9-20 Recruitment www.9-20recruitment.com Review

Overall Rating

This agency was very unprofessional. They rang to say that their client was interested in seeing me. Later, it became apparent that what was actually meant by this was that they would like to interview me on their client's behalf. I should have walked away at this point, particularly since their proposed venue for said 'interview' was "whichever pub or coffee shop is handiest for you". On further research, it would seem that this agency make a fee from their clients for the service of 'vetting' clients this way; in reality, as well as the dubious surroundings in which these interviews take place, it's pretty clear that the staff member conducting the interview is quite ignorant of both the specifics of the job under discussion, and what it is that the potential candidates they're vetting actually do (yes, I did make the further mistake of meeting the agency for the aforementioned 'interview', once I'd pointed out that their offices was a more appropriate location for such a meeting). Still, unlike the poor client involved, I at least didn't shell out for the privilege of this total waste of time taking place. I can't recommend that candidates and clients alike avoid agencies of this ilk like the plague.

Glasgow-based recruitment agency, specialising in recruiting for 'exclusive' clients.

Members' Comments onGuest's Review

• kbeaton on 3rd Apr 2008

  Thank you for your comments. Obviously we are really disappointed to hear that your experience with 9-20 recruitment was not a good one, particularly as Candidate Care makes up a central pillar of our company ethos and operational policy.
  To aid any confusion as to the reasoning behind our practices we would like to address the following:
  "They rang to say that their client was interested in seeing me. Later, it became apparent that what was actually meant by this was that they would like to interview me on their client's behalf."¯
  To ensure a successful match, finding the right people for the right job, 9-20 Recruitment aim to address the needs of Clients and Candidates.
  In our recent market survey 60% of Clients stated the primary reason for selecting a recruitment supplier was their ability to short-list the right candidates. Moreover 40% of candidates said that it was the selection process that will have the biggest impact on recruitment.
  We therefore meet all our candidates prior to a client interview to reduce the chance of an unsuitable pairing; which would waste both the client and candidates time. As such we are adding value to basic recruitment provision and our clients pay for an enhanced service provision with 9-20 Recruitment that they do not always get when paying other recruitment providers.
  "their proposed venue for said 'interview' was "whichever pub or coffee shop is handiest for you""¯
  At 9-20 Recruitment we appreciate that it is not often easy for candidates to attend interviews at a set time and location, as such, we offer to meet candidates at a location suitable for them, often out of normal working hours (our MD is interviewing an executive this Saturday). It is very rare that a bar is chosen as the most suitable location by the candidate.
  An article featured in the Sunday Times Magazine (30.03.08) highlights that coffee house events are becoming more and more common in the "aim to bring the informal business culture“ that go “for“ it Californian positivity“ of Silicon Valley to the UK"¯.
  "the staff member conducting the interview is quite ignorant of both the specifics of the job under discussion, and what it is that the potential candidates they're vetting actually do"¯
  One of our 4 Candidate Care promises is to bring knowledge to the candidate at every stage of the recruitment process and we are very proud of our recruiters understanding of the IT market and role specifics. It may have been that, in this particular situation, the candidate was unsuitable for role, reasserting our reasoning for meeting each candidate before a client introduction.
  We would like to apologize again for any misunderstanding of our recruitment processes and service and would be more than happy to discuss your experience further to ensure any remaining upset is addressed. Moreover we will be happy to help with any career progression needs you may have at present.
  You can contact me directly at kbeaton@9-20recruitment.com