As if job hunting wasn't hard enough

Regulars here will know I have a very low opinion of the recruitment industry namely, agencies.

Recent job hunting has revealed some of those employing directly from the talent pool can also be odd to say the least.

Case 1.

Applied for a marketing job which had limited description and no salary mentioned. Received a call from a very loud and pushy girl who sounded like she might be selling timeshare. Asked a lot of questions and when I enquired whether she'd had the marketing portfolio I send out to jobs such as this, she said no. I left it saying I would send it direct for her to view.

She called me back a few days later, cocky as ever. One of her questions was "With your "alleged experience", why are you applying for a minimum wage job?"

I replied that there had been no salary given in the job ad and my experience isn't alleged.

.Then she started bragging. "I'm 27, I've got four businesses, I turned over a million pounds last year, I'm going nationwide with this thing".

This thing as she put is, was cup cakes. The website was pleasant enough, though it didn''t make you want to beat a path to her outlet in Birmingham.

Then she went from cocky to rude. "I can see where' you're coming from, you're just looking for an easy ride til you retire".

I bit my tongue momentarily, but before I could give her a response, she slammed the phone down on me.

I am rarely rude to people, but when they are rude to me, I will give double back.

Fortunately, I have the ability to check out businesses with Experian. At a glance, you can see a company's credit rating out of a hundred. Hers was a blistering 6.= out of a possibel 100.

I took a screen cap and dropped her a line with some polite but firm home truths, drawing her attention to her score and wishing her great success with those zealous expansion plans.

Truth is, she gave a lot away about how she does business in her bragging. She takes people on and as soon as they fail to meet her exacting standards they are fired.

With a credit rating like that, you'd join and be lucky to get paid.

So my opinion there was bye bye cupcake.

Case 2.

Company selling used plant and machinery, looking for admin with marketing abilities.

Spoke with him on a couple of occasions, slippery Indian. Asked loads of questions, but would never answer any asked of him. It was obvious I had the skills he wanted, but as he wouldn't tell me the salary I was less than enthusiastic. He refused to do a video meeting.

I had to postpone our first meet as I'd got problems with kidney stones. I emailed his enquiries e mail (his main line of website contact for sales, so should be monitored).

He called me to say he never got it and because of me, he'd dismissed all the other applicants for the job in my favour and now I'd let him down and he needed someone to start.

Indians are smart business operators. No one would dismiss candidates when they'd not even met the one they like the sound of, let alone give an explanation of duties and the salary for the job.

Cutting the story short, he kept ringing me to the point I had to block him. A total nutter with a vindictive streak.

Experian score 26.

Case 3.

Some sort of marketing job, location stated as Birmingham, but company based in Scotland. Advertising a salary of £ 28-46k for some very basic duties. That looked suspicious.

I applied and received a message back. I am impressed with your experience, I'd like to speak with you, please may I have contact details.

These of course would have been on the cv. I responded though.

I couldn't; find anything online about this company or what it does. I did find what I believe is the right company on Experian credit score 17.

He's not bothered coming back to me, so his interest was obviously shortlived or completely fake.

All of these situations occurred within a fortnight of each other and suggests to me, that there are companies out there who view candidates as disposable as condoms and will use one as they do a condom too.

My opinion of agencies continues, having had several fruitless encounters. Complete disgrace that industry is.