Ever received the same candidate resume from 2 different agencies?
Don’t worry, it’s more common than you’d think. But just because it happens often, doesn’t make it OK.
Here’s how employers can end up with a case of double representation in allied health recruitment, and how to avoid it.
The following are some scary-yet-real examples from our work in allied health recruitment (names have been changed).
Why it’s important to get candidate permission before sending a CV
John came to us at Medijobs Australia looking for a job. We spoke with him and qualified him for a role with ‘ABC Co’. After getting his permission, we sent his resume to ‘ABC Co’ who promptly replied, “We’ve already received this application from another agency.”
It turns out John had applied to another agency, but had never heard back from them. He had no idea they had sent his CV to anyone without his permission.
John verified to ‘ABC Co’ that we, Medijobs Australia, had permission to forward his CV, but no one else. ‘ABC Co’ gave Medijobs permission to move forward with the application, but also emailed all the agencies on their list stating that candidates must give permission before their CV is submitted. Any agency who exhibited similar behaviour would risk being kicked off the panel.
Why agencies must be transparent with candidates
Cindy applied to us for a job. We spoke with her, qualified her for a role at ‘XYZ Co’, discussed the role in detail and sent in her CV. We heard back from ‘XYZ Co’ saying that Cindy’s application had already been received via another agency.
Cindy informed us that she had applied to that agency but that they wouldn’t tell her where they would send her CV. This is completely unethical!
Cindy didn’t think she had the right to know where her CV had been sent. We informed ‘XYZ Co’ about this situation, who then went on to advise the other agency that it was not acceptable to withhold this kind of information from a candidate. We at Medijobs moved forward with Cindy’s application in the correct way.
Options for employers who struggle with double representation
If you’re an employer and you come across this, you DO have options. Don’t be brow-beaten into paying a fee by agencies who engage in unethical practices.
Your options for avoiding double representation in Allied Health recruitment
Option 1: Set Rules
Establish a protocol for agencies that recruit for you and make sure they adhere to this. Send reminder emails and check in with candidates and agencies regularly.
Option 2: Get Strict
Politely ask any agencies you work with to only send you candidates once they have been qualified for a role, and have given their express permission to be put forward for the role. Warn any offenders that they must not repeat this behaviour. If they do, fire them and never deal with them again!
Option 3: You’re fired!
Just fire offenders and never deal with them again!
Let’s face it – the barriers to entry to establish a recruitment agency are low. Good talent is hard to come by. But surely the standards that we set as a profession can be high? As the great Michelle Obama famously said, “When they go low, we go high.”
If a ‘dodgy agency’ sends you an unqualified CV and then charges a fee for it, claiming something along the lines of “because they got the CV to you first”, look into it, and then stand your ground. It’s simply not acceptable to send unqualified candidates and often violates Terms of Business. Carefully read the agency’s Terms of Business before you sign with them, and if in doubt, get advice. Don’t agree to Terms of Business that are unethical and below the industry standard. Call this behaviour out and don’t deal with agencies who have displayed unprofessional behaviour – even if the market is completely scant of talent! It’s not a good long-term plan.
A note to the dodgy agencies out there
- All candidates should be aware of where you’re sending their CV. Claiming to represent a candidate to a company without speaking with them first is not acceptable. They should know exactly where their CV is being sent.
- Don’t send unqualified candidates to a potential employer. It creates drama and puts candidates and agencies alike off recruitment agencies altogether.
- Our industry is small – it’s not a good idea to make recruiters look bad. Most recruitment agencies provide an essential, demand-driven service and don’t want our reputations muddied by others.
- See each candidate as a long-term investment – one day that candidate might be the position to be a client. If you treat them badly when they’re job hunting, or else they’ll never come to you to recruit!
Employers and job-seekers: You are in control of your hiring and job-seeking respectively. Take charge!
If you’re an employer looking for allied health staff anywhere in Australia, why not contact Medijobs Australia.
We take time to get to know each candidate on our database. This means we can match you with the right person for the job, saving you valuable time, money and resources.
Call us today.
