It just wouldn’t be a proper start to the year without some well-intentioned resolutions of one kind or another. For many, one of these may be to get a new job. This invariably means having to deal with recruitment agents. The purpose of this post is to provide some pointers to identify sub-standard recruiters, and alert you to the risks of dealing with them.

1) Deceptive database building

Picture this scenario: you enthusiastically respond to position, and your polished CV is rewarded with an interview with the responsible recruitment agent. However, after 20 minutes of great rapport, you get the eerie sense that not all is right. Not wanting to come across as rude, you persevere for another ten minutes, before it dawns on you that there is actually no job here.

This is then confirmed when the agent admits that, while there is no immediate mandate, there are many opportunities “in the pipeline” and you are certainly well placed for future consideration. In other words, you have just been added to the consultant’s database so that he/she has a better chance of getting a piece of those “opportunities”. There is of course nothing wrong with being in a database, if you are serious about scoping for new work. But a recruitment agent who achieves this by deceptive means is also more likely to engage in the our other unscrupulous practices listed below.

2) CV shopping

An occasionally but disturbing practice is when a recruiter distributes your CV around town without your knowledge or consent. Putting your name out there is fine, but considering how incestuous the finance industry is, it would be so easy for your resume to land on the wrong desk and ricochet back to your current boss. To guard against this practice you should insist that the agent contacts you regarding the name of the intended recipient before he sends out your CV.

3) Intelligence building

Beware of recruiters who spend more time inquiring about other employees in your firm than learning about you. This is because you may be an unwitting accomplice to his intelligence-gathering exercise on your employer – like an FBI agent constructing mafia organisation charts with the help of an informant mole. From a recruitment agent’s standpoint, this is highly valuable in building his industry networks. Unfortunately, it does little for your job-hunting efforts. In fact, in extreme cases, it may well backfire, if one of your colleagues gets headhunted based on your information, with you subsequently left with extra workload in your current job.

4) A flimsy knowledge of the role

One would expect a recruiter with a mandate to be somewhat familiar with the role on offer. However, it is not uncommon for him to have a merely superficial understanding, and not know what the basic functions entail. The downside for a candidate here is that, if the agent is not even competent enough to shed adequate light on the role, what chance is there that he will be competent enough to correctly present you to the employer for further consideration?

5) Not returning follow-up calls

I can fully appreciate recruitment agents not returning your calls, if you are merely pestering them after sending in your CV or after you have had a meeting with them. After all, they deal with many people and understandably have more pressing things to do. However, it is bordering on unprofessional to not return calls after putting forward a candidate to an employer, or after a job interview. The least that agents can do is make the calls worthwhile by providing feedback from the employer.

Although increasing professionalism in the industry may have driven out much of the activities described above, they could creep back in vogue, especially if the current malaise in the market forces financially-struggling recruitment agents to resort to desperate tactics. Of course, even a sub-standard recruiter can land you the dream job, if your merits are strong enough. However, be wary of investing too much of your time building a relationship with someone who practices too many of the above mentioned antics. Chances are you may be helping him more than he is helping you.

The author is a financial services professional in Australia and the views expressed are his and not those of eFinancialCareers. In the interests of balance we have also published a rebuttal article today written by a recruiter, which explains how good consultants operate. If you haven’t already read it, click here.

If you would like to comment on this blog, you should use the “react” function below. Recruiters: if you would like to write your own rebuttal, please email apac.editor@efinancialcareers.com. Please do not contact our Sydney office.