How to identify a good agency

<p><img alt="How to identify a good agency" src="/getasset/dbb2b1fd-7ea3-4e4e-a9ae-607ec660bb67/" /></p>

<p>Michael Johnson, President of Paramount Aviation Resource Group, shares his advice on...&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>How to identify a good agency</strong></p>

<p>When I started my airline career I had no idea that there was such a huge market for expat pilots.&nbsp; It was only after I was made redundant that I was thrust into this world.&nbsp; This was my introduction to agencies and working as an expat.&nbsp; It was quite a learning experience.&nbsp; Not all agencies are equal – for those of you who have worked in multiple venues as an expat through various agencies know this all too well.&nbsp; The basic variance between agencies simply comes down to priorities.&nbsp; I created Paramount in 2007 because I wanted to create an agency that was focused on the personal aspect of business – the people we have the pleasure of supporting.&nbsp; &nbsp;In other words, when evaluating a new position that requires you to contract with an agency your due diligence must include an evaluation of the agency.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The basic job of the agency is to support you and your family while you provide services.&nbsp; A strong agency can help make a mediocre job better and a poor agency can drag a great job down to a poor job.&nbsp; There are two aspects to evaluating an agency:&nbsp; 1. Identifying the agency’s priorities, and 2. Managing your expectations of what you expect the agency to do on your behalf.&nbsp; So how do you evaluate the caliber of an agency?</p>

<p>To better make this analysis let me first explain the general relationship between the agency, the customer-company and you.&nbsp; When you contract with an agency you are entering a three-party relationship.&nbsp; Think of the agency as an extension of the Human Resources department of the customer-company.&nbsp; For my example I will use an airline as the customer-company.&nbsp; The airline needs assistance in filling open vacancies. For a multitude of reasons, the airline reaches out to agencies to help provide recruiting support to fill these open vacancies.&nbsp; At this point, the airline and the agency enter into a business-to-business contract whereby the agency acts to advertise, promote and recruit on behalf of the airline.&nbsp; The contract between the airline and the agency stipulates all of the terms and conditions associated with the vacancy to be filled plus the fee structure as to how the agency will be paid by the airline to perform these services.&nbsp; There are two basic models of cost structure as to how the agency will be paid:&nbsp; recruiting only or sub-lease.</p>

<p>In a recruiting only contract the agency works to procure qualified personnel to fill a given vacancy and once a candidate is selected he/she is hired by the airline as an employee and the agency is paid a one-time finder’s fee.&nbsp; Secondarily, in a sub-lease arrangement, once the candidate is selected to fill a given vacancy he/she contracts directly with the agency and the agency sub-leases the services performed by the selected candidate to the airline.&nbsp; In this scenario, the agency is paid a specific monthly management fee.&nbsp; The agency does not take a percentage of your pay in nearly all situations</p>

<p>Next in this three-party relationship is the relationship between you and the agency.&nbsp; Initially, your relationship with the agency is the same whether they are working to place you under a recruiting only scheme or under a sub-lease scheme.&nbsp; In either case, you and the agency will work together to quantify your ability to perform the specified tasks required by the customer.&nbsp; This includes, collecting necessary documents (application, licenses, diploma, passport, etc.).&nbsp; The variation comes into play after the application process – will you work directly for the airline or as a contractor or employee to the agency?</p>

<p>In truth, there is no preference in most cases one way or the other.&nbsp; In other words, don’t discount a job because you would work with an agency.&nbsp; Conversely, the agency could be a true asset for you.&nbsp; Regardless, do keep in mind that not all agencies are the same and that once you enter your agreement you will be subject to the culture and environment of the agency for the entire time you work in that job.&nbsp; The analysis is for a sub-lease situation since this is where you will have a long-term relationship with an agency.</p>

<p><strong>Identifying the agency’s priorities</strong></p>

<p>The basic issue is whether the agency values you or profits more.&nbsp; Are you just another number – a way for them to increase revenues – or are you an important individual who is becoming an integral member of that agency’s team?&nbsp; I have had countless people tell me how great an agency was during the application phase but once they went into contract the agency became virtually non-existent.&nbsp; In truth the most important aspect of your relationship with an agency is post-contracting because the agency ‘represents’ your interests and concerns to the customer.&nbsp; They act as your liaison.&nbsp; Let’s face it, there are always unexpected situations that arise in the course of any job:&nbsp; you get sick, you are under-paid, your schedule is changed unexpectedly, you have a family to support – and on and on.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>You want to make sure the agency is as concerned about your welfare as you are.&nbsp; Part of this can be answered by evaluating the agencies approach to you at the initial stages of your relationship.&nbsp;&nbsp; How they treat you during the application can be a good indication of what you can expect after you sign your agreement.&nbsp; Are they courteous? Do they know who you are by name?&nbsp; Do they respond to you in a timely manner?&nbsp; Do they follow up and answer questions you pose?&nbsp;&nbsp; I suggest keeping a record – a checklist – as you work with an agency.&nbsp; Most of us work with multiple agencies simultaneously as we apply to various vacancies at the same time.&nbsp; This is a great opportunity for you to have direct comparisons between these various agencies simultaneously.&nbsp; Remember, evaluating the agencies is as important as all of the other due diligence you perform during the application process.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Another great source of insight is from people who currently work under contract for that agency.&nbsp; If you know someone make sure to ask them for their feedback.&nbsp; However, if you don’t know anyone working with that agency ask the agency to provide you with a contact.&nbsp; It is certainly more favorable when an agency responds to this request quickly and agreeably.&nbsp; If they refuse or are ‘unable’ to provide such a reference take notice.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Check related websites, blog sites and other venues for write ups and comments about the agency. &nbsp;If the agency has been around for a while you should have little problem finding information from outside sources about the caliber of the agency.</p>

<p><strong>Manage your expectations</strong></p>

<p>A big part to establishing a good relationship is to have expectations as close to reality as possible.&nbsp; If your expectations are inflated as to what you expect the agency to do for you or on your behalf then you will be disappointed as soon as you realize that expectation will not be met.&nbsp; In some cases, there are simply things the agency cannot do.&nbsp; For example, agencies do not have control over policy at the customer.&nbsp; We identify these issues as operational issues and include aspects such as, scheduling, operational management and oversight, and company policies.&nbsp; If you do not like a certain policy do not expect the agency to be able to change it or to make an exception on your behalf.&nbsp; Remember, the agency is more inline with that of the Human Resources department – not the management, advertising, or operational department.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Most of the time the two biggest issues (especially in the aviation sector) that you will face involving your agency are pay discrepancies and scheduling issues.&nbsp; Most of the time the agency invoices the company on your behalf then pays you after the company pays them.&nbsp; As such, if there is a discrepancy in your pay the agency will have to coordinate with the company as to where and why the discrepancy occurred.&nbsp; The same goes to scheduling – or specifically- days off.&nbsp; You expected to get certain days off and the final schedule shows you are working on those days.&nbsp; While the agency is not directly responsible for making the schedule they should act on your behalf to help resolve scheduling issues.&nbsp; They are your voice – your representative – at the company.</p>

<p>However, the agency can only act on your behalf when they are privy to the information related to your situation.&nbsp; If you are trying to address a situation be sure to include your agency in the dialogue.&nbsp; Often we find that someone will try to deal directly wit the airline then when it doesn’t work out they come to us to try and fix it for them.&nbsp; Most often, if they had simply come to us initially we would have been able to work effectively on their behalf ahead of time versus trying to rectify a situation retroactively.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There are some truly outstanding agencies and they go above and beyond to support each person and their family they support.&nbsp; If an agency ever tries to collect a fee from you, tries to get you to sign an exclusivity agreement, or acts in a secretive or non-transparent manner beware.&nbsp; No matter how good you think the job is, if you find that the agency does not display the characteristics you feel they should during your initial relationship with them then proceed with caution.&nbsp;</p>