kips

I recently applied for a temporary job in Perth for Centrelink via a recruitment agency called Red Source.

Within two hours of applying online I got a call from the agency inviting me for an interview the following day.

The woman I spoke to asked me to bring my passport, Tax File Number, superannuation details and bank account details.

She said these were needed to set up my file on their system - in case I got the job - as they needed someone to start fairly quickly.

Is it normal for recruitment agencies to require this information BEFORE I have been offered the job ? What happens to my details if I don't get the job?

I would have had no problems giving my details to Centrelink had I got the job.

Also when I mentioned I had recently acquired a police clearance certificate she said this was not necessary as Centrelink liked to do its own checks.

I only applied because there was a position in Rockingham which is only 15 minutes from here so ideal.

But when the woman phoned me she said the vacancy in Rockingham was no longer available but a position was available in Fremantle.

The pay was crap. Once I factored in the cost of travelling to and from Fremantle from Baldivis and the cost of pre and after school care it wasn't worth working.

So I phoned the woman back and declined. However, she insisted I attend the interview as the Rockingham position might still be available ?????

I wasn't comfortable giving out so many personal details to a recruitment agency before a job offer so didn't go.

Amazulu

All recruitment agencies are not created equal. The vast majority are a total waste of space - as they are all over the world.

kips

I think you are right. I was once initially rejected for a job - with a private health fund in Wollongong, NSW - through a recruitment agency's dubious selection process.

I had to fill out one of those stupid psychometric tests and then do a role playing exercise.

I was told to sit in a room with only a desk and telephone pretending to be a receptionist in a nursing home. Someone from the agency, pretending to be a potential client, then phoned me from the adjoining room. It was a farce.

A week later I got a phone call from the agency saying the employer wanted to interview me. I got the job and was there for 2 years until we relocated to Coffs Harbour.

it turned out this useless agency had rejected everyone who was suitable !!!

johnnye

The agency only needs to see your cv. They only need your bank details/super if they are going to pay you.

kips

Thanks. I thought that was the case.

eddie007

Unless its a temping agency....

Recruitment agencies get paid by an employer to fill a role, you shouldnt have any financial dealings with them... Especially not giving them bank info...

johnnye

Not entirely true as they pay temporary staff and therefore need bank details and super info. However, correct for permanent staff.

Kim67

But that's labour hire, not recruitment.

eddie007

Think either you misread my post... Or perhaps I didnt express meself very well...

A temping agency may well be involved in paying you... But a recruitment agency should just be a match maker between future employee and employer...

Maybe some agencies try and combine tge role...

Its probably a case of semantics...

johnnye

Some agencies do both. I've worked through agencies that supply both temporary and permanent staff. The OP suggests that the work was a "temporary job" so perhaps he/she was temping.

Kim67

Yep, I know, and it does say "temporary" so the OP is probably confusing people with the recruitment agency thing. I've worked through temping agencies before also.

eddie007

Agency nurses get paid by the agency, the agency bills the hospital and e agency takes their cut.... Then pays on ...

johnnye

Yes true. Either way I think we're all agreed that they shouldn't ask for the financial details without a job offer on the table. So she should go and tell them to get stuffed.