Talking About Sales Recruitment Agencies
If a job-seeker sends a CV to a Sales Recruitment agency, are they then entitled to send it on to companies without my knowledge? They would certainly be 'out of order' if they did. Sales Recruitment agencies have a duty of care once they have your details. By law they need specific permission from you in order to send any of your personal details anywhere. Once you have entrusted them with your CV they have a duty of care to keep these details completely confidential. On your first approach to a Sales Recruitment agency, you may find the odd consultant tring to be clever by asking your permission to send out your CV in at short notice without a call to you, in order not to 'miss the boat'. This is an attempt to achieve license to send your CV out anywhere, any time.Make sure you are clear, in writing, that you don't want your CV sent anywhere without written permission first. Where is the advantage for a company in using Sales Recruitment agencies? There are many advantages to companies recruiting. Firstly, if a company where to advertise a sales job in the national press, they may find they receive 100s of applications, and indeed from all over the world. Dealing with this response requires resources, time and money that many simply don't have. The idea of Sales Recruitment agencies is to filter candidates down to a manageable short list, saving time and money. But over and above that, Sales Recruiting agencies are constantly advertising and this will mean that they will already have a bunch of good candidates in their database to choose from. For the recruiting company this will mean more choice in less time. Finally, Sales Recruitment agencies offer expertise in sales recruitment to people who may have little or no experience in this area, this in itself can be invaluable once a trusting relationship is built between agency and client. If I pay nothing, how does the Sales Recruitment agency make money out of me? It's quite straightforward really, if they aren't able to find you a job, they make nothing out of you. If they place you they get a percentage of your starting salary, say 20%. If you leave in the early weeks or months, they may have to return some of the fee. It's in their interest to place good people to be asked to recruit again and again when vacancies occur. Should I contact more than one Sales Recruitment agency? Some folk might think that there's no harm in contacting all of the available Sales Recruitment agencies. However, if you do this, be weary, don't tell your recruitment consultants. If they know you are with every agency, they will also know their chances of making a fee out of you are significantly reduced, and as a result will put less effort into helping you. Personally, I would recommend finding 2 to 3 good agencies to help you. What if the agency accepts my CV and then sends it to my present employer by mistake? Oh dear! That would probably land them in really hot water. Data protection laws dictate that Sales Recruitment agencies shouldn't do anything with personal details without the specific permission of the individuals concerned, if they do, they are breaking the law. If they break the law and ruin your career, I would imagine a court would take a very dim view. But you can take steps to protect yourself against this. As an insurance I would recommend a specific written request to an agency not to send your CV out anywhere without written permission from yourself. This will ensure against the odd fast talking consultant who gets you to say yes to sending your CV out quickly if he sees a 'really good' that he doesn't want you to miss! Would you advise someone in my position to use a Sales Recruitment agency to find them a job? In almost every case, yes. Most big companies use recruitment agencies for all their vacancies. A good recruitment consultant will help you through the process, help you improve your CV and advise you in interview technique etc. In addition they will have good channels into companies in order to get you in front of the right people. If you are looking for sales jobs, Sales Recruitment agencies really are an integral part of the process you should not ignore. Find the right agency and they will not only be able to find you a job now, but you may find they are able to find you further jobs as you move through your career. Good luck.
About the Author: John Bult runs an internet jobs site for sales recruitment agencies in the UK
More articles by john@ukcareers.co.uk
Print Article | Download PDF | 36 views | Aug 13 2008
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