To summarise…

The wife looked on Reed.co.uk for a new job. Spotted one that suited, applied and subsequently got an interview.

The job on Reed was via a recruitment company, but the employer says they didn’t enlist the services of this specific recruitment agency, and could they deal with her direct.

It seems the recruitment company saw the job elsewhere but listed it under their own name.

The interview went well, and the wife is hopeful, but where would she stand with the recruitment company as to be fair to them they did get her an interview!

Or if she does get the job is this an argument to be had between the recruiter and the employer?

Ta!

Does she have an agreement or contract with the recruitment company?

Who contacted your wife to arrange the interview ? The hiring company, a recruiter or someone else ? 🙂

do they have one with the employer?

IMHO its unlikely the employer will pay an agency, they did not hire, to recruit a candidate.

Who contacted your wife to arrange the interview ? The hiring company, a recruiter or someone else ?

The recruitment company.

The only thing she has signed with the recruitment company is a document on how they use her data and to confirm her CV is true and honest.

the issue is between the recruitment company and the prospective employer, nothing to do with your wife so just accept the offer.

the issue is between the recruitment company and the prospective employer, nothing to do with your wife so just accept the offer.

This.

But I’d be wary of joining a company that acts like this.

IMO if you accept an interviewee from an agency, and then offer them a job you’ve to expect an invoice from the agency.

BR is right. If the recruitment agency were listing the role speculatively worst case could have been that they were trying their hand at marketing in a candidate (I’ve seen you’re recruiting for X role and I have a great candidate, why not give them an interview?) If the company have then organised the interview through the agency they owe the agency a fee.

It is a matter between agency and company but is very bad form on the hiring companies part.

IMO if you accept an interviewee from an agency, and then offer them a job you’ve to expect an invoice from the agency.

Yep. Also, if the agency are good, they’ll be keen to help her get a high salary!

Sorry folks but if your wife accepted the interview via the recruitment company then they were acting on her behalf, and she confirmed that with her actions in attending the interview. If she then deals direct with the hiring company not the recruitment company (sharks, to a man) then she is in breach of the implied contract and the sharks will come after her for a fee.

She has been a bit silly.

She has been a bit silly.

bit harsh if she genuinely thought the recruiter was contracted by the company.

If your wife accepts the job and the company don’t pay the agency, if the agency can prove that the interview was arranged by them, they would attempt to sue the company.

recruitment company (sharks, to a man)

Wrong. And sexist too! 😉

Or if she does get the job is this an argument to be had between the recruiter and the employer?

This, the conversation between those 2 parties is nothing to do with your wife.

I was under the impression that unless you had a contract with a recruiter that you paid a fee to to find you a job or that you were paid throug h and they subsequently took a cut (i.e. more of a agency work situation) then the recruitment agency received their fee for finding a suitable employee from the recruiting company. If they Recruiter hasn’t put a contract in place with the company they have recruited for then that’s their look out.

The recruiter is utterly in the wrong, they have no right to advertise for a position that they’ve not been assigned. I’ve used many recruiters and i would not accept them offering until the terms were agreed and if not agreed then i would not use them, if they then sent CV’s through then it’s tough. Both the hiring company and your Wife are on the right side. It’s a p155 poor show by the recruiter, even if speculative.

She has been a bit silly.

How?

She saw the job advertised on Reed – and applied through their website. How was she to know the recruiter didn’t have a contract with the employer? The employers name wasn’t even mentioned in the advert.

We can see now the recruitment company was speculating, but this fact didn’t even come up until the interview.

that you paid a fee to to find you a job

Not any more, that’s illegal and has been for a few years. A recruiter can’t in any way charge a candidate for finding them work, including taking a cut of hourly rate if they’re a contractor.

Your wife has done nothing wrong, this is something for the 2 companies involved to sort out.

If the agency didn’t have an agreement with the employer then they are daft! When I was in the industry we had to have employers credit checked and signed up before we were allowed to release candidate details to them. Speccing candidates in is a mugs game and I’d be surprised if anyone still does it! Your wife can carry on regardless but expect an anguished call from the agency at some point.

Sorry folks but if your wife accepted the interview via the recruitment company then they were acting on her behalf, and she confirmed that with her actions in attending the interview. If she then deals direct with the hiring company not the recruitment company (sharks, to a man) then she is in breach of the implied contract and the sharks will come after her for a fee.

No they won’t, and she would’ve never paid the fee anyway if all legit, the hiring company (who dealt with the agency) would’ve.

Tell her not to worry.

then they were acting on her behalf

They were not. They were being slippery and dishonest and I can’t imagine anyone would have any reluctance in telling them.

What seems to have happened is…

Application for Job via REED (in this case to the recruitment agency)
Recruitment Agency present “client” (application) to company
Company looks favorably on application and wants to recruit.

As the Company want to recruit the applicant as presented by the recruitment agency they should pay a fee to the agency (assuming that by interviewing they accepted some terms and conditions and it would be very unlikely if these were not sent along with the application)

I guess it will all depend on the size of the fee required..

I think ch98 has it…

(As does CFH – there are one or two extraordinarily good ones out there)

Well she’s was offered the job this afternoon! She’s now bricking it though as it was only 2 weeks ago she started to look – all a bit of a whirl-wind.

The recruitment agency wasn’t mentioned so they must have come to an arrangement.

And for the first time in 27 years of being together the wife will be earning more than me. If the job goes well I can be a kept man in a few years! 😀