AddThis SmartLayers

What the temping ads don't reveal!

Page 3 of 5

I understand that the job market has changed. September 11, the war and the deepening economic problems have slowed the job market down considerably. Applications take time and effort and when someone sends out their curriculum vitae with a covering letter, it is regarded as courteous and professional for an agency to respond.

What amazes me is that week after week these same agencies advertise themselves on the Internet and through newspapers, eager to attract applicants for full-time and part-time positions. With catchy, seductive headings worded Fabulous temp to perm opportunities for experienced PA’s in fast-growing company and Earn up to twelve pounds per hour working for legal company in the City you can’t help but apply.

Surely, if the recent past job opportunities were so favourable and popular, agencies should already have enough applicants and curriculum vitaes to pick from, thus fulfilling their clients’ criteria. Instead, they choose to waste everyone’s time and coax desperate people who have already applied to them the first time to reapply again the next week for a very similar, appealing role. More often than not, these applicants still receive no response back for their second and third applications. Applicants include individuals with excellent work histories and the relevant skills required to necessitate the demands of office positions.

One agency actually told me that a job they had advertised in the newspaper, “doesn’t actually exist yet and is something to bear in mind for the future. The company won’t be recruiting for a few months.” Thanks for that. I’ll just bear in mind that there might or might not be a job in the future. Cheers so much.

It is vitally important that you interrogate agents over the telephone about the job they have advertised, when the start date is and that they will in fact be interviewing you for the said job.

Read on…