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Some employers contract out their recruitment to an agency, whether for temporary staff or executives with greater responsibilities. This means you may need to work with agencies to get into the organisation you want. Agencies may help shorten the process for you, pre-selecting suitable candidates for employers to consider. The flipside of this is that consultants may not tell you about a job if they have already found a suitable number of interviewees. Finding a specialistMany agencies specialise in particular industries or sectors. Specialist consultants have a good grasp of current issues and industry requirements, and a wide range of contacts. They help new graduates understand the labour market and industry jargon. Skilled agents match candidates with opportunities in new roles or with employers you may never even have heard of and might not find yourself. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) allows you to search agencies by specialism and location, as does Agency Central. Adverts in Yellow Pages and business directories also usually indicate the types of work an agency manages. back to top How to joinAgencies normally ask you to submit your CV before they sign you up. Phone first to check whether they deal with your work sector. Agency contact is likely to be positive if you have particular in-demand skills that make you a good candidate. If you are a generalist or have limited experience they may not be interested at all. For best results, build a relationship with your consultant and keep in touch to remind them about your skills, abilities and goals, so they represent you accurately. When you find a good agency, it is still important for you to keep track of all of your applications. Remember that agencies’ main clients are employers, not candidates, so do not expect them to do all of the research and work on your behalf. back to top Recruitment websitesOften known as job boards, these are an online equivalent to recruitment agencies. Recruitment websites have grown rapidly. They include well-known websites such as Monster (http://www.monster.co.uk)
. Candidates post CVs into an online template that employers search. Agencies frequently post opportunities on these sites. The same job may be advertised in several places, but you should only apply once. Quickly adding your details to many job boards is likely to be counterproductive. Limit the number of boards you post onto so that you can manage your details effectively. You need to check and update your submissions regularly, which may be difficult if you sign up with more than four sites. Also, consider your personal security when deciding what to post on the internet. Giving your email address is safe, though it may attract spam. Guard your home address and telephone number carefully. Maintain a formal approach when submitting job applications via the internet. Your first contact with employers deserves proper consideration and attention to detail. Write in proper English, checking your spelling and grammar. Think carefully about your strengths as well as the requirements of jobs that interest you, and ensure you incorporate these points into your online CV. Many graduates are disappointed by the lack of response from agencies, both in person and through the internet. It is unrealistic to expect that just sending out or posting a couple of CVs gets you a fantastic job - that would be extremely lucky. However, carefully selected recruitment agencies and job boards may be valuable elements of your job seeking strategy.
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