I really dislike recruitment agencies. The so called "consultants" are usually rude, arrogant and salesey. They are only interested in getting you in to register with them, they then promise you the world and you don't hear from them again, unless they want to flog you some job they can't get anyone else to do and think you will go for it because you are desperate or don't have 5 years plus experience in the particular field you are interested in. They will hardly ever put you forward for permanent work because they make more money out of you if you are just temping via them. They lie to you about the jobs and what they involve, making rubbish jobs sound like they are more high profile than they really are and they even lie about the salary / hourly rate you will get, if they think it will get you to say "Yes, please send my CV to that company!". Their philosophy is: "Get them to agree to it and worry about the details later!"

My experience of recruitment agencies has been a very dissapoiting one. I have been lied to, treated as if I were an idiot, pushed around, patronized, insulted and told off for calling or emailiing them every once in a while to ask if they actually have anything for me! Today I was even told by one of these "high-flyers" to "not call" her or "email" her please "about jobs that are not relevant" (i.e. I had applied for a job she felt was too senior for me) as this was wasting her time and she was very busy! How rude. She even had the audacity to leave this message on my work voicemail!!! And she was from one of the biggest agencies...

Please feel free to share any bad experienecs you have had with recruitment agencies, as it would be really 'therapeutic' to hear from fellow 'sufferers'. :-)