Treating candidates well is a founding principle at La Fosse. Not only do we think it’s fundamentally the right thing to do, but our candidates are also our business, and are just as important as our customers.

A lot of recruitment companies only focus on looking after candidates that are suitable for their roles, but we don’t agree; if you have taken the time to apply for a role, we want to make sure you know where you are in the process at all times.

So, we put a lot of effort into making sure we get back to everyone promptly, whether they are successful or not.

While we can’t call everyone in person (we have around 20,000 applicants each month), we always send an email with a phone number inviting you to call us.

That way, you can call us for more detailed feedback regarding your application, or get advice on your wider job search from a consultant who recruits the type of roles you are interested in.

Part of our commitment to candidate care is giving more detail about how the process works, which is why we have put this page together.

If you have a question not answered below, a complaint, or would like to give us any more detailed feedback on how we can improve our service, please contact us directly.

Candidate FAQs

Feedback

‘Who can I speak to for feedback on my application?’

Please call us on 0207 932 2770, quoting the four-digit reference number on the advert, and we will connect you to the relevant consultant.

‘I have all of the skills advertised; why was I still rejected?’

We understand that you wouldn’t have applied to the role unless you felt you were a good fit. However, our customers ask to see the two or three candidates that are the closest match. This means that if there are a number of suitable applicants, there may be someone who was that bit more suited to the customer’s specific requirements.

If there is something from your skill set you feel we have missed, or if you have further detail that is not immediately apparent from your CV, please call us on 0207 932 2770 – the four-digit reference number on the role will help us put you in direct contact with the relevant consultant to discuss the role further.


Application response

‘I applied for a role but have not heard back from you – who can I contact?’

Our apologies – sometimes it takes time to get through the applications for each role, especially where we receive a high number of them. If you need to speak to someone urgently about any role, please call us on 0207 932 2770, quoting the four-digit reference number on the advert, which will help us put you in direct contact with the relevant consultant.

Rejection response

‘I received a rejection a very short time after I applied – did you look at my CV?’

On some urgent roles, consultants will get instant alerts for each application, which means they will review your CV as soon as you apply.

As so few agencies focus as hard on turning around applications quickly, a quick rejection can be surprising.

One or two candidates have told us that they would rather not hear back from us at all, but 99% of candidates tell us they would prefer to know they were unsuccessful as soon as possible so they can concentrate on other roles, so we really commit to doing this

If you would like to discuss any particular application, please do call us on 0207 932 2770, quoting the four-digit reference number on the advert, which will help us put you in direct contact with the relevant consultant.

 

Multiple rejections

‘I have applied for a number of jobs but keep getting rejected. I only seem to get this number of rejections from your company – why?’

On average, one online applicant in fifteen looks a close fit for the role advertised, and we will speak to them further about it.

As we believe that getting back to every candidate on every job application is fundamentally the right thing to do, we send about 14 times as many rejection emails as we take people further.

Not many recruitment companies share this view, which means candidates will get more rejection emails from us than most other agencies.

Clearly, no-one likes getting a rejection email, even less a number of them from the same agency. However, we do hope that you appreciate knowing exactly where you are in the process – we’ve found that this is preferable to not knowing at all.

If you would like to discuss any particular application, please do call us on 0207 932 2770, quoting the four digit reference number on the advert, which will help us put you in direct contact with the relevant consultant.

 

​CV discussion

‘Is there someone I can speak to about my CV, or about other roles you may have coming up?’

Yes – we would be delighted to talk to you. Please do call us on 0207 932 2770 – if you can give us a brief headline of what you are looking for, we will put you in touch with the relevant consultant here.

Unsuccessful

‘If I am not successful, what do you do with my data?’

We keep a copy of your CV in our system so we can talk to you about future roles that may be a good fit – that way, if you are not successful on your first application, we might be able to help later on.

Unless it’s the customer who is recruiting (and even only with your express permission after we have briefed you on the role) we do not share your information with any third party without your permission, and we never will.

If you want us to delete this information, we are of course happy to – please email GDPR@lafosse.com and include “Remove Details” in the subject line.

CV searches

‘Do you use automated keyword searches to screen CVs?’

No. CVs are reviewed by a recruitment consultant against the brief given to them by their customer.

Sometimes, if a CV is received after the deadline we have been given, we may not review subsequent submissions, however we will send you an email letting you know that the deadline has passed.

That email will also provide you with a number to contact us about that or other roles. If you would like to call us, you can do so on 0207 932 2770.

 

Contractor FAQs

Submitting timesheets & expenses

‘How do I submit my timesheets and expenses?’

Once your contract has been signed, you’ll be added to our timesheet portal, inTime.

 

​Pay frequency

‘Do we get paid monthly or weekly?’

Each contractor is different – we suggest you speak directly to your consultant or candidatecare@lafosse.com.

Self-billing

‘What is self-billing/how do I invoice?’

​La Fosse operates on a Self-Bill agreement which is stipulated within your contract. This means that La Fosse will create the invoice relating to the services you provide to us. This will be created on receipt of your authorised timesheet and a copy of the invoice will be emailed to you.

 

​Timesheet approval

‘How do I know if my timesheet has been approved?’

You’ll be notified by email once a timesheet has been approved. You can also log in here and navigate to Timesheets >> Approved to see a full list.

 

​Invoice access

‘How do I find copies of my old invoices?’

​You can download these easily by logging in here, navigating to Invoices >> Search and filling in the details of the invoice you wish to retrieve.

VAT registered

‘I’m not VAT registered yet, does that matter?’

No. We can still process invoices for you minus VAT. If you later become VAT registered, just send us a copy of your VAT certificate and we can start adding this onto your invoice.

 

​Proof of bank details

‘What constitutes proof of bank details?’

This needs to be something from the bank which shows your account name, number and sort code and is dated within the last three months. Please note, we can only pay the business bank account of the company you’ve chosen to contract through.

 

​Timesheet approval

‘My line manager is away, how do I get my timesheets approved?’

If your line manager is unable to approve your timesheets, please send an email to candidatecare@lafosse.com with an alternative name and email address for another manager who can approve on their behalf.

 

​Multiple approving managers

‘Can I have more than one approving manager on my placement?’

​Yes, we can add a number of managers, allowing you to select them at the time of submitting the timesheet. Once you have submitted the timesheet to one manager, they cannot be transferred to an alternative, so please contact candidatecare@lafosse.com and they can revert the timesheet for it to be sent to an alternative manager for approval.

 

​Ltd and umbrella companies

‘I’m switching Ltd/umbrella companies, what do I need to do?’

​Please email candidatecare@lafosse.com with the details of your new LTD company/umbrella company with the date you intend on switching over. You’ll need to send us the following documents in order for us to amend your contract and our system:

  • Certificate of incorporation
  • Proof of business bank details
  • Insurances (professional indemnity of £500,000 per claim and public liability of £1m per claim)
  • VAT certificate (if applicable)

Umbrella: Please provide the name of the umbrella company you wish to change to. Please note that we only operate with umbrella companies on our preferred suppliers list. For the most up to date list, please speak to candidate care.

 

If your question isn’t answered above or you’d like some more information, please contact your relevant consultant, or get in touch:

timesheets@lafosse.com,

candidatecare@lafosse.com,

info@lafosse.com,

or call 0207 932 2770.​