Approximately 24% of the people who use agencies find their positions through the help of an agency. Agencies work best for clerical workers, placing about 17% of all clerical workers.
Not everyone should use private employment agencies. Most tend to fill clerical and entry-level positions, with a few filling other types of positions. In most cases, if you are willing to market yourself by calling employers and asking for appointments, you will do better on your own.
It will help to understand how employment agencies operate. First, an agency needs job orders. That is why most employment counselors make 30-80 calls a day and may be on the phone 75% of the time. As they call, they will typically mention a specific candidate and ask if the employer could use such a person. Usually the answer is no. Then the counselor will ask if there are any openings at the moment. If so, the counselor will ask if the organization would pay the fee for a placement. If not, the counselor will ask for permission to send candidates. With a "yes" answer, the counselor will learn as much about the job as possible. Unfortunately, the job description is often sketchy, and in fact, the employer may not even be clear on what is needed. Ideally the counselor will get a sense of the culture of the organization and discover what personality type would fit in best with the organization. Ideally, the counselor will also know what the employer truly needs in the way of skills and experience. The reality, however, is often far from the ideal.
Once a job order is obtained, any of the counselors in the agency can fill that position with one of their clients. The counselor who obtained the job order may act as the contact person and arrange the interviews. Since there is a tendency for counselors to want to send their clients out on as many interviews as possible, someone must determine who will be sent. The person who obtained the order will usually fill that role.
The counselor must then call and sell the employer on meeting each of the candidates the agency has selected. The counselor will usually sell each of the people over the phone, and if necessary, will send their resumes. Ultimately the employer decides which ones to interview. Employment counselors also obtain job orders by looking at the want ads. When a company places its own ad, agencies will typically call and ask for permission to send candidates.
The person who got the job order and the person whose client got the job will each receive about 25% of the fee, with the remaining 50% going to the agency to cover overhead.
If an agency has an exclusive on a position, the employer will take only candidates sent by that agency. More frequently, however, several agencies will be vying to fill the same position, so competition can get intense.
Agencies have received a lot of criticism over the years. Because of past abuses, state regulators require that any jobs that are advertised must accurately describe real job orders. Too often in the past, applicants came to an agency only to find that the job they were interested in had just been filled. Unfortunately, among some firms those bait-and-switch tactics still exist.
Agencies cannot afford to advertise all of the positions they have, so they try to draw applicants to their place of business through just a few ads. The ads are deliberately written to make the position sound exciting. Most of the positions, however, are not.
If you see a position which is interesting, call the agency and ask to speak to a counselor. Since you are interested in the position, not particularly in the agency itself, get as much information about the position as possible and find out if you would qualify. The counselor will ask that you come down to the office so you can speak in person. Only by getting you to come to their office and sign their contract can they hope to earn any money off you. Resist those efforts until you have enough information. Of course you can understand their not wanting to divulge much information, but they should be able to indicate whether you would be a strong candidate.
Employment agency counselors work strictly on commission. The pressure is on and it takes a toll on counselors. Although some stay in the business for years, the average agency staffer has less than six months' experience. That's not enough time to develop valuable contacts. Because of the high turnover rate, the field has not achieved a professional status. That some desperate staffers have resorted to deception has further damaged the reputation of such agencies. Because agencies depend on a fast turnover of applicants, they are looking for the most easy-to-place candidates. If you haven't been placed in four weeks, interest in you diminishes.
Agencies have lists of job orders to fill and all too frequently will try to push you into interviewing for known openings, whether it is really what you're looking for or not. If you show signs of being picky (which you should), many agency counselors will drop you. They simply aren't willing to make calls to locate a specialized job just for you.
Who Should Use an Agency?
No one needs to use an employment agency. However, it may be in your best interest to use one. For instance, you may want to use an agency if you are working full-time and if you are in a field which is commonly serviced by agencies. Do not, however, limit yourself to the use of agencies. Only 25% of those who use agencies actually get a job through them.
If you use an agency, don't rely on it as your sole job search resource or strategy. My recommendation is to treat an employment agency as merely one resource among several. You should still develop a list of at least 100 employers and do your best to get in to see the person with the power to hire.
