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.

Sometimes looking for a new job is not easy and you can struggle to get employers attention. That…read moreis when you should call in the professionals and Grafton Recruitment are just that. They will do the searching for you making it a whole lot easier finding a new position. All you have to do is call into their office in Bangor or Belfast and submit your CV then wait for the offers to start pouring in. The staff are really helpful and always seem keen to help. The will ask some probing questions but that is only so they can find you a suitable job if not your perfect job. There is a common misconception that recruitment agencies will take money off your wages if (or should I say when) they find you employment but I can assure you that Grafton Recruitment only charge the company they are employing for. All in all they are a good recruitment agency but my one criticism is that they are often slow in getting back to their clients. But when you least expect it they will call you.

I have to praise the work of this Job Centre as they helped me to locate my job in Asda over the…read moresummer via their good work. I have since gone on to quit the job as it was frankly terribly boring( I have worked in shops for over 5 years but being on checkouts the entire time is frankly soul destroying, treat your till attendants with better respect in supermarkets in future!) so I was glad to escape. Regardless of the unsuitability of the role for me, things in this job centre were great. It is a bit basic on the inside but that is more due to the fact that I imagine it is over subscribed in this day and age and understaffed. The staff are helpful and informative and try to maintain a personal touch, and will do their best to help you find gainful employment, which is all that is needed from a place like this. Good job!

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!

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. Kennedy 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.

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.

I kind of agree with Nick S's opinion of Ranstad, although my experience with them definitely…read morehasn't been as terrible as his seems to have been, although I have had to send my CV to them a good few times. I just found that they seem very focused on getting someone in to the position, rather than the right person in to the position. All in all, they just aren't very attentive, which is extremely frustrating when you're trying to find a job.

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.