Sadly, recruiters are often lumped in with used car salespeople and real estate agents as some of the least trusted service providers in the business world. These should be highly trustworthy professionals. Think about it; cars and property are two of the most expensive investments in a person’s life. Well in the business world, human resources are expensive too! You want a quality individual, right? You want someone who can get the job done and ultimately provide you with value for money, right? Ok so add another layer on top of that. When you’re paying a recruitment agency to find you that person, you want to be damn sure you’re getting your money’s worth.

Jobseekers

Use the following questions to weed out the dodgy recruiters if you’re looking for a job:

1. How will you get to know me, my skills, experience and career aspirations?

2. Will I be able to deal with the same recruiter at your agency?

3. How experienced are the recruiters that will be representing me?

4. What makes your recruitment agency different from others?

5. How often will you communicate with me about opportunities that may suit me?

6. What guarantee can you give me that my personal information and the fact that I’m looking for a new job will be kept strictly confidential?

7. Will you advise me before sending my details to employer clients so I know who they’re being sent to?

8. What sort of employer clients do you work with? (i.e. company size, turnover, company culture, locations, etc.)

9. Will you keep me on a database of jobseekers once I’ve accepted a position so that I can be kept in mind for future/more appropriate roles?

Employers

Use these questions to weed out dodgy recruiters if you’re looking to hire staff:

1. How will your agency familiarise itself with my business’s recruitment needs?

2. What is your commission structure and can we negotiate based on exclusivity and a retained search?

3. Are there any additional fees involved such as for advertising?

4. How will you present candidates for us to consider?

5. Can we be involved in the recruitment process to the extent – as much or as little as – we would like to be?

6. What is your knowledge and experience in our industry?

7. How is your agency different from others in the same industry?

8. What other clients (or client types) in my industry have you assisted?

9. Can you provide contact details of clients that use you that can vouch for your services?

10. How intensive is your system of vetting jobseekers? Will you only send me truly suitable candidates?

Appoint is here to help you

If your recruitment or job seeking experience has been dodgy thanks to an unscrupulous recruitment rep or agency, we’d like to show you how different it can be. Don’t ignore that gut feeling. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram where you can learn more about us. If your needs are more immediate, then simply call us today on 07 3124 9844 and we’ll be keen to help.

Written by Jackie Rahilly.