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BD Recruitment Ltd of Manchester I will never use your services!
By Simon Wharton | January 29, 2008
OK, this one is part whinge and part point about marketing. There is a company called BD recruitment who claim to do creative, technical and marketing recruitment and placement. They cold called me ages ago and the guy was OK so I let him know that he could call me back in a few months though I’m pretty happy with the people we use. So a few weeks later I was called again and sent unsolicited CVs. I do not like receiving unsolicited CVs. I do not like receiving anything that may imply that I am bound by Ts and Cs that I have not signed. Maybe I will meet one of these people via my retained recruitment guy, I certainly am not going to be having an argument about who introduced them and who I owe a fee to, so don’t send me unsolicited CVs. Bear in mind that I’ve given this guy the opportunity to call me at some stage, he has an in. Anyway, I keep getting calls and unsolicited CVs so I let him know I am not going to do business with him. I’m moved so far as to ring up BD Recruitment to speak to his manager. Which I didn’t do. Maybe I should have but I spoke to the gatekeeper and made my position politely really VERY clear. Job done I thought, they will leave me alone having realised the error of their ways. Wrong. today I received another 4 CVs I don’t want.
Well, BD Recruitment, I tried to tell you privately that I think the quality of your approach is appalling, now I am telling you very publicly not to bother us again. We will not do business with you and if anyone asks my opinion, I think it’s quite clear what I will be saying.
If anyone is interested in a recruitment company that understands my requirements, try the Graduate Recruitment Company. Give me a call and I will give you contact details for Ben. He doesn’t bother me. He knows that if I have a position vacant, he gets a call from me. Doesn’t hassle me with pointless sales calls.
There is a lesson in understanding your customers requirements that BD Recruitment urgently need to learn, especially when you are dealing with an online marketing company whose blog ranks reasonably well in search.
Topics: Blog, Marketing | 48 Comments »
January 30th, 2008 at 11:22 am
You should really spell check your posts, Simon.
January 30th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Sometimes being irate overtakes my ability to hit the check spelling button
February 11th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Well, there’s a result. Lots of Google hopping but right now, this posting is ranking page 1, number 5 for the term “BD Recruitment”. For a company that professes to recruit for the Search Marketing industry, they aren’t paying much attention to their online PR. Do they have a clue about their sector?
February 15th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Lots of oscillation on the Google SERPS for this post. Yesterday it was nowhere, today it is number 3 for the term BD recruitment. Still don’t think they’ve noticed.
February 15th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I’ve had experience with BD Recruitment before and they aren’t very good at all.
I’ve had agents lie to me about the status of a role, just to get me to attend an interview. Even so much as had an agent tell me I will be offered the job if I go to an interview. Only to attend, do well in the interview and never hear from the job agent or company again.
I would never ever get involved with BD Recruitment, no matter how desparate I needed a job.
February 15th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Simon
I find that the culture of a company generally pervades all aspects. It seems they’re not very good at either end of the equation. By the way, I’m really liking the Dimmu Borgir site. You are a Goth and I claim my five pounds!!
February 18th, 2008 at 12:42 am
I’ve had an experience with them, too. They first called me on Jan 7th, when I was on holiday. It was Monday. I asked them to call me Wednesday when I’d come back. They did call me on Wednesday… but a whole month later! The guy asked me to email him my CV and disappeared. His colleague rang a week later and said: “My colleague spoke to you yesterday”. He told me about this “brand new company” with lots of opportunities to grow, to seize which I’d have to relocate. Not that I mind, but I wasn’t really planning on doing it, and anyway, can I see a job spec? He promises to email it to me. I’m still waiting.
So, defo no business with them.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:45 pm
And still they keep spamming us with unsolicited CVs.
“Hi,
Please find the CV for an outstanding Technical Support Engineer. She is immediately available for interview. Ideally she is looking for around £24,000
If her CV is of any interest to you or you are looking for candidates with similar skill sets don’t hesitate to give me a call.
If you require any further information take a look at out website ”
So what technical support do you imagine we do? I see that BD recruitment really work hard for their fees by prequalifying the candidates for prospective employers.
Hmm, any SEOs or web jockeys fancy dropping a link to this post with the anchor text of “BD recruitment Ltd” so I can out rank then for their own business name?
February 26th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
BD are bean-eating morons.
March 27th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
And they still haven’t done anything about this post, though ranking has fallen. Ah well
April 4th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
What a bunch of jokers, after repeatedly requesting them to stop calling and emailing, I received another call today from a lady who asked to be directed to our PPC department.
I wonder if this today’s polite request for them to stop calling will do any good.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Shame really that you’ve not had the same excellent service I’ve had from BD Recruitment. I found them a really helpful bunch who keep doing what they’re meant to do and that’s finding me the right people to fulfil my job roles.
June 13th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
My experience has been that they throw random CVs at me bearing no relation to what we do. Why would I wantto pay them 20% commission to do that?
November 6th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
This is pretty bad for their online PR, they’re getting quite a hammering, from me as well
Hi guys by the way, loving the blog! How’s Sam and Mark?
November 6th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Hi Darren,
We’re good thanks, how are you? saw BD Recruitment at the Interactive Marketing Show at Gmex the other day!
November 6th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Daz
That is just so funny but so typical of BD recruitment as well. They appear to be quite aware of my thoughts on them as well. Which is ace because they have finally buggered off!
March 10th, 2009 at 12:47 am
I went to 2 jobs after using them. One in Reading and one in London. In BOTH cases, they told me one salary and the company another, in both cases trying to force meetings on false promises – not thinking of the people involved AT ALL.
Basically, i spent lots of my own money on transport (£200+) going to interviews where I was 20k apart from the company I was going to see in terms of salary. In one case, it was more than my potential boss was earning – making him very unhappy IN the interview!
Keep well away from those people – its not only the companies that they mess about – its the interviewees too.
Also, they know damn well what they were doing because they refused to speak to me when i let them know of my anger.
The companies that i dealt with also told me at the time that they would never use them again.
Although not their doing, i was offered both jobs despite the salary differences, but thats not the point – it caused embarrassment on both parts which is not good in interview situations.
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Would you believe that BD recruitment rang yet again last week. Our ranking for the brand name of BD recruitment as a search term is up to number 4 right now. Wonder if we can get number 1 eventually?
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Glad you made this point Simon. I’m sick and tired of receiving unsolicited CVs and phone calls from recruitment companies. ‘Strictly no Agencies’ means just that.
And even if I was looking for a recruitment company, I would never use one with such aggressive sales tactics.
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:31 pm
Simon,
I think this shows that anyone who wants to has a voice and it can be a powerful voice.
What they do not appreciate is that say 10 years ago they could act like this and it might slowly filter through. Now message and reputation can be affected in minutes
Rob
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:30 pm
[...] A litany of sins committed against Simon when he clearly directed the agency on his wishes has provo…. There are only so many unsolicited and irrelevant CVs any man can take. [...]
April 4th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
A few pointers for all about recruitment regulations, these are set in stone by BERR (new name for DTi), they are actually responsible for policing recruitment agencies.
1. A Specced CV does not constitute an introduction. ie. If they spec you a CV they can in no way request a fee from you should you employ that person by any means other then going back to them and asking them for an interview to be arranged.
2. If you receive the same CV from two Recruitment Companies your are totally free to choose which one you wish to use, if any. It makes no difference what so ever who sent the CV first. It’s a free market choice for the consumer.
3. In order to send a candidate to your company, a recruitment company must first tell the candidate, exactly who the CV is going to. ie. Company Name. If not is is directly contravening the BERR Regs
4. Any agencies terms must comply with the BERR terms or they are not enforceable in a court of law.
5. You can report an agency to BERR, the link is here. http://www.berr.gov.uk/administration/contact/index.html
6. Many agencies will then take on the REC best practice code of conduct, this is available at the REC’s site. If your agency is an REC member, and they not following the code of conduct, complain to the REC and they will be thrown out.
Correctly utilised and supplied recruitment is an excellent service, no cost unless you find a perfect match, genuine advice, help and assistance to candidates if they want it.
We do send CV’s to clients on candidates request if we feel the candidate has a genuine benefit to the employer. If not we don’t. Many of the candidates we meet would not be suitable and do not get utilised.
I wouldn’t like to claim perfection, mistakes happen in any company but it is our intention to offer valuable, time saving help, for which we charge.
Mike Carter, MD Orchard
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecarterorchardsuits
April 9th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Simon
I think you’re obsession about the ranking of this page in Google, misses the point about what recruitment agencies actually do for people who have lost their job or are in a poor job and want to move on.
As far as I’m concerned BD Recruitment have done a brilliant job for me over the past few years, finding me better and better positions as my career has progressed.
I have been happy to pass friends details, which haven’t been so fortunate during this economic downturn, to BD Recruitment, hoping they’ll do the same sterling job for them as they have for me.
April 9th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Simon
It seems my last post in praise of BD recruitment wasn’t published, I think some would call that a little biased.
April 9th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Contrary to some of the comments posted on here, my experience of BD has been an entirely different one. I used BD to help me with my last role and I thought they were great. The person who I dealt with was professional, courteous to my situation (with me being very concerned my employer would find out I was looking) and efficient. I had feedback on all positions I was put forward to, consulted on all roles before being put forward – do you not realise that us candidates are sent to you, speculatively or not, because we maybe interested in you as a company and the consultant is doing their job in helping us????
I think those of you who have reported negative dealings with BD should consider that it may have been one person who slipped through the net of exceptional standards that the rest of the team live up to.
April 12th, 2009 at 10:39 am
David
We run a moderated blog which means that posts wait until approved. As we’re working, not all posts get approved immediately. Consequently your follow up post was a trifle hasty.
“Satisfied Customer” I fully realise how recruitment agencies work. Unfortunately BD Recruitment haven’t actually dealt with professionally at all. To reiterate the points, they repeatedly mailed us with CVs without permission to do so or any identifying any requirement. They were repreatedly asked to stop contacting us as their approach was shoddy.Why would I pay 15% to 25% to an agency who had randomly sent CVs to us? As to sending CVs to us as requested by a candidate, any candidate who can’t mail us directly is not someone I want working for us. And our unwanted contacts were with various people so it’s not just one bad egg.
I need to raise the isssue that it is rather odd to get a rush (relatively speaking) of positive comment on a blog post in such a short period of time. One might come to the conclusion that the posts were arranged, perhaps by a PR. I couldn’t say for certain so I have taken the positive approach and published all.
I should also mention that Chris Crawford, the MD of BD Recruitment has contacted me via email wanting to chat. I have declined as I really, really do not want to talk to BD recruitment in any way, shape or form. I have wasted too much of my life on them. However, I have offered Chris the right of reply on this blog.
What would I like him to say? Something along the lines of “I take your point and we will make efforts to improve our processes” would be sensible. I will settle for “I will ensure we never bother you again”
April 15th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Can’t someone do this for BT customer services! BD Rec bad service not a patch on the frustration caused by them – random I know!!!
April 27th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Hi all, as a seasoned recruiter, 9 years in total 7 in Uk and 2 in Dubai I am growing hugely frustrated with bad recruiters giving us a bad name. As an ex Director of one of the UK’s largest Marketing Recruitment companies I am fully aware of good and bad practices in the industry. If used properly a good recrutier will understand your business, provide good PR in the market and fully understand your needs. Yes more avenues are available to clients to hire directly now but good recruiters can still be invaluable to a business.
I do however feel a slight bit of sympathy for BD Recruitment here. The market is tough, the economy hard, what they are trying to do is business development. Ok too much, and not communicating with each other which is a cardinal sin in this game. However guys remember when times are tough no matter what industry we are in remember we are an agency just like you guys we need to fight to survive and increase our client numbers.
All in all I think I am trying to say give us a break guys we are not that bad – well not all of us!!!
October 1st, 2009 at 1:04 pm
I recently applied for a job through BD recruitment, and didn’t get to speak to the particular member of staff handling the role (Stephanie) once. I phoned on 6 different days in the 2 weeks following the application, and got a range of reasons as to why she couldnt speak to me (annual leave, off ill, in a meeting, on a call, not in today, bla bla bla).
So after two weeks, I still hadnt even received a call regarding my application, even though I was easily qualified for the job. Furthermore, because I hadnt received a call back, I knew nothing more about the job than the rather generic job description, so I had no idea of what the company was, or where in Birmingha they were based.
BD Recruiment treated me disgracefully, which has driven me to post on this blog.
To prove my suspicions, I phoned up using a different name, this time saying I’d seen a job advertised on the internet and would like some more information – I did this to see if they were basically just sharking for CVs. I told them that the contact on the Job Description was Stephanie, and that I simply wanted to know a bit more about the job. Guess what? I got a call back, from Stephanie, within one hour urging me to send my CV through, yet refusing to tell me more about the job!
BD Recruitment are one of those agencies that should be shut down, they’re immoral and rude.
January 7th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
This thread gets a roflcopter from me.
January 14th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Unbelievably, BD Recruitment are still spamming SEO agencies and theyve just spammed our VirtuAffinity brand despite being asked not just a few days ago.
An agency that cares so little about its’ reputation and work practices is, to my mind, very unlikely to care much about its’ clients. Think on that before you consider using BD Recruitment
January 14th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
I can’t say I’m surprised. I’ve had multiple calls from them saying they’ve “seen my CV online” (from a point when my job wasn’t entirely secure…) and want to talk about opportunities.
I gave them five minutes of my time, realised that they we just weren’t reading from the same song sheet. Since then, I get regular contact asking if I’d like to leave my secure and well paid employment for part-time contract work on a lower salary.
I wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
I think this is a general theme through a lot of recruitment agencies. Constant calling with the hope that one person will eventually either cave in or actually has an opening. A better approach would centre much more around getting to know and building a relationship with companies through other means and so when I do have a need, they are front of mind. As it is the mass approach just makes a lot of agencies feel hassled and that’s all.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I have told recruiters to call the office, not my mobile in the first instance. I have also lost count of the number of times that if they do call the office and the message is that I am in a meeting, they call my mobile straight away anyway. Hassle, hassle, hassle all the time.
Leave me alone!
January 18th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
And the legend of BD Recruitment grows: http://www.cirkleblog.com/2010/01/bd-recruitment-example-of-poor-online.html
January 18th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Here’s a thought. Build meaningful relationships with clients. Understand their business. Supply appropriate CVs from people with the correct cultural fit. Be honest. Respect the client (or potential client)
January 20th, 2010 at 11:48 pm
I’ve received a very thorough and detailed response from Chris Crawford from BD Recruitment. It was a detailed apology and a commitment to take actions over the problems I’ve had. A ballsy step and the right thing to do. One must give credit where it’s due. I hope they follow through on their commitments
January 22nd, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Yes, but are they just telling you what you want to hear? Stephanie got me an interview for a position that wasn’t for me, but told me to go anyway. Although the interviewer was sympathetic, there was still an awkwardness as to why I was there, so has to pitch myself from another angle.
In hindsight I’ve now moved onto another company, without the help from BD, however since that interview back in September I’ve had more than 3 calls from them asking whether I’m looking for work to which I’ve asked them to stop ringing me 3 times. I had to email Stephanie personally to ask not to be contacted after the second time but this didn’t work.
Let’s see if I get another call or email. At least they dont withhold their number so I know not to answer. If I am looking for work, I will look for work!
February 6th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
I have had a bad experience with BD recruitment as well – they belittled my CV and current employer and it turned out they deceived me about the company I was in an interviewing process with.
The agent I was working with was arrogant, rude, deceptive, manipulative, pushy, obsessive and an all round displeasure to associate with.
February 16th, 2010 at 1:17 am
Angie
Curious as to how recent that experience was? Would love to know whether the leopard changes its’ spots.
March 12th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
So good to see a post on the web about this company. I have had dealings with BD Recruitment on all sides of the process through different organisations.
I was thinking of going through each of the experiences that I have had with them but will summarise it this way.
Unprofessional, underhand and fundamentally shifty. They tick all of the boxes of why recruitment consultants out there get a bad name.
A word to the wise if you are a supplier to this company – make sure you have a good debt collector in place.
June 4th, 2010 at 11:38 am
I have had a very bad experience with this lot too, esp with Stephanie.
Dodging my calls multiple times AFTER I went for interviews, pretending not to be there when I could hear the guy who answered the phone talking to her, not being able to tell me I didn’t get the job. As soon as she knows someone doesn’t get the job, she doesn’t care as she can’t make money off them anymore and moves on. I think it’s very rude and not how to retain your client base. Have heard from others as well that she says she will ring or mail and then never does.
Extremely unprofessional lot and I will not be dealing with them again.
June 9th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Speaking as a candidate, you would not believe the amount of times I’ve had to do all the chasing and whip-cracking just to get a response to a cover letter, never mind an actual interview. On that basis, BD are sadly no exception. I’ll happily add Purple (never followed up with client feedback after an actual interview) and Oscar Associates (ignored numerous emails and calls, staff coming and going all the time) to the list.
Obviously, I don’t want to tarnish the reputations of those agencies with ‘good’ practices, however I’d hate to think my CV is getting thrown around to every Tom, Dick or Harry on the off-chance that someone ‘may’ be interested in giving me a job. Surely this devalues the candidate and annoys the client?
June 10th, 2010 at 10:39 am
I dont understand why recruitment consultancies insist on behaving diferently to any other business in theor sales process. And Im not necessarily talking about BD Recruitment here. They have adhered to what was agreed after our last contact. But in general, they believe that its necessary to be unscrupulous in trying to get to the decision maker and feel its OK to be shoddy in the way that they manage client and candidate relationships. Other business sectors have similar issues in opening up new business but in general will attempt that using “old fashioned ” techniques such as well thought out marketing; establishing a good reputation; doing a good job. Huge generalistions, I know, but you get the idea
June 17th, 2010 at 11:05 am
I’ve had a terrible experience with BD Recruitment. The guy in question? Paul Lewis. He lied about salary, bonus and benefits. They mentioned a bonus that would happen after 3 months service in the job, which never came. He said his client would match the salary I’d been offered elsewhere, which was a lie.
While this has made me distrust the recruitment industry and their dodgy tactics, it means I will be very cautious in future and ensure everything is in writing. Unfortunately trust and honesty is essential in recruitment and not an excuse to get one over the person you are placing.
I am in the search engine optimisation industry and have warned all my colleagues from using these cowboys. They will run out of people to place at this rate.
While some of the people recruiting may have had a positive experience (getting higly qualified people in for a knock down salary through dishonesty) just ask the people they’ve placed and see if their experience is the same. I seriously doubt it!
Top article chaps!
July 20th, 2010 at 9:44 am
Ditto everything gEoff stated. I was lied to about salary and bonus too. Start salary on commencement of employment was 24% less than initially stated in first telephone contact.
I was told I would receive payments from a guarenteed 20% of salary bonus scheme – that would commence after first month. In fact, I would have to wait over 6 months until this is paid (if at all). The 20% receipt of bonus for the job is not guarenteed either.
All this I established 1 day prior to my actual start date in new job, leaving me no time to back out and find alternative employment (frustrating when I had turned down roles offering more money). This leaves a severe sour taste in the mouth and puts the employee in a really negative frame of mind when starting the new job. Extremely poor form!
July 20th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
I used to work for BD Recruitment, the worst employer I have ever had. Staff were regularly subjected to fits of frustration and rage by the then highly unethical and I believe genuinely misguided – Chris Crawford. I remember one occasion, in the midst of the then daily dressing down of staff, we were all told that “to this date none of you have achieved anything in your lives!”. The blatant down trodden and demotivated ethos of the 3 to 4 staff within the company was propped up by one consultant who was always enthusiastic and optimistic, and good at his job. It is important to state however, that by good at his job, I mean good at doing what Chris tells him to do. He was, and maybe still is, BD Recruitment and would flourish in the industry under the correct training within the right company.
At times clients and candidates were put on load speaker so that the office could laugh at anything from their repetitive colloquialisms to their speech impediments. We were very rarely allowed to advertise clients jobs and each day began with a monster/jobsite search, followed by a blitz of the CV’s we had found to pretty much everyone on our mailing list in an attempt to gain ownership of the candidates through our T’s and C’s. More often than not the candidate had not even been spoken to, in my year with BD Recruitment I never interviewed one candidate in person, nor to my knowledge did any of my co-workers.
My training consisted of (as well as many other tricks):
LEADS – (this is a term used by most recruitment agencies) Never tell BD Recruitment where you are going for interview, this is called a “lead” and they will try anything to get the info out of you. If you do tell them they will send over competing CV’s the second they are off the phone with you, diluting your chance of achieving the job and increasing their chance of earning commission.
THE CLOSE – Always clarify salary at interview with your employer, the figure you have been given has the potential to be significantly different from that which your interviewer has been given. BD Recruitment will often tell you ‘this is simply not done’ in order to stop you doing so. They will address the discrepancy once an offer has been made, selling you ‘the potential of progression’ or whatever other ammunition they have gathered through previous conversations with you in order to bring down the acceptance salary. The usual trick is to remind you of the minimum you said you would accept for your perfect job, then implying that is what was offered. This is followed up with a ‘Wahey!’ I got you 1K more. You end up felling thrilled when it is still well under what you were told you could achieve before interview.
THE SELL – A key part of the close, this is done after receiving an offer from the client and before telling the candidate that the job has been offered to them. The candidate is told that BD Recruitment has another (fictional) candidate (who is currently on more money than the candidate that has been offered) who the client is very interested in, and they are willing to accept a lower salary as they realise how great the opportunity is. This gets your salary expectations down and sets you up for the close, this is nearly always done.
There is much, much more to write but I don’t know if anyone would be bothered reading any more.
I would like to add that this is not a rant of a sacked employee, due to the advice of my friends and family I quit BD Recruitment and went on the be not amazingly, but quite successful (earning 4X my BD Recruitment salary) within another recruitment company before leaving the industry for good. Once I left I had attempted to keep in contact with a couple of my former workmates but they told me that Chris had asked them not to speak with me.
July 23rd, 2010 at 12:47 am
Ive applied for around 12 to 15 jobs through BD and got bugger all response, not a single interview! I sent an email nicely complaining and got what I now realise after reading this blog a fobbed off response. Ive had more luck with speculative emails than with these guys. Im begining to wonder now if by using them Ive messed up my chances of getting interviews with companies such as yourselves.
Stay well clear!
July 27th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Still love this post. Haven’t had a missed call for a while… are they still going?