As the hunt for student jobs and graduate jobs becomes ever more competitive, students should look at all possible avenues to gain work experience and employment. Recruitment agencies can offer an important platform, as many often have contacts with a large number of employers who choose not to advertise their vacancies publicly.
Recruitment agencies get a bad rep and to many students they are still seen as a mysterious force that practices a dark art. The reputation has come from the fact that many have put the search for the pounds before the interests of the candidate or client organisation. However, as with any industry, there are varying levels of service, so we recommend you do research into the best agencies in your field before registering, to make sure they can match your expectations.
What is a recruitment agency?
The role of the recruitment consultant is similar to a dating agency; they have to find a suitable partner for the employer, make an introduction, and hope that love is in the air! Depending on the position offered, this may involve the recruitment agency sending the candidate for an interview at the clients offices, or supplying the client with the CV’s of prospective candidates or choosing the candidate for the position themselves.
How do recruitment agencies make money?
Recruitment agencies will often charge clients a percentage of a candidates starting salary for the candidate they placed on the client’s organisation. For example, if a candidate is placed by a recruitment agency and starts on a salary of £15,000 per year, the agency may charge 10% of this, which is £1,500.
Will this route stall my career?
Definitely not. I have a good friend that travelled for a year, returned to the UK, found a temporary job through an agency and as a result of the work experience, they moved on to work for a top management consultancy!
Can you recommend any reputable companies?
Funny you should ask! We’ve compiled a short list of well-known and respected firms to kick start your search…
UK Recruitment Agencies for Students
Adecco
Sectors: Clerical, administrative and secretarial vacancies with a variety of companies, including the public sector
www.adecco.co.uk
Angela Mortimer
Sectors: Accountancy, Administration/Secretarial, Finance, Legal, Media and New Media
www.angelamortimer.com
Badenoch and Clark
Sectors: Finance, accountancy, banking, legal, IT, property
www.badenochandclark.com
Eden Brown
Sectors: Public sector jobs
www.edenbrown.com
Elan
Sectors: IT specialist
www.elanit.co.uk
Hays
Sectors: Accountancy, finance,construction, IT, education, health/social care, pharma
www.hays.com
Matchtech Group
Sectors: Technical, construction
www.matchtech.com/graduates
Michael Page International
Sectors: Accountancy, financial, legal, engineering, IT, retail, sales & marketing
www.michaelpage.co.uk
Quest Search and Selection
Sectors: Retail & FMCG, sales & marketing, property, HR, purchasing, logistics
www.questsearch.co.uk
Reed Graduates
Sectors: Graduate jobs across a range of sectors
www.reed.co.uk/graduate
Pareto law
Sectors: Sales
www.pareto.co.uk/graduate_jobs.aspx
Good luck!
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