Recruitment agencies are paid by organisations for recruiting staff to fill a vacancy. 

However, they also have the ability to market candidates (people like you) to prospective employers who may not have a current need. Recruitment consultants are sales people – leverage off their skills and ask them to create opportunities for you.

Finding a recruitment agency that you enjoying working with can take time. If you are not satisfied with the first recruitment consultant that you meet, visit another agency.

Even though most recruitment consultants will advise you they will stay in touch on a regular basis, it is your responsibility to contact them. If you are actively seeking a new job give the consultant a call once a week. Remember they can meet up to 50 new people a week so don't expect them to remember every detail about you. They will however access your information on their database while they are speaking to you.

When you attend an interview with a recruitment consultant ask them if they will be your main contact person for that agency. With the larger recruitment agencies they now have “candidate care managers”. These are consultants who specialise in interviewing people and establishing what it is they are looking for. They then sell the candidates to their colleagues within the agency who are the “client managers” – people who work with the employer.

In smaller recruitment agencies they may recommend you keep an eye on their website or in the newspaper for what roles they are advertising and make contact when you see a job ad that interests you.

If you are called by a recruitment consultant and you are sitting at work with 30 pairs of ears around you, let them know you are unable to talk freely. They can call you back on your mobile at a more suitable time, or you could find a meeting room and call them back, or ask them to send you an email that you can respond to.

It is in your best interest to only apply for jobs that you are genuinely attracted to. There is no point applying for a job if you are just trying to get ‘a foot in the door'. You will have more success by calling the recruitment agency and asking to speak to someone about the particular jobs you are looking for. The same principle applies if you are applying directly to an organisation. If you want to work for Company X give them a call. Speak with a member of their HR team if they have one or directly to a manager in the area you are interested in.

Multiple Listings

If you are selling your house you can choose to list your home for sale with just one agency or multiple. Job hunting is the same.

However, only one agency can represent you per job application. For example if you are registered with 2 recruitment agencies and they both call you to discuss the same job, you do not have a better chance of being successful by allowing both agencies to represent you. An employer will only accept an application from one of the agencies.

You have an obligation to the first recruitment consultant to discuss the opportunity with you or ‘put you forward'. If another consultant calls you about a job and it sounds familiar, clarify with them it is the same job and advise you are already aware of it and are being represented by another agency.

Advise the recruitment agencies you are working with once you have accepted a position so they can close your file on their database.

Where to Find Recruitment / Employment Agencies

They are listed in the Telecom White Pages, Telecom Yellow Pages, on the internet and in most newspapers.

According to the Telecom Yellow Pages online directory (www.yellowpages.co.nz), there are 1029 employment agencies in New Zealand as at the 5^th of October 2009. In Auckland alone there are over 400 recruitment agencies and Wellington over 150!

You can also access many recruitment companies through job ad websites such as www.seek.co.nz, www.trademejobs.co.nz, www.jobzone.co.nz, www.jobs.co.nz, www.myjobspace.co.nz, www.search4jobs.co.nz, www.goodworks.co.nz, www.talentcapital.co.nz  and www.jobs.govt.nz.

Some organisations will manage their recruitment in-house. This means either each individual manager will advertise and interview prospective candidates or the HR (human resources) department will manage the process on their behalf.

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