atw: Re: "the exponential job game" and agencies

Hi Christine,
The legal way around this is NOT to label the behaviour. Far better to describe 
a set of desirable criteria and then describe the behaviours of the agency 
personnel whose practices you found did not meet those criteria. Then it is a 
personal perception and not an accusation or an inflammatory opinion.
I believe sharing of such information would be a good idea because it would get 
us to agree a set of desirable criteria that we could use in querying any 
agency with whom we find ourselves dealing. We could also blackball those 
agencies that have shonky practices.

Let me start the ball rolling:

  a.. The TMP/Hudson organisation seems to have a standard format for its 
electronic position descriptions which concludes with a contact name and 'phone 
number. The 'phone number, if not answered does not always switch through to a 
switchboard. For one position advertised by them, I was not able to get to an 
actual person - all I ever got was the voicemail. I left a message again and 
again. On one occasion, I asked to speak to the person's boss - again a 
voicemail - so I left a description of the event and the desirable criteria. 
Within a fortnight I got a call from the named person who had clearly been 
trained in dealing with angry persons. She claimed that she got 200 
applications for the position by email - why did she not respond to her given 
phone number or voicemail? Too busy. How about a little truth in advertising? 
Sorry, too busy. Do I respond to TMP/Hudson adverts any more???
  b.. At another agency using the contact name and 'phone number routine, I 
left a voicemail message three times within two days, and then again after 
three days. This one permitted the caller to get through to a switchboard. 
After two weeks, I asked to speak to XXXX's boss - sorry, YYYY is not available 
at present. Could I speak to YYYY's boss, please? Oh, you mean ZZZZ in 
Melbourne? OK, fine, put me through, please. ZZZZ not available, so I left a 
clear voicemail description of the advert, my response and the lack of response 
from XXXX. That was three weeks ago. Guess how many times I have been called or 
found calls from that agency on my voicemail? Go on, guess. Can you think of a 
number starting with Z? The contact person's name is Amanda and the number is 
[02] 9409 4700. This contact information was in a public document on the web.
  c.. On these two adverts, the position description is quite vague in certain 
areas [type of employer, geographic location] and overly specific in others. 
So, you have three choices - one - 'phone the contact number to clarify before 
deciding whether to put in all the effort to tailor your CV for what you can 
read on and between the lines - two - put in the work to prepare a CV and cover 
letter on the off-chance that you may get an electronically generated no-frills 
response that says your app has been received and if you are really very bloody 
lucky, we might call you - three -  do nothing and have a stress-free break.
  d.. Another organisation whose name I am not willing to reveal at present, 
acted as agent for a TW position at Australia's largest, listed insurance and 
superannuation provider. The contract stated that I would be paid within 30 
days of receipt of an Invoice - BTW, is this a contract clause we should 
accept??? Over the course of the job, two of the six payments were late by much 
more than a week after the 30 days. When questioned about this lapse, I was 
told that the person who sent out the cheques did this on a Tuesday. So what? I 
thought. When the cheque had not arrived after another week, the new story I 
got was that the managing director was away on holiday. All attempts by me to 
insist that the firm meet normal business terms of 30 days, or pay a 2.5% pcm 
penalty, or even meet their own contract, were met with clear denial. This 
particular agency's contract also had a clause that permitted it to withhold 
payment if it felt that the terms of the contract had been breached; the firm 
used this summary justice clause on me without following their own internal due 
process. Needless to say, the project manager was a person for whom amicable 
agreement meant 'Do it my way, or I'll stab you in the back' - a total 
technical illiterate. However, if you do get approached by a mexican agency 
whose name suggests a normal photographic process, call me and we can compare 
notes. A candidate for a members only list, perhaps? Nah, just stirring - I'm 
quite willing to name names, when we have agreed the desirable criteria.
  e.. Now a positive one. Whenever, a position comes up through HCi, I get an 
email and a 'phone call. If when I call, the named person is not available, I 
get a return call within that day. If I am found not to be suitable, I get a 
chance to find out why not - even if it means that HCi put forward another 
candidate. No other agency with whom I have dealt does this. Is this behaviour 
another candidate for the desirable criteria?
Brian.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: BIRTLEY-KENT,Christine 
  To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2003 6:11 PM
  Subject: atw: "the exponential job game" and agencies


  I have found that most agencies are doing the best they can.=20=20

  Of those, some are good with intelligent, mature and savvy staff, and
  some are poor because their staff are too young and too ignorant of the
  industry.  Many are messed around outrageously by the employers who get
  them to recruit for prospective jobs just in case they get
  approval/funding etc - but fail to tell the agencies they are doing
  this.=20

  However, there are one or two agencies who are downright deceitful or
  discriminatory.  One refused to put me up for a job because my skill set
  was not right.  In fact they had never once agreed to put me up for a
  role over a number of years.  I went through another agency and got the
  job.  This was the last time I bothered to respond to an ad with with
  this agency as they were clearly discriminating.  I can't name them of
  course, but I was in Melbourne at the time.

  I think it would be a nice idea to share information about known good
  and known discriminatory agencies - but I don't know how we can do it
  without running some kind of legal risk?  Any ideas?  Is this something
  else we should be collating knowledge about so that we can improve our
  position?  We could at least list the known good agencies without
  running any risk.

  ck
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