Anyone know a good employment agency or any employer looking to employ?

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Permalink Reply by Lauren on July 2, 2013 at 15:46

Hi I temp full time for the past couple of years and mainly use agencies to get work, although I do freelance as well.

When you say a broad skill set what do you actually mean? Different agencies tend to look after different sectors. So for example if you are looking for work as a secretary you will use a different agency than the one dealing with gardeners or nurses.

If you do mean general admin / retail / facilities etc I would reccomend Huntress Group based near Holborn / Aldwych, although their jobs could be anywhere in the region. I get some secretarial work through them but I have also done retail and exam invigilation for them in the past. They seem to have a lot of the larger company contracts and always seem to have plenty work on the go. Their pay rates are reasonable and the girls in the office are very helpful. You will need to go and register with them and do an interview and an IT test. Do not be put off by this, it is not an exam and there is no pass rate - it is merely to assess your skills in different areas. I know someone who did poorly in the IT test but because of his outgoing nature and confidence landed a great customer services role through them. They are one of the larger agencies and also have specialist sectors so if you have e.g IT programming skills they could find you a skills-specific job for which you will be paid more.

 

If you are looking for more top-level admin or PA roles then I would suggest registering your CV on Secsinthecity.co.uk and start applying for roles on there, or look at the different agencies and apply to them individually.

I have used Brook Street before but they tend to offer very low pay and sporadic work. I would not waste my time with them. The agencies which have shops on the high street seem to attract immigrant workers who are willing to work for less, and after all it is in the agencies interest to make a higher percentage by paying the worker less!

I also would not bother wasting time with Monster, Reed etc as they are literally inundated with millions of people all in the same boat who are willing to work for low wages. Your CV will get lost on those sites and you will just end up frustrated.

I could give you loads of contacts if I knew the type of work you are looking for, your target companies and your professional background but without this I would suggest starting with Huntress. I have sent people to them in the past who have found work with them within days of registering, so I hope they could find you something.

Also, finding work with agencies is 99% about what you look like so when you do go and register wear a suit even if you would not nornally wear one in the role you usually do.

If you want to send me more specific details I am happy to give you a few pointers.

 

Good luck!

 

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Permalink Reply by Lauren on July 2, 2013 at 17:34

I don't know if the poster is male or female so that's why I suggested Huntress as I know they deal with both. I agree that a lot of the secretarial agencies mainly find jobs for women, but then I suppose that the manual labour agencies would probably not send that many women out on bricklaying jobs. Not saying this is right, but it's the way it is and the market is determined by the requirements of the client. 

It was probably a lot different in your day but most agencies do not operate from a highstreet these days, so sending your CV is often the only way to get a foot in - or by registering on secsinthecity.co.uk. I find that if I refresh my CV on there once a week I get the agencies calling me offering me work so I don't even have to do any searching myself., and I'm usually booked up weeks in advance.

Another tip I have is avoid like the plague any agency that forces you to be paid through an umbrella company. This is basically a tax loophole (based on you claiming expenses for things you would not normally buy, and submitting receipts in order to claim tax relief, e.g spending up to £15 a day on lunch when you would normally take sandwiches) unfortunately it is legal but the only ones who benefit are the agency and the umbrella company themselves.

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Permalink Reply by Bulent Ozlem on July 2, 2013 at 18:38

Hello Lauren,

Thank you for your reply.

I agree with want you are saying and yes I am applying to jobs by jobserve and monster for weeks now and getting nowhere.

I have an IT background with over 10 years of experience. The experience comprising from sys admin, programming, database development, desktop support ,server support ,hardware support , admin, technical team leader and project support. Also, I do translation from Turkish to English and can speak basic Japanese. I do have foundation qualifications in carpenter, electrical, brickwork and plumbing. I am also a carer alas an imformal one, not getting paid.

Out of the agencies, I try to stick to HaysIT or central people( Japanese recruitment company), but managed to get one interview so far, but was not selected due to my circumtances at the time.

So, hope this helps with specific details as you requested...

Regards,

Bulent

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Permalink Reply by BBL on July 2, 2013 at 19:46

I use Hays too, but once they place you, they forget about you. No contact from them at all - it's take the money and run. 

Good to hear recommendation about Huntress - may give them a call in September

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Lauren on July 12, 2013 at 17:23

Sorry for not replying sooner - I don't seem to get notifications.

How did you get on with this? Did you manage to get something?

 

I have used Hays in the past but they are a massive agency. I try to use just the smaller agencies and go on personal referrals. I have heard that Page Personnel is also good for IT.

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Permalink Reply by Bulent Ozlem on July 12, 2013 at 19:09

Hello Lauren,

Well I had an interview this week, it went well. We shall see But nothing much...Maybe not applying enough

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Permalink Reply by markb on July 13, 2013 at 13:09

If you're still looking, my employer is currently recruiting (based in Farringdon area) and at first glance your IT background looks like a potential fit. Can you send me your CV via a private message - I've added you as a connection.

With plenty of hiring/interviewing experience, I'm also happy to give you some CV tips if you'd like.

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Permalink Reply by 1xvmxe97lgjxy on August 14, 2013 at 12:55

Hello, 

Can anyone recommend something in the marketing/advertising field? 

My biggest problem is that I can only do part-time work as I am still finishing uni ;(

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