In these tough times not everyone has the resources and luxuries to search for a job and that’s where job agencies come into play. These agencies look for employment on behalf of you as their client and you pay them a certain commission every month. I take a look at the pros and cons of using job agencies and whether these are better off than searching for jobs on your own.
Pros
1. Save time and energy: The good thing about job agencies is that they save you time and energy of looking for a job. The job agency goes out of it’s way to look for jobs for the clients meaning you.
2. Suitable employment: One of the many good things about employment agencies is that they find jobs that are suitable for you. Based on your CV, they can determine which jobs are suitable and which companies are most likely to search for your skill. They can create the perfect match between you and your future employers.
3. Provide skills training: In order to maximise your chances of getting a job, some job agencies will provide you with skills training such as interview skills. Sometimes these job agencies may even provide work skills for other jobs that you might be interested in e.g Call Centre.
4. Huge database: Most job agencies have a huge database of jobs and so it’ll be easy finding a job best suited for you based on your skills or experience.
Cons
1. Pay commission: The very unfortunate part of using a job agency is that you have to pay for their service. Some agencies may require money upon joining their agencies whilst some may make you pay once you have a job. Once you have a job, agencies will deduct a commission from your salary and in some cases your salary might be paid into their account and from there into your account.
2. Huge database=Huge clients: Having a huge database of jobs means that there’s also a lot of clients that an agency has. This means that if your CV does not stand out then you will not get the desired attention to get a suitable job.
3. No guarantee: Even though a job agency has a huge database, it still does not guarantee that you will get a job through the agency and sometimes if you do it will not be the desired job.
4. Is it trustworthy?: How does one confirm that a certain job agency is more legitimate than the other? What are the success rates of the job agency? These are some of the difficulties you may face and some of these agencies are simply fly-by-nights looking to make a quick buck from desperate job seekers.
By Nhlanhla Molepo
