Hopkins Launches Recruitment Agency
Carl Hopkins, who recently sold JDA to TDMG,is to launch a recruitment business
The new service is designed to offer employers an alternative choice to large recruitment agencies or head hunters.
"With Agencybods.co.uk I aim to take the hassle out of recruitment for agency owners, placing only candidates that fulfil the criteria," said Hopkins. "I would rather send no one than a no-body. It's not about how many people I can send through the door but whether I can place the right person."
Candidates will receive a £250 cheque upon successful completion of their probationary period and Hopkins will also team up with Julie Harrington of Leeds-based breast Cancer Haven. "I have decided that for every relevant candidate who registers with agencybods.co.uk I will personally donate £5 to the Breast Cancer haven Appeal. My aim is to raise £5,000 before the end of the year."
"Practically every agency owner I know has an issue with the way recruitment agencies operate and the list of contentious issues is endless: CV's are simply passed on and not vetted, blanket mailings of candidates are sent out, there is little or no candidate preparation and half the time candidates don't even know where their CV's have been sent to!" said Hopkins.
"There are even more issues surrounding their fees: there is no shared risk with the agencies and any form of recruitment is risky. The payment terms are demanded before the end of the probationary period of the candidate plus there is no refund if the candidate doesn't work out. They claim their fees are transparent but I cannot find the rates on their sites, and they never seem to tell the candidates that they charge 20-30% of their first year's salary to the employer. So I decided to use my 25 years worth of contacts and experience of the marketing industry to do something about it."