Google “Horror Stories about Headhunters” and you will get 196,000 hits.
Ask your friends about their experience dealing with recruitment agencies and at least every second story will be appalling.
I bet you too might have a story or two to share.
We hear these stories all the time. Often they come from potential candidates who flat our refuse to come in for an interview because they have been “burned” by recruitment firms too many times. Other times, they come from interviewees who reluctantly share their discouragement and confusion as to why recruiters treat them so poorly.
Here is what people have to say to describe 3rd party recruiters. They:
- Make you wait in reception for unacceptable time periods and do not apologize when they finally come to greet you
- Don`t read your resume prior to meeting with you
- Ask ridiculous question of the `if you were a color, which color would you be` variety
- Don`t really listen to anything you say despite active nodding and taken endless notes
- Pitch you a job that has nothing to do with what you described you targeted
- Get irritated when you explain that you are not interested in the position
- Give very vague feedback when asked for constructive criticism or suggestions on how to better target your search
- Fish for `leads` by insisting that you tell them where you already interviewed or which companies you have approached
- Adhere to top secrecy policy when it comes to revealing who their clients are
- Wrap up the interview and never emerge in your life again, ignoring all your phone messages and emails asking for follow up
I find the above not only appalling, but simply embarrassing.
We do take pride in the fact that people leave our offices telling us that it was the best experience they ever had with a recruitment firm. That being said, however, we often have to work hard to even convince people to come in for a meeting with us in the first place. Unprofessional recruiters burn bridges for all of us and create a terrible reputation of the industry in general.
There are many benefits in dealing with recruiters, including the fact that you are often exposed to positions that are not advertised elsewhere. How badly do you need to treat someone for them to choose to keep all these doors closed as long as it means not dealing with a recruitment firm? Our competition proves that in this particular respect they are highly successful.
Excellent points! You forgot one:
ReplyDelete- Throw a tantrum when you are not interested in a offer, even though it is the complete opposite of what you told them you are looking for.
I once had a recruitment firm (who shall remain nameless) call me 3x a day offering me random positions which had nothing to do with my background. To make matters worse, they threatened to stop calling me due to my "negative attitude". Laughable.
I think one of the biggest problem with many recruiters is that they are too focused on selling the position, instead of being in touch with their candidates' goals and true potential.
The sad part is, it often takes only a handful of people to give the industry a bad name :(
You are absolutely right, Mary. Whenever I train junior recruiters, I always tell them to step away from the situation and focus on listening to the individual in front of them and getting to know them, building a relationship. If you burn your bridges, you can never go back to that person.
ReplyDeleteCase in point: we helped you with your search and found a match after knowing you for years. :)
Hi Marina,
ReplyDeleteLately, I dealt with “~~~~~~ tech” for a position that I found very very interesting. Well, at least I wanted a chance to meet the employer.
“~~~~~~ tech” has this nice blabla on their pretty site:
- "Strong belief in the importance of our relationship with both sides of the ‘client’ equation (the ‘client-company’ and the ‘client-candidate’), translates to a more effective sourcing model. We emphasize the importance of both sides meeting their objectives, facilitating a better corporate fit and enhanced retention and tenure.
Our business philosophy embraces transparency. True partnership and the human factor are of primary importance. What sets our company apart is our people: seasoned Consultants who are passionate about the recruitment and search profession and the values that make our organization unique. The accolades from both clients and candidates confirm that the intrinsic ‘who we are’ makes all the difference in the world."
Sweet! Like my daughter would say, "that is bubbleshit daddy". In short, they failed returning my call for follow-up after an interview, they never presented me to their client and when I left a message at last, they lied, replying by email that the employer had filled the position. Note that the interview went very well and I did not harass them in any way throughout this process.
Fortunately, I had doubts. I confirmed directly with the employer (HR admin) that they were still looking for candidates and the position was still up for grabs. Then, I told them what happened, there was an awkward silence. They kindly invited me to send my resume directly and kindly told me that it was not possible two days later. Evidently !
All this to say that I appreciated your post. I am not a bitter person and am very talented in what I do. So I just wish that my future endeavors will be handled with integrity.