If you are thinking about signing up with a recruitment agency to find a new job, make sure you do your research. Never simply join an agency without a thorough background check, because the right agency can do wonders for your career, but the wrong agency could hinder your search and even bring it to a standstill.
There are some dead giveaways that you should be aware of when it comes to which agencies to avoid. One easy way to weed out those that are not the real deal is to pay attention to how they advertise their services. If their ads sound as if they are promising the world and can place anyone in any job, then this is a good indication that they are all hype.
Another red flag to watch out for is a recruiting agency that asks you for money for their services. Reputable recruiting agencies do not charge job seekers a fee for their services. Instead, they get paid by the companies who hire the job candidates that the recruiter matches them up with. So if a recruiting agency asks you for money, get out of there!
Once you do sign up with an agency, note how the recruiter interacts with you and the service he or she provides. A reputable recruiter will take the time to find out exactly what you are looking for in a new job, assess your skills and experience, and match you up with companies that have job openings that are in line with what you are looking for in a job. In other words, your needs are just as important to the recruiter as the needs of the companies that sign with them.
So if you sign up with a recruiting agency and your recruiter does not take the time to talk with you and find out what you are looking for in a new job and just starts sending you out on job interviews that are not in line with what you are looking for, this is a clear indicator that the recruiter is not acting on your behalf. In such a situation, you can ask to switch to a new recruiter within the same agency, but if you find that you have the same experience, then it may be the agency itself that is the problem, so move on.
A recruiting agency can be a great option when it comes to increasing your chances of finding a new job, but even when you have a recruiter helping you, it is always beneficial to continue your own job search as well.