Let me preface this by noting that I'm an EU citizen, who grew up in Canada, currently resides in the US, and is looking to move to Switzerland.

About two weeks ago I came across a posting on jobs.ch that was a very good match for my skills and professional experience. The posting was through a recruiting agency, Adecco, and I submitted my resume to the given contact person.

A week went by with no acknowledgment of having received my resume, so I sent a brief email asking if they had any questions. Another week has gone by with still no contact. So my question is whether this is normal for Swiss recruiters? It feels like I'm being dismissed outright, which is very odd given the strong match in qualifications, and my past experience with recruiters (generally positive with those in the US).

Shortly after sending in my resume to Adecco, I noticed another posting on jobs.ch for the same position but from the actual employer this time. So my next question is whether I should just bypass the recruiter at this point and submit my resume directly to the employer?

Bypass recruiter I would say, they don't seem to pay attention or maybe person in charge is on holidays?

COntact the company directly I would say, you might save them big bucks if you are hired.

Good luck!

Unfortunately, yes, it's normal for recruiters to take their own sweet time to repsond to you. If you really want to find out what's going on, call them, but they'll get back to you eventually. In one case, I got a response 2 months after applying!

For your second question ... hmmm, difficult one. Why not send your CV to the employer with a note stating that you saw Adecco's ad earlier and have applied there, but you are very keen to be considered, yahdeyahdeyah and would be grateful etc etc etc; i.e. be transparent about your dealings with Adecco.

Unfortunately, once your CV is with a recruiter, they "own" you as far as fees are concerned!

I would call the potential employer to ask details about the job. Then use the opportunity to tell them about yourself and then agree with them to send in your CV and to whom. In my experience this is by far the most efficient way to get an interview.

I think not before you authorize them to represent you so maybe he already has time They made me sign some papers after I applied for a job through my recruiter, maybe he could just check

By applying for the role via the recruiter (the OP has already done this), authorisation has already been given implicitly.

That would depend. Sending a CV to a recruiter is not authorisation to proceed and the recruiter should get this authorisation prior to submitting to the client.

mmmm, I thought that was the case only if you are registered with the agency first. I mean if you send an offer and you don't get a response, you're not supposed to know the name of the company to which you've applied since usually the companies via an agency are anonymous no ?
Thus if you innocently also apply directly to a company how can an agency pretend they own you ?

I'm guessing that the OP figured it out by the similar wording of the ad.

On the other hand once you have registered with an agency and they have proposed your application with your consent to a company then yes, definitely they do have rights and no, you should never go directly to the company.

Being fair usually gives very good positive results.

That's what they'd love you to believe.

Anyway, to the OP, if you've not heard from the agency within a day or two, then your CV is probably in the database, but they're not putting you forward for the job. It's the way european recruitment agencies work - especially IT ones.

Yep when I applied to my current job, even though I send them my CV for the position, they still asked me to sign some forms

I am not sure how it works in CH ... but at least in the US recruiters don't "own" you just because you send them your resume. They typically interview you (over the phone and/or in person) and ask before submitting your resume to a potential employer. So, if someone at Adecco has not responded to you, they haven't submitted your resume. Therefore, my recommendation would be to apply direct with the employer. Unless and until you actually speak with someone at Adecco - keep applying to jobs that match your qualifications.

Best of luck!

Katie

Just wanted to follow-up...

I did end up sending my resume directly to the employer earlier this week, and received a response the next day that my application is under review.

Coincidentally, literally right after hitting the email send button, I received a response from the recruiter. It stated they would not be moving forward, as there were other "more suitable" candidates, but would like to add me to their database, and provided a consent form to sign and return.

So in summary, it does appear that you have to formally enter into an agreement with the recruiter in order for them to represent you. And, more importantly, you may get different results by not going through a recruiter if possible.

Nope, not at all.
I found the very same jobs posted by sometimes up to four or five agencies which can only mean that they do not have a mandate from the employer, but have been asked to submit potential candidates while the employer continues to search himself.

The adecco ad has probably not the name of the employer in it, so submitting a CV does not mean that they "own" you. They still need to contact you and ask if they can represent you at "employer x". If the op then answers "oh this employer has my CV already" adecco will not earn anything and cannot make any trouble for the employer or the OP. I would apply to anything I find interesting, if the headhunters are tired of hunting... their problem.

this is what is called a 'contingency' search. one or more recruiters will try to fill a position with a candidate from their database, and they earn a placement fee (typically 25% of annual salary) if 'their' candidate makes the cut. since the recruiter does not have a 'retainer', he is not normally prepared to invest as much time and effort in the search, unless he sees you as 'the one' who could earn him the fee.

the employer meanwhile continues to search - directly and through other recruiters who are also trying to earn the fee.

be mindful that in the current economic environment though, an employer is very likely to pick the 90% solution that landed on his desk, rather than the 100% solution that came thru a headhunter.

Whenever it's possible, skip the recruiters as you would skip any poison in your meal. There is absolutely no need for them, so traight to companyies' web sites and apply straighaway.

Cheers

That's great! Let us know how it turns out. Will keep my fingers crossed for you.