"Sorry, no recruitment agencies."

It's a phrase heard among recruitment consultants all over the world. When advertising a job vacancy, the hiring manager feels confident enough in their knowledge of that particular industry to deny that they need any help recruiting.

Strangely, this is often the case when the hiring manager has ended up in that position by enlisting the help of a specialist recruitment agency. Even stranger is the fact that they often end up rejecting the help of the recruitment consultant who got them that very job!

The relationship that existed with that consultant is suddenly cast aside. But why? This is a company which is evidently happy to work with a recruitment agency, and the agency clearly understands their business needs.

By issuing a 'no agency policy' the new hiring manager is probably looking to making an impression on their new business. The aim for them is to employ someone quickly and seamlessly, saving money and looking decisive and authoritative in the process.

But what if it isn't that easy?

Recruitment agencies exist for a reason – they have an unrivalled, specialist knowledge of their chosen sector and they have the contacts and the resources to make hiring seem easy when in fact it is anything but.

So, things might not work out for this particular hiring manager, and they might find themselves looking for work again a few months later. This doesn't mean they're bad at their job – it can happen to the best of us - but it does mean that they'll go right back to the recruitment agency that helped them so professionally before.

And what should this agency do?

They're now faced with the prospect of working with a candidate who they know to have little loyalty and an inability to build lasting business relationships.

The recruitment consultant is therefore well within their rights to resist the overtures of the returning jobseeker in favour of other candidates who are more likely to go on to become business partners in the future.

It's a lesson in bridge building rather bridge burning. Long term success in any job and any profession depends on your ability to nurture business relationships and to recognise the value of working with a specialist when you need one.

At Cento, we believe in more than simply filling vacancies. We provide the latest market information and advice to our clients and candidates to ensure they have a competitive edge in a constantly evolving job market.

If you’re looking for work, you can either view our current opportunities on our job pages, or get in touch with one of our consultants on 0203 793 8867 or via admin@centogroup.com.