Ok so let’s see if anyone can help me out here! I have found a really good job online but it’s via an agency not direct to the company. I have applied online and after a bit of investigating I think I may have found the company. Now I want to give myself a bit of a head start so do I just leave the application with the agency and hope for the best or shall I contact the company direct and sell myself straight to them? Don’t really care about upsetting the agency but really don’t want to upset the firm, I cannot remember the last time I found a job that I wanted as much as I do this one! I just don’t get on with agencies as I think they take the piss a bit! All advice gratefully received.
Approach the company directly. Say that the agency may put you thru 2 times So to avoid any mistakes.
I guess the company would also be happy to save on agency fees.
(Sorry to any recruiters out there… My experience of agencies are they get paid shed loads for doing sweet Fanny Adams)
Apply directly as well. The recruiter hasn’t told you who it is yet (their mistake) so you are free to market yourself direct ( because yu don’t know you are stepping on any toes). However, the company MAY only hire through recruiters, so don’t burn your bridges. If you’re lucky the company will contact you before the recruiter does announce who the company is. Otherwise you will have to tell the recruiter that you applied there direct. Play it straight because the company will not appreciate someone being devious - it will count against you ( unless it is a law firm or a bank)
definitively go directly to them.
as long as your approach is polite as they would see it more like ‘i really want this job and i’ve gone the extra mile to introduce myself personally to you’ rather than ‘i’m stalking your director for an interview’.
i’m personally more keen to pass over a cv to my directors if the candidate sends me a personalized email or makes the effort to call and introduce themselves personally rather than an impersonal cv sent at random to 100 companies, gets deleted as soon as it comes in.
most importantly, try and learn the persons’ name in HR or whatever is the department you want to apply, it really makes the difference.
+1 to all above especially Amit’s SFA comment 
Good luck - let us all know how you get on