Random Thoughts – Randocity!

I have been successfully placed by a recruiter once in my career. After that, I’ve had nothing but bad experiences with recruiters. The main problem with recruiters isn’t necessarily with the recruiting itself. It’s the human element that always gets in the way. Let’s explore.

Recruiter’s Bottom Line

A recruiter’s bottom line is the commission that they receive upon placing a candidate. This commission, unfortunately, drives the entire placement process. When a recruiter’s sole motivation is based on money, the candidate and the hiring company both get the short end of the stick.

Case in point, I have used recruiters for the last two or three jobs I’ve attempted to land. In nearly every case, the recruiters misrepresented the job to me in the phone interviews. When a recruiter sent me to an interview, I quickly found the job was not a match for my skills. Basically, the job was entirely wrong based on my skills or I had specifically told the recruiter not to place me in that industry or job type. Yet, there I was, interviewing for a job where I shouldn’t have been.

This ends up a wild goose chase. When I explained the problem to the recruiter, they turn defensive and blame me for a ‘bad interview’. It wasn’t bad, it was just a mismatch because of the recruiter’s lack of skill or inability to listen. Of course, this all comes back to the commission. Once the commission dollars become a reality in their mind, the recruiter puts blinders on. They then attempt to force a square peg into a round hole to avoid losing their payday.

Sincere Recruiters?

That’s not to say that there aren’t sincere recruiters out there. I’m sure there are some. However, the recruiting industry is so filled with inexperienced recruiters only willing to make a buck that you can’t tell the difference between who is sincere and who isn’t. It’s not like recruiting is regulated or has any grading system. So there is no method for you, the candidate, to determine just how a specific staffing firm works.

The one recruiting game that gets to me is when recruiters simply resume collect to fill a database, but have no intention of placing you. Robert Half (RHI) is notoriously bad for this. They’ll collect your resume, ask you to step into their offices for a ‘face to face’ and additionally ask you to spend an hour or longer filling out paperwork. After you’ve spent all of that time doing this for them, they never call you back. That’s such a waste of time. Instead of wasting a day at their offices, the candidate could have better spent that time sending out resumes to actual employers and going on legitimate interviews with direct employers.

Recruiting Tactics

Other tactics from recruiters include the recruiter finding a job posting on the Internet, collecting resumes and contacting qualified candidates. Only after they have the candidates in hand do they then try to lasso in the employer. They string the candidate along thinking they have a chance at the position when they haven’t even talked with the hiring company about the position. Once the hiring company turns down the recruiter, this is when the recruiter stops calling the candidate and stops taking calls.

This recruiting scam is yet another colossal waste of time. These scams should be very apparent once you get two or three recruiters calling to recruit for the same hiring company and the same position. In a typical recruiting engagement with a hiring company, the hiring company only allows one recruiter to recruit for the position, not multiple. When multiple recruiters are recruiting for the same position, either the hiring company doesn’t understand the recruiting process or, more likely, the recruiters are not on retainer.

Ask Lots of Questions

When choosing to work with recruiters, be cautious and ask lots of questions. A recruiter does attempt to be the candidate’s advocate, but usually only to the point that they don’t lose their commission. If losing their commission becomes a reality, recruiters can become desperate in the relationship between the candidate and the hiring company. In fact, a working recruiter relationship can turn sour in about 30 seconds once the candidate or hiring company expresses disinterest. This is when the recruiter’s professionalism is tested. If the recruiter keeps pushing the candidate or the hiring company after disinterest has been expressed, that behavior is not professional. It also shows just how much the recruiter values their commission over a properly filled position.

For a recruiter, it’s much more valuable to place a qualified candidate in the proper position than collect a recruiting commission. But, many recruiters turn desperate when their square peg won’t fit into their round hole. On the other hand, some recruiters just don’t care. They’ll attempt to place anyone in any position just to fill their required quota.

Recruiting Advocacy

It can be difficult to find a recruiter who is actively willing to work on your behalf as a candidate. If you find one, stick with them. Keep in mind, however, that they are all working on commission, so their placement of you fills their (and the recruiting firm’s) bank account. That money motivation can cause the recruiter to do things they would not otherwise do. Finding the most suitable job for you should be their number one priority. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.

Only you as the candidate can look out for your own best interest. If you find a recruiter has misrepresented a position, then walk away from the recruiter. You can, however, submit a direct resume to that employer IF the recruiter has disclosed the employer’s name. However, some recruiters refuse to disclose the prospective employer’s name until after you already know the job is unsuitable.

Recruiters: Friend or Foe?

To answer this question specifically, they can be both at the same time. As a candidate, you will need to keep your eyes and ears open. As a candidate, you must listen, ask questions and understand what the recruiters are telling you. You must also be able to read between the lines to understand if the recruiter is feeding you a line of bullshit or telling you the truth. Having a truth meter is important when working with recruiters. You should also always remain skeptical when the recruiter tells you something that seems too good to be true.

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