As I mentioned earlier, the recruitment industry has its good and bad companies.  REC membership should certainly be one of your first criteria when choosing a recruitment agency to help you.  Membership is not a cast iron guarantee of professionalism, but generally member companies are more ethical and dedicated to customer service (both applicant and client).

The better agencies will be able to demonstrate the following;-

• Good connections in their specialist field, offering a depth of knowledge and experience.
• An in depth understanding of the current market for your skills, being able to give you information on the current market as far as job prospects and current vacancies are concerned.
• They should be able to give you a clear indication of the salary level you can expect given your experience.
• Suitable opportunities with reputable companies, and also be able to demonstrate their relationship with that client. They will know the client contacts well and should be able to provide full and meaningful job descriptions.
• They should be able to give you a reasonable understanding of the clients working environment.
• They should have the ability to offer you a range of suitable openings.
• And, finally, be able to demonstrate a clear track record of success in your given field.

Recruitment Consultancy

Certainly all of the above factors are critical in being present if an agency is to be in a position to help your job search.  If an agency cannot provide the above, you should seriously consider if they are right for you.  However, these are the main pointers you should look when choosing a recruitment agency and deciding if they are the right agency for you. You should also have personal contact with one of the consultants who will become your point of contact with the recruitemnt agency.