There are numerous ways to find a recruitment agency:
Take a walk around your home town and see which ones have offices.
Look in the Yellow Pages or industry-specific journals.
Search on the Internet
Ask friends and family, if they work in a similar industry to you.
Contacting the agency When you've decided on the agency or agencies that you want to register with, you'll need to do the following:
Make sure that you have an up-to-date CV. See our 'CV Tips' section for advice.
Decide on whether you're looking for temporary or permanent work.
Choose your geographic locations for your new job carefully. How far are you prepared to travel on a daily basis? Are you prepared to commute or relocate?
Consider your expected salary. Don't just stick to what you're already on.
Find out how the agency wants you to register. Is it by email or face-to-face appointment? A lot of agencies these days want you to email your CV to them first.
If registration is by email only, make sure that you get a reply from a real person.
If you need to arrange a face-to-face appointment, call the agency explaining your current situation and expectations. They'll then arrange a registration interview.
The registration interview An interview with a recruitment agency can be just as daunting as an interview with a prospective employer. Here are few tips to help you out.
Make sure that you have your current CV with you. The agency will probably already have asked you to email it to them, but it's worth taking it along.
Make sure that you know exactly who you are seeing, where you are seeing them and at what time. If necessary print out a map.
Dress as if you were meeting a new employer.
If you're applying for temporary work, you'll need to have your National Insurance (NI) number, tax details and bank account number handy.
You might have to do some tests, so be prepared! Ask before you attend the appointment to avoid unnecessary stress.
You'll get asked the usual questions: why are you looking for a new job, where do you want work geographically, what are your salary expectations etc. Make sure that you know all this information beforehand.
You'll also get asked to discuss your employment history. If there are any gaps where you were unemployed - be honest.
Sometimes you may get asked to describe your strengths and weaknesses or to sum up your personality in 5 words.
Once the interview is over, you'll then be registered on the agency's database and they can start actively looking around.
After the registration interview
Thank the agency for their time.
Get a business card so you have a contact.
Call the agency on a regular basis to see if any suitable jobs have come up.
If you find work by other means, be sure to tell them so you can be taken off their books.
