Agency territories- being between branches

Bookworm55

Hi,

I've been in an ongoing temporary position which has ended suddenly due to stuff happening at board level spooking people and making them cut down on temporary staff.

I'm hoping to be able to get myself into a similar accounts assistant type position, preferably one that includes either broader or more advanced duties. It is true that over the last couple of weeks, I've been approached for similar positions but the agencies have (reasonably) not wanted to take me out of one temporary position for another.

I've built up a fairly good working relationship with the agency, and would certainly go through them again. The situation I need advice managing is this: I am caught between three branches in Hertfordshire.

1) The one quickest to get to (in terms of minutes), which dealt with my just-ended position, covering towns like St Albans, Welwyn/Hatfield, Stevenage etc.
2) The one closest to me (in terms of miles), which covers the relatively small town I actually live in, Hertford itself and the Broxbourne and Enfield districts.
3) The one covering the towns that I'd prefer to be in, but the branch itself is further away and more awkward to get to; the Harlow/Epping Forest area, Bishops Stortford and Stansted Airport.

I believe (I'm not sure how accurate this is), that I am registered to a particular agent in the first branch, and she and she alone is the one who would earn the commission for placing me in a post. So the other branches have less incentive to place me in a post registered at their branch. Not sure how true that is, or if it's more of a concern for permanent positions than temporary.

Is it considered bad form or something for one branch to 'poach' anothers candidates like that? What's the best way to get myself into a post held at branch 2 or 3 without being caught up in internal agency politics?

Just like to hear some thoughts.

ps- naturally, I'm approaching the other agencies in the area emphasisng my now truly immediately available status and improved experience from the last placement which has gone on for a solid 36 weeks.

deanshepherd

I'm sure Robert (blobbyh) is better placed to answer this but at the end of the day they don't get a penny if they don't find you a placement so it is in their interests to do so. I'm sure they have methods of sharing/cross-invoicing commissions in these circumstances and I would think each office has access to positions available at other neighboring offices. Bring it up with the person you normally deal with. I don't think it will cause any offence.

truecockney

From personal experience, it is dependent on the agency. There have been some where I had to register at different offices to be considered, others were more shared (where I would get a call from an office I previously had no association with).

I agree with Dean... ask your normal contact how you would go about being considered for jobs extending past that offices' geographical remit as you want to open other doors. They may only need to tick a box for your details to appear in other sites!