way if you are not up to much they can get shot of you in a heart beat. On the flip side, if you are really good, when it comes to arranging something permanent direct with the company, you have more leverage negotiating wages etc.

jock, it won’t work like that in this case. The agency is merely passing my details on, head hunting as it were. I’d be employed by the company from the start. At no point would I be employed by the agency.

OP – Apply via the agency and apply direct, and let the company decide if hey have more morals than you and wish to honour the application made by the agency.

I used to be a recruitment consultant. Don’t worry about going direct, the agency will make a song and dance and threaten to enforce a number of their terms and conditions but in reality they’ll avoid actually doing anything if possible. It doesn’t make any sense for them to jeapordise future business, a recruitment agency is as strong is the database of candidates and the personal realtionships they’ve built up, they don’t want to undo all this to save commission on one job.

They’ll gadly have you back in future even if you go direct now…

Must be a different job if the on they are talking about is confidential. So I can’t see any problems about going direct for the different job advertised on the site.

They have no comeback on you BTW, the comeback is usually on the employer.

Contact the company, tell them that you’re interested in the advertised post but also that an agency will be proposing you for another non-advertised role. Ask them if that’s going to cause any problems if you apply direct for the advertised one

Phone the company and ask if the agency has already sent your CV. If not, tell them you wish to apply and will send your application and CV over when you’ve had a chance to do it properly.

If the agency sends your CV over in the meantime the company will just tell them they’ve already received it.

confidential

can also equally mean ‘I don’t want my competitors to get wind of this role’.

I think scaredypants might have suggested the way forward…

….. just discovered via LinkedIn that someone from the company who the job is with has looked at my profile yesterday. So my name at least has been passed to them, unless it’s a coincidence.

I’d say apply direct after making contact with the HR person or hiring manager there directly through LinkedIn. This shows initiative and networking, and gets you in front of them straight away. Maybe you didn’t know about the job until the agency told you – but that was the agency’s gamble, and the nature of contingency recruitment – assuming this is a contingency recruiter who gets paid on result only, in which case the client with have no qualms about screwing them over unless they have a really good relationship with them. In terms of legality, the law is that the agency cannot claim a fee unless the client has said they will engage with the candidate through the agency.

If this is retained executive search however, you’ll shoot your foot off going direct. That, my friend, is your gamble.

So phone the company & tell them the situation. Ask if they would prefer you to apply direct or go via the agency. Sorted.

Why this wasn’t posted as the first response and every response after is beyond me, such a simple and rational solution.

Plus they’ll like it that you’re showing initiative blah blah blah

retained executive search

What on earth is that?

A good agent will have instantly banged over your cv the moment that the words passed his lips to you and you made a positive sound down the phone.

A idiot lazy agent will still be shortlisting before deciding on who to send.

A sharp/nasty fecker agent will have sent your cv to the world and this job ages before telling you about it….

OP reading your updates I’d say you are somewhat tied into the recruitment agent. It may well be the recruitment agent has a contract with the company even if the job is displayed on their website, it may be they do not but you cannot know this. If I were you I’d go back to the recruitment agent show home some “love” and say you are interested. You have the name of the person at the company who looked at your profile so if things don’t progress as you wish you can go direct.

If its a small industry with just two active headhunters it doesn’t make sense to piss one of them off.

I also think in going through them it will put me at a large disadvantage due to the commission they’ll charge.

Won’t make a difference, if they’d wanted to save money they wouldn’t have instructed an Agency – and if the Agency is just looking at the company website, then it’s their problem re the commission.

Call the Agency and ask, and if you’re at all concerned – apply online too.

A idiot lazy agent will still be shortlisting before deciding on who to send

LOL. Assume that’s sarcasm…

retained executive search
What on earth is that?

“Contingency recruitment” – agencies that are paid on result. Generally hold big databases and run a lot of adverts, send out blanket emails and conduct in the usual bun fight that you might associate with recruitment agencies. Clients use and abuse them, hire them and drop them just like that. It’s fast paced, high turnaround and quite messy. This part of the industry is being majorly challenged by LinkedIn and the rise of the in-house recruiter.
“Retained executive search” – retained on a monthly or project based fee by the client, or with money up front and then paid the remainder on result. Generally do a thorough search, often from scratch. This involves researching the relevant people and approaching them confidentially and asking them for referrals if they don’t want the job. This way they pick up the passive candidates and people not yet on social networks. They also interview thoroughly, longlist and shortlist. Client has already invested in them so no reason to screw over, plus they are usually the only agency working on the role, so no bun fight with other recruiters. Longer process, much more reliable results.

Sounds like I’m dealing with a combination of both in this case.

I’ve talked to a few people in the industry and they’ve agreed that it’s actually worthwhile pursing this one with this agency as they most likely have exclusivity, bar the advert on the website!

If it had been the other agency in this sector (much more of contingency recruiter by the sound of it) then I probably would go direct

LOL. Assume that’s sarcasm…

There are loads of the slow types.

Good luck with the application then – hope it goes well.