© KONINKLIJKE BRILL NV, LEIDEN, 2019 | DOI XXXX JAMES CLOUTMAN AND GRAHAM JENKINS 11. ENTERING WORKPLACE PRACTICES; FACING RECRUITMENT CHALLENGES When I was very young, I didn’t have any work. I went and stayed with friends in the country for a year or two, and I didn’t work until my father said, ‘it’s about time you came home and did something’. I went into town, and I had three interviews. And by the time I got on the tram and went back to Kingsford my father said there were two phone calls for me and there were two jobs being offered. Those interviews were very short, and I had no references because I hadn’t worked before. And in those days, those particular days, your education was more important than anything you’d done, and that was all people wanted to know’ (research participant recalling applying for work in the 1960's, Cloutman, 2018). INTRODUCTION The world of work has changed dramatically in the last few decades, particularly in the last twenty years with the advent of shorter-term contract arrangements, ICT technology, new working arrangements in the ‘Gig’ economy and the emergence of social media (Brown, Hesketh, & Williams, 2004; Brown, Lauder, & Ashton, 2011; Withers, Lewis, & Dalton, 2016). Unsurprisingly perhaps, recruitment companies have also radically changed their structure and approach in many regards during the same time period to keep up with industry’s transformations. To aid you, the reader, in improving your overall employability strategy, this chapter investigates this changing world of modern recruitment and how you can best interact with it. The chapter begins with a brief history of the recruitment industry, with how it emerged and the changes that have taken place in the industry, particularly in recent years. How recruitment companies operate today is then portrayed. The various types of recruitment companies are reviewed and explained and the reasons why large organisations may utilise their services are outlined. Lastly, the chapter reviews the likelihood of finding work through recruiters and assesses how you might optimally utilise them and answers, through an FAQ section, what might be some common questions you may have about the recruitment industry.