The Advantages Of Using Recruitment Agencies

When you're looking for a job, it can be easy to lose focus after weeks of trawling through adverts, rewriting your cover letter and sending your CV to generic email addresses, sometimes never hearing from the company again. Hunting for jobs can seem a lot like finding a needle in a haystack, but signing up with the right recruitment agencies can make the process a lot less stressful.
 
A recruitment agency liaises between employers and jobseekers to find out what positions are available, and who's best to fill them (see What Do Recruitment Agencies Do?).

So instead of you having to ring up a number of different businesses, or keep checking through their websites every week, a recruitment agent can instantly tell you what vacancies their clients want to fill. And if you're signed up with the agency, they'll already have your CV on file -they'll phone you up to let you know the job is available, and perhaps ask you to send them a cover letter. Your agent will do all the work of contacting the company to find out how your application is being received and whether you've made it to the interview stage. They'll ask for feedback, and let you know what the company says.
 
You're probably already thinking about how much time that will save you! Whatever your job situation is, think about how an agency can help.
 

• If you're looking for your first job, you'll find that there's a lot to learn about how the process works. Trial and error will tell you where you're going wrong, but recruitment agents are experts in their field and can also offer helpful guidance. Look for agencies that specialise in graduate jobs in your sector.

• Some agencies deal exclusively with temporary positions, and this can be a great way of building up the experience you need to be in with a better chance of finding a permanent job.

• Because agencies often specialise in certain industries and types of jobs, they're the best people to ask for advice on what the job market looks like at the moment. They deal directly with the people who hire others, so agents will know what they're looking for, and how best to tailor what you've got to match it.

• If you need to find another job while you're finishing another, or looking to relocate, you'll ideally want to have a new job by the time your old one finishes. Having an agency working on your behalf can speed up the process, and let you concentrate more on things like finding a new place to live or tying things up at your old job.

You should never be charged for giving your CV to a recruitment agency, as agents receive a fee from the companies they work with. When you're looking for recruitment agencies to sign up with, make sure they operate in the area you're looking to work in -there's an agency for every industry and in every part of the country, so narrowing things down to the right few may help you get your dream job more quickly.