Searching for a job can be pretty tough, all those online applications can often be fruitless and…read moresometimes it feels like you are getting nowhere. If you like me feel like this then my advice is to get yourself down to a recruitment consultants. They will look for jobs for you under the specifications you give them and then forward your details to you're the recruiter. Lynn Recruitment is a really good company to join, firstly it is located on May Street in Belfast which is about as central as you can get. It also does not have any particular specialty so is a great company for anyone to join no matter what your qualifications. They also cater for temporary or permanent work. Registering is pretty painless too, just pop into the office with your passport, CV and national insurance card and next thing you know you will be working in Wall Street or at least Percy Street.

After having a pretty rough couple of years economically, things still aren't great on the job…read morefront. Many people have experienced redundancy or have had to work on reduced hours. I was one of them. A number of months ago I spotted a job I would be interested in and it was through Grafton Recruitment., so I duly sent them across my CV. They left me a voicemail with a brief description of the job, and said the employer wanted to see me at a certain time. I was somewhat taken aback, as most agencies, even the very small ones, will want you to come in to register personally, and have a chat with you about what sort of jobs you are looking for, I got none of this. When I tried to call back to discuss it further, the consultant was not available and despite my best efforts, never returned my calls. I attended the interview at the time left on my voicemail and spoke to the employer, but unfortunately the job was not for me. Again I had no luck getting speaking to the consultant, so had to leave a message with my feedback. Over the following weeks, I noticed a number of other jobs of interest which I tried to get in contact about ,but still no one had the courtesy to even respond. I am now in a fantastic job that I love, but no thanks to this agency, I would not use them in future.

Since we have began to fell the pinch of the recession, this place has been rammed with people…read morelooking any sort of job with any sort of money just to cover the bills and make a bit of money towards the old student debt. However this recruitment agency is more inclined towards temporary positions so if you are looking a career change then I think this place should be well avoided. If you are a student like me who is looking a bit of extra money doing catering or secretarial work over the Summer break then this is well worth a shout, though if your looking for the best job in the world, it is probably not going to be here. The staff will be more than willing to help you and they even gave me advice when I told them what exactly I was looking for. However one word of advice is that you can't be fussy with regards to the work that they may offer you because any of the jobs offered by this agency aren't that great paying.

Nick's review of recruitment agencies in general is pretty accurate. Although I think it's just a…read moreproduct of the recession to be honest. There are just too many people looking for work so the agencies are totally inundated. I've found that the trick is to keep ringing up and speaking to whoever is meant to be looking after you - that way they'll never forget you when jobs come along! Anyway, hindsight's a wonderful thing and I'm now gainfully employed, so *crosses fingers desperately* I won't be dealing with any recruitment agencies int he near future. As far as Apple went, I can't really complain. They have quite a few public sector contracts, and so manage to place a lot people in temporary (which very often lead to permanent) jobs in the civil service. I got a temp job with them and while it didn't get made permanent, I had no complaints with the way Apple dealt with me from start to finish.

Years ago I signed up with Apple Recruitment for some temporary work and found that even though I…read moredidn't have much relevant experience, they found me work fairly quickly. It served a purpose, though jobs were never going to lead to anything that would be of any long term interest to me. Like most temping agencies they will slot you in wherever it is practical for them to do so, often in public sector positions. Good opportunities for permanent jobs can arise, though it is the nature of the temporary work beast to feel exploited on occasions. I had found this firm useful over the years until I was hit by last winter's horrible economic downturn and there just seemed to be nothing doing with them for months, apart from the odd day of work here and there which doesn't keep the wolf from the door. Apple Recruitment will find you something if you're willing but I can't wait to find a dream, permanent job, temping's only ok up to a point.

At 19.00 received a call from Cpl Solutions International Belfast branch consultant Rosin,she asked…read moreme do i have share code.I said that i am british national,she said i need to provide birth certificate if i want to apply for the job in Almac ,Northern Ireland.She told me british passport ,british driving license and national insurance is not enough,she need birth certificate.Then she asked about my job expierence did i worked in production line ,i said yes,as i worked as Quality Assurance Inspector for 5 years ,she said i can not see this,i said have you seen my CV she told she can not see those details in my CV,then she said do i have share code,because my name and surname looks foreign to here,i told again i am british national and i do not need share code,she just pissing me off,i terminated call.

CPL Recruitment were good to me in the brief experience I had with them earlier this summer. After…read morebeing left out of employment, I threw myself at as many recruitment firms as I could and CPL were the first to get back to me. They called me in for an appointment and were very helpful to me.They offered me a range of temp jobs, which was surprising considering how in the summer it is notoriously slow in the jobs market! They also gave me good advice about the roles I was going to take on, and advised me against certain roles because if I left them I would have incurred training fees which would have made my time at them redundant! Their office is small and basic, but that doesn't matter when it isn't there that you are wanting to work in! They give you a responsive and personal service, which is much more than I can say for some of the bigger recruitment firms!

I have had some contact with Manpower, Belfast, and this was because my partner went for interview…read morein February 2012 (for a job at Bombardier). By May he had heard barely anything. I contacted them to try & find out why. In the end they did get in touch with him, one of those reassuring phone calls saying he would hear by the end of May. Still nothing but a couple of calls checking they had his details correct. If Manpower can't cope with the number of people they attempt to recruit, and cannot keep to their cheery & upbeat statements on their website, then why are companies like Bombardier paying them for their absolutely appalling people skills and lack of personal contact? I am under the impression they are recruiting a significant number of people for Bombardier, but if they cannot keep track of and update their clients, or even bother to tell them that the jobs are/ aren't taken, why are they called recruitment consultants? From their website it seems all they are interested in is pleasing the companies that hire them, but in no way, form my partner's experience, do they support the workers they are apparently recruiting in any way. I am really angry. If I was interviewed for a job in February & 6 months later was still in the dark about the possibility of being hired, I would be so downhearted and feel totally discarded. What Manpower seem to be oblivious of is that in these very hard times, the promise of work is like a light at the end of the tunnel. For my partner and, no doubt, hundreds of others, they have no idea if the light is still on or whether they should turn around and leave the tunnel altogether.

Although i was unable to secure a job through this agency (despite having several qualifications) i…read morefelt that the staff were helpful and pleasent and i did manage to aquire several interviews with clients of the agency.

I'm generally not a huge fan of recruitment agencies. I've had mixed experiences with them…read moreincluding a spell working IN one. So it was with some hesitation that I registered with Abacus earlier this week. I was interested in a particular short term job I had seen advertised online. However, I am really impressed with Abacus. I felt my enquiries and registration were handled professionally and promptly. They sent a text today to see if anyone was interested in a couple of days admin work which I took. Possibly all agencies do this but this is the first time I've experienced it. Quick and efficient. So far so good. I recommend them if you're between jobs and need some cash or if you're looking for your next job. Worth a look.

As a proper victim of the recession, I know pretty much every recruitment agency in Belfast, having…read moreregistered with most of them at some point or another! Abacus placed me in my current role, and I'd have to say my experience with them has been one of the best experiences I've had so far. With unemployment so high at the minute, most agencies are totally overrun with people applying for any job, so the recruitment consultants must have a tough time weeding through everything. I felt that with Abacus, from the minute I signed up, I was being looked after. I dealt with Lianne, and she couldn't have been nicer. She's even called a few times since I started the job to see how I'm getting on. Obviously if you're looking for a job, you're going to sign up with as many agencies as you can, but for what it's worth, you'll get more value out of Abacus than a lot of the others!

Brook Street recruitment agency is one of the many, many agencies I visited after I graduated in…read moreorder to replace my usual funding from my student loans. They offices look so depressing that the worst place to work it appears to be Brook Street. They have managed to utilize every possible tonal shade of gray and incorporate into their offices. But the décor isn't important in a recruitment agency, its what they can do for you. These guys were very helpful and have a lot more services compared to the other agencies. There's no need to check their site, any job that comes up which matches your CV results in a text being send to your phone notifying you of the position. Polite, friendly staff which try their best to find you what you need.

I am employed by Brooke street and find them very condescending they don't regard you as a person…read moreand aren't concerned with making sure your pay is correct which is a disgrace also they wont put you forward for jobs they have advertised that you are more suited to they are just happy that they have an income from you and ignore your calls however Eamon at least trys and will answer queries and try to sort out your pay but Declan will tell you rubbish to get you off the phone and is not prepared to help you at all .If I had the choice I would not work for these people and am not happy they have my id details as they are so unreliable .I give them NO stars but would give a minus ten if I could .