Problem solved – recruitment interviews

My recruitment consultant keeps pushing me to attend interviews for jobs I don’t want. How do I stop this without being dropped by them?

Many jobhunters make the mistake of thinking they should slavishly follow every instruction from their recruitment consultant. But that’s absolutely not the case.

It’s your consultant’s job to provide you with a professional advisory service geared towards placing you in work that’s appropriate for your skills, experience, qualifications, and aspirations. It’s also their job to provide an equally professional service to their clients – the employers, who foot the bill by paying a placement fee (usually calculated as a percentage of your starting salary).

It’s easy to assume that, because individual consultants are paid commission based on the fees they make for their agency, there’s an incentive for them to railroad candidates into unsuitable jobs. But that doesn’t actually make sense for them. If your skills and experience are inappropriate it will become apparent at the interview. The interviewer may also sense that you’re not keen.

Whatever happens, the employer will be angry once they realise their time has been wasted (although that anger is unlikely to be directed at you). Sensible recruitment consultants know this – which is why instances like this, while distressing, are less common than you might think. You’re likely to have a choice of agencies and there’s no limit to the number of agencies with which you can register (although it’s more sensible to stick to a handful). Assert yourself – your consultant is more likely to back down if they worry they may lose you as a candidate, especially given the current shortage of skilled finance professionals.

Alternatively, simply ask to be taken off the books and walk away. There will be another agency close by that will value you as a prospective placement.

"It’s your consultant’s job to provide you with a professional advisory service geared towards placing you in work that’s appropriate for your skills, experience, qualifications, and aspirations"