As I am nearing the completion of my second tertiary qualification and as I have obtained an overall pass in all my subjects in both the semesters, except for the practicum component as I am awaiting a placement in January, I have begun to apply for jobs. It is also a compulsory requirement of jobseeker arrangement that I submit for four applications for positions suiting my qualifications and failing to do so results in sighting a warning on the dashboard each time I log into myGov.au. As I am seeking employment in the GLAM industry, I applied for a few positions via recruitment agencies. Recently, I have been indirectly involved in a how-the-heck or what-the-fuck-50%-pay-cut-situation and this influenced me to research about how much cut recruiters take from a candidate’s salary.
Not that I have ever been recruited via an agent, but I thought I should know to protect myself from future exploitation. Recruitment agencies usually charge between 10% to 20% from candidates. Unless for top positions like Chief Executive Officer of a company and jobs with a pay scale between $150,000 and over, the recruitment agencies do not charge over 30% which translates into four months’ pay. I got the tables from the following website: https://www.harrisonmcmillan.com.au
Since jobs in the GLAM industry can also be found by checking council websites, library newsletters, newspapers and Australian Library Information Association Recruit Lis, there is no compulsion that one should go through recruitment agencies. However, the obvious benefits of seeking the assistance of a recruitment agency is to get employed quickly and to find out what the employers usually look for in the candidates. There are many disadvantages in finding a suitable job via recruitment agencies. Besides letting go of three to four months of the candidate’s annual pay to the agency, the job may not seem suitable for the candidate even though he is qualified for the position as he may not understand the company’s expectations and the inside culture. This might lead to no job satisfaction and poor performance.
Finding jobs on your own is recommended as you can learn about your prospective employer, the services they offer and research about the employer to be sure if you fit there. Recruiters, who are focused on the profit margin do not really attach any importance to the career goals of the candidates and hence gaining employment through them may not be the best option. A few recruitment agencies are reputed to offer opportunities that the candidates did not want to continue with and do not listen to the candidate’s issues or aspirations and usually have a different agenda to the latter. Most scholarly sources recommend finding jobs through newspaper ads, government sites, and organizations’ websites. Stay smart!
A Writer's Exposé 