Recruitment nightmare

[DML]

All,
I thought this little story might bring a smile to your faces.

For my sins I find work as an ITIL Consultant / Lecturer. Approx 80% of my time is spent on the consultancy side, and I tend to fill in the gaps with Training.

As my present consultancy assignment is winding down I started looking around for the next role. Now this means I have to deal with a group of people who I now regard as sub-human – the Recruitment Consultant!

So – a couple of weeks ago I was trawling through one of the main sites, and I spotted something that looked like the perfect role for me. As it happened this role was being advertised by 2 agencies...so I thought what the hell and I sent my cv to both.

Nothing. Even though my skills and experience were a perfect match I heard nothing. So I thought, to hell with them...I am going to call up these consultants and ask why my cv was not right – so this is what I did...and I swear these were the conversations that I had.

With Rct consultant 1, the conversation stated badly as he had obviously no idea who I was and what the role was that I had applied for, but to his credit he eventually found my cv, and the conversation went something like:

Me – so, what I was wondering is if you could tell me why you did not put me forward for this role?
Consultant1 - ....er....eerrr....let me just see
Me – I mean my skills, experience...everything looks to be a perfect t match
Consultant - ....eerr....well, I think it might have been....ah I remember....they don’t want a trainer...that was it....they want a consultant
Me – I am a consultant!
Consultant – It says Trainer on your cv
Me – It says ITIL Consultant & Trainer
Consultant – Exactly
Me – Exactly what?
Consultant – You are a trainer, and they do not want a trainer they want a consultant.
Me – But I Am a consultant! I do both training and consultancy. In fact as it says on the cv I mainly do consultancy.
Consultant – Yes..but....
Me – In fact in the advert it actually states that they want somebody from a Consultancy background, but who can also undertake training of staff as part of this implementation – so I am perfect for the role. I cover all the bases.
Consultant – Yes, but they are looking for somebody with a consultancy background who can do a bit of training
Me – Yes?
Consultant – Not specifically a trainer like yourself
Me – I am not a trainer! Where does it say on the cv that I only do training...where?
Consultant – Right at the top – ITIL Consultant & Trainer...that is what it says
Me – YES....CONSULTANT AND AND AND TRAINER
Consultant – But they are looking for a consultant who can do training....not a Consultant and Trainer
Me – Eh? Oh forget it

.....and with this I put the phone down. So, after a calming cup of tea I called Consultant 2...and I swear this happened.

Me – blah blah blah - perfect for role etc – so why not shortlisted?
Consultant 2 – you do not have a strong enough training background
Me – WHAT?
Consultant2 – they are looking for an experienced consultant and trainer....you look more like a consultant who does a bit of training...they want a more specialist trainer

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

They are quite simply the scum of the earth!

[UKVIKING]

yeah

I usually call them an hour after i send the CV or the next morning

I usually get the ones who actually are IT oriented and can spell IT or PC with a dictionary

As I specialize in Change management, I have my CM CV and a general ITIL CV - the difference is the emphasis in the bullet points

I usually tweak the CV if the requirements are very specific but most of the time it is general

implement change mgmt
strong cm control
blah blah blah

I call them - and ask them about what the customer wants

Let know my current sit and what i am doing

They usually counter with

The customer wants a strong / stand up w/backbone.

I said - as the CM for the customer's/ department, my boss and his are the only ones to override me. And they should not do frequently and I tell a couple of true stories (actual events w/ a few facts omitted / adjusted to prove the point)

I say, the boss can overr ride me and I will accept it and when it goes wrong, I will say - in private - i told you so

Most issues with poor CM iare down to hurry up .. we need this know because (i) the person or PM has egg of face and did not bother to plan

I have had few bad experinces so far
_________________
John Hardesty
ITSM Manager's Certificate (Red Badge)

Change Management is POWER & CONTROL. /....evil laughter

[BorisBear]

So are you a consultant or a trainer?

[mnsmith]

Recruitment consultants are a very special breed who require love, attention and a great deal of patience.

Following a lot of heart ache with them, I've discovered that they have a short attension span and very quickly forget who you are and what you want.

My usual trick is to ring them up first to discuss the role with them and to make sure they know I'm perfect for the role. They are then keen to receive my CV so when I send it, they are expecting it and at least open the e-mail. Then, as UKVIKING says, I've call them again to check they've received it. I then stalk them for the next week or so to make sure they don't forget me.



Hope that helps

Mick
_________________
Mick Smith
Change, Configuration and Release Manager

[UKVIKING]

BorisBear,

You have a tendancy to get to the heart of the matter.

I would prefer to faf around for a while and wait to discuss the hear tof the matter until every one has forgotten what the orignal issue was

I think he is a consultant who trains
_________________
John Hardesty
ITSM Manager's Certificate (Red Badge)

Change Management is POWER & CONTROL. /....evil laughter

[DML]

BorisBear - UKViking

Thin ice.....

[paulfixter]

A lot of these recruitment agencies advertise jobs that don't actually exist, so they can get you onto their mailing lists etc.

Sounds like that's what could have happened here.

[UKVIKING]

DML

Is the ice melting yet ?

I need a few chunks for my single malt

so trainer consultant ? or consulting trainer
_________________
John Hardesty
ITSM Manager's Certificate (Red Badge)

Change Management is POWER & CONTROL. /....evil laughter

[PMITIL]

DML I feel you I wonder if they ever receive my resume half the time!

[RCLM48]

Hi,

First of all, I agree with Mick. This group of consultants need a lot of patience! Let me share my experience..

I have more than 16 years of IT experiences ranges from programming up the ladder as Senior IT Manager in different industry sectors. Based on my credentials, I would be easily get most management jobs.

But this was what I faced, I submitted job application which matched every single skills and knowledge that I possessed with the job specifications. I called the consultant straight after I submitted my resume, you guess what the consultant said to me ????

They specifically looked for 10 years of experience not 16 years of experience!!!!! I questioned them isn't 16 years experience more qualified than a 10 years experience candidate????? They emphasized again only want 10 years! I told them that's fine, another company is forwarding my resume to the same organization and i got the job from the other recruitment agency!

[entivo]

This is not limited to recruitment agencies. I find that the HR departments of most organizations are exactly the same. They advertise a job, your CV matches perfectly and yet you don't even get an interview. Or if you do get an interview they spend an hour telling you why you're not suitable before never contacting you again (even to tell you that your application was unsuccessful).

[UKVIKING]

I had a funny one .

I had a recruiter call me for a F/T role at a major congolmorate as a CM

I had a recruiter call me for contract role for a major IT vendor doing CM

the F/T role was to manage the outsourced CM staff to make they follow the corp CM processes/policies

The contract role was to implement a corp's CM process / policy etc as part of an outsource contract

.....
.....

Yep. I was being headhunted by both the corp and the out source Headhuinter

and the HH was the same company but different offices

I did only the F/T interview.... Did not take role
_________________
John Hardesty
ITSM Manager's Certificate (Red Badge)

Change Management is POWER & CONTROL. /....evil laughter

[TomOzITIL]

You have to understand that Recruitment is even less regulated than ICT as an industry. Any idiot can work as a recruiter.

It is a numbers game pre & simple, for many ICT recruitment companies. Plenty of them have snot-nosed kids recruiting for jobs they do not understand and much of their wading through resumes and cover letters is done by computer matching software (so I suppose it is our fault in the first place).

Many people know that good jobs are found via personal networks, deals for the mates and don't actually ever get advertised.

All of this being said, I have come out the other side of quite a good experience with a recruitment company and start with my new employer in March.

[DYbeach]

A bit over a year ago I had a great experience with a very new recruitment consultant. He was sure I was a good match for a job (my current job) even though I tried to explain to him why I wasn't. He was right and I was wrong.
_________________
DYbeach
ITIL V3 Release, Control & Validation,
ITIL V3 Operation SUpport & Analysis
PMI CAPM (R)

"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act." George Orwell

[UKIT]

Finding new employment is certainly no easy task these days. Roles are being chased by many so getting your CV on top of the pile is key.
I spoke to one agency who reported that one role they were advertising attracted several hundred applicants in which 90% plus were not even suitable and were just clogging up the system. This makes it very difficult for applicants who are actually qualified and experienced enough to be considered for the role.
_________________
Change Management
"Bringing order to chaos"