Jason Buss posted a barn burner over on TalentHQ, “Are All Heads of HR and HR Departments Filled With Idiots?” – his facts are spot on and they should make everyone a wee bit angry. I’m a performance person when it comes to recruiting – I’m going to ask you about solving problems and I could care less if you’re pregnant, have a vacation scheduled, or are skilled at brown nosing. If you can solve the problems I’m hiring you to solve you’ll be moved on; if you can’t, you won’t.
What follows is a post I wrote anonymously for “someone else” – somewhat tongue-in-cheek but with a great deal of fact behind it (Jason – you know how the spies are going to drool over this post!) – and with some advice on how job seekers can counteract the actions of some recruiters and level the playing field. Let me know what you think…
For the most part, the recruiting profession is comprised of people who have also sold used cars, been mortgage brokers, or have engaged in multi-level marketing schemes. I mean, what else can that degree in poly sci do when you have a 2.6 GPA and suck at taking LSATs? The people in our profession who are really great don’t find recruiting, recruiting finds them. Big difference.
These people are self-professed experts at post-and-pray – posting a job on a job board and hoping someone good applies – and could care less that they know nothing about the real job other than what is given to them by some low-level peon contract recruiter at a company. If they’re lucky enough to find some dumbass corporate recruiter who is equally inept at finding talent, they’ll make a placement – imagine a 20% fee for a minimal amount of work! It’s almost as good as being a US Senator!
From here, a little success begins to swell their heads – they start thinking that they can actually tell whether someone is good or not simply by reading the person’s resume. This is such a pathetic extension of a little bit of success considering that so few great people have resumes that accurately tell you what they do.
Even worse is when these crappy recruiters start believing they have some innate ESP like ability to sense a good candidate. A dios mio – these people are the same folks who go through relationships like Lindsey Lohan goes through drug counselors! Oh yeah, they’re really good at sensing things…
It gets worse – and I’m certain our dear Hush Recruiter readers have experienced things like these…
The crappy recruiter views the equally crappy job description as the job. If you ask them about budgets, or to whom the position reports, or what specific problems you’ll be working on, they’ll refer back to the job description and ask you if you’re questioning their abilities.
The crappy recruiter asks you to assess your skills in a particular area and then takes your word for it without delving deeper – this is because they do not have the ability to assess your abilities.
The crappy recruiter looks at your years of experience – as light as they might be – and despite the fact that you actually have expertise in the area in question, toss you aside because you don’t fall into the years-of-experience bracket on the piece-of-shit job spec.
The crappy recruiter continuously refers to the company as my client and refuses to divulge the name of it. They do this because they’re afraid you might go around them and go directly to the company (and these recruiters typically brag about their great relationship with their client and gush about how many years they’ve worked closely with them).
The crappy recruiter makes short thrift of your interview if they believe you won’t make them money…they’re curt on the phone with you if you try to have a conversation with them. God forbid you try and ask them questions about a job where they have an exclusive but no details!
The crappy recruiter brings you in for an interview but instead of focusing on you, asks questions about your current employer (I need to know your current org chart so I can find the best spot for you in another company), who you’ve been interviewing with and the names of the people who have interviewed you (leads), and the names of your references before you’ve even gone further in the process (more leads). Does the name Bob Quarter come to mind. 
I could go on but I want to tell you what you can do about these miscreants whose techniques, knowledge and ethics are nothing more than our professions’ version of a miasma of methane…
If you’re currently working, a call from a recruiter can be a career-altering event. When the crappy recruiter calls you and refers to the job description as the job, before you agree to send them your resume, demand the answers to questions about P&L/budgets, size of the organization, revenue, size of the organization you’d be part of, specific problems you’ll be asked to solve…you know, the basics. Alas, the crappy recruiter will insist that you send your resume before you receive answers. STOP RIGHT THERE! Would you pay for a car without knowing which car you were buying? Blindly buy a house? Jump off a cliff because someone told you to? Be sure to remind them you are working, are quite good at assessing opportunities provided you have all the details, and won’t be able to continue this discussion without these. Then wait until the crappy recruiter speaks. Or huffs away and mutters something about your attitude. Ooooh, I’m sorry Crappy Recruiter that I didn’t genuflect in your presence.
When the crappy recruiter asks superficial questions about your skills and experiences, you aren’t doing yourself any good by being silent. There’s nothing wrong about telling them they haven’t asked you how you solve specific problems; be warned – they might come back at you and say that what you’ll do is in the job description. Just look at them with your best golden retriever look (you know, head tilted to the side with a what-are-you-talking-about look on your face) then say, “Okay; then…”
- I’d like to tell you how I was able to reduce DSO by 20% over a 6 month period.
- I’d like to tell you how I saved my fraternity $5000 during the time I was the chapter’s Treasurer.
- I’d like to tell you how I survived my CFO, CEO, and head of HR bombarding me with requests to edit their PowerPoint presentations just before an all-hands meeting of the company.
When the crappy recruiter is adamant about experience over expertise, ask them to describe the problems that the more experienced person will be asked to solve…then explain to them how you’ve already done it. If they continue to say dumb stuff like, “I’m sorry but the job requires 7-10 years of experience and you only have 5…” don’t retreat but ask them to explain how the problems you have solved are different than the problems you would be solving if hired.
When the crappy recruiter refers to the company as my client and refuses to divulge the name of it, first ask them if there is someone in the position who isn’t aware that the company is recruiting for their replacement. If this is the case, it really is a “confidential” search: If the incumbent knew they were being replaced, who knows how hairy the situation would become. But if the recruiter’s tone is even a wee bit arrogant, then you can be sure that they’re playing a power game. In this case, tell them – with nary a hint of arrogance – that you’ll be happy to inform them of your employer only when they tell you the name of their client. For sure they might tell you to get the heck out but at least you’ll be confident knowing that you got their goat. And on the way out, don’t forget to tell them that you plan on telling all your friends about them!
When the crappy recruiter makes short thrift of your interview because they believe you won’t make them money, you need to turn up the dial on your Recruiter Control skills. Yes, you do and should have control: This is where you take the reins and ensure that you aren’t being used, abused, or minimized. Don’t be mean but do be firm:
- You told me that I’m not a fit but can you describe to me the specific elements of fit your client has asked you to consider and assess?
- You told me that my experiences are not applicable but can you describe for me the specific problems I will be asked to solve?
When the crappy recruiter brings you in for an interview but instead of focusing on you, plies you for information about your search, your current employer, etc. – they are using you! You know how parents instruct their kids to not talk to strangers? When crappy recruiters do this to you, run for your life to the nearest exit. Unless you want to have fun with them…then make up names, titles, and phone numbers for people you’ve “met”. To finish it off, tell them how fortunate you were to have found them and that you’ll be sure to recommend them to your friends. Tee hee…
While you might think that recruiters hold the keys to your next job, in reality they cannot function without great candidates. You are seeking a partnership not a one-nighter where all is forgotten the next day with the exception of the very bad taste in your mouth. Great recruiters want the very same thing – a very long relationship where one hand washes the other. But to make it happen you have to be knowledgeable and active; you have to control the interview and not become a pawn used by a crappy recruiter with an equally crappy conscience.
So stop whining about crappy recruiters and do something about them.
Many terrific points here Steve. I have very mixed feelings about where 3rd party recruiting will be in even 5 years. People are waking up and googling and finding articles on ‘candidate experience’ and realizing there is supposed to be a good one. The best experience comes from a good vested internal corporate recruiter in my opinion – however unpopular that might be I don’t care. ~Karla
A great recruiter is a great recruiter wherever they might hang their hat. Each side has it’s own angels and demons; the challenge is for each side to respect the others’ roles and work for a common cause. It’s no different than a great marriage; it’s far easier to walk away than to understand and work stuff out…
Great point Steve. A great third-party recruiter has a great relationship with the corporate recruiter.
It’s amazing to me how useful and positive this post is for candidates, hiring companies, and third party recruiters. With an industry so deeply despised and so rife with flaws, it should take nothing for you to build a new kind of staffing firm that solves all of the problems and makes you rich.
Unless the problem is more complex than a vague rant suggests – then you’ll just be unfairly smearing an entire industry because you’re trying to point out how awesome you are in comparison. Probably that first thing.
Folks, Jim’s a real kidder… You hit the nail on this one – I’d sure like people to be more educated consumers. But as we discussed on the phone – lesson here…pick up the damn phone – this stuff isn’t taught anywhere and career management is often left to chance. bad move…
Fiction offered by recruiters:
“I am part of an extensive network of recruiting offices. So, you only need one recruiter to have access to a multitude of jobs.”
Fact:
These guys are *highly* protective of “their” data. Why would they share the names of high-performers or excellent client companies with their competitors?
I have simultaneously used as many as 75 recruiters in a single search. Never once did I get a phone call, “Hey, I thought I was your recruiter! Another recruiter and I were sharing notes and you have sent both of us your resume.”
—
You are on target with the recruiter’s probes for “companies and openings for which you have already applied.” The *last* thing you need is additional competition from your “own” recruiter.
—
Crappy recruiters = crappy opportunities.
Amen
I will agree that the idea of depending on a single Recruiter or firm is of no benefit at MOST half a dozen is enough of a benefit.
You attest you used (75) Recruiters at one time?
So you have no respect at all for MY time as a Recruiter: However you expect to be treated uniquely?
RW…
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
75 is simply a stupid strategy; I’ll wager that the bulk of them use the same sources – no exactly “real recruiting” – wonder how many tell candidates, “I have an exclusive”?
IMO, if corp wants quality – and I’ve run recruiting on the corp side – 2-3 recruiters are sufficient for a specific function. Depending upon the depth of the recruiter’s experience and network, it might be 1-2.
When corp tells 1 of 75 that they’re the “one”, it isn’t collaboration at play.
steve
Why no retweet (share on Twitter) button?
Just for you I added a slew of share options – thanks for getting me motivated
Cool. Ta!
Steve, very true.
But when you are talking about recruiter when they don’t tell the client name, it can be another reason behind it as well. I keep receive phone call from stranger recruiter about a job we are recruiting for, telling me they have heard it from other applicants.
What else they do: they ask about your new position, and are you recruiting anyone, and about your previous job and names of good developers over there.
Your spot on with the need to keep the client name confidential – usually there’s an incumbent in the role. But you’re also right with the little games that some recruiters play in the hope of identifying the client and sliding someone in there…
Steve,
Hope all is well… The way I look at it, I get paid for CRD (Corporate Recruiting Deficiencies) or being able to fill the void for non-performing HR Business Partners/Corporate Recruiters/Vendors (RPO, VMO/VMS, MSP; whatever they call it these days). There are many recruiters that say they “can do” but when put to the test they are unable to deliver on the 3rd, 6th or 9th day and warrant more time to perform in a traditional 30, 60, 90 day scenario. My take as I “AGREE” with your comment as to “Why most recruiters suck” but pin the blame on Employers. Yes, I said “Employers”. Having said that, if Employers were stern to hire the best in-class talent with leadership abilities… Shouldn’t they mirror the same idea “identifying & hiring” a best in-class Recruiter, that can actually reference every one of their job experience, from Hiring Managers to HR Manager and C-Level (With a solid provable timeline of metrics detailing how fast they were able to understand the business, build/reinforce relationships, source strategy, qualify/quantify talent and getting the talent hired). One would expect this much from a seasoned Talent Wrangler/Recruiter, right?
Employers, or may I say most employers do not choose that route as their current HR Recruiting Directors, Managers, Lead Recruiters would risk their own FTE jobs bringing in a seasoned “Talent Wrangler/Recruiter”. Then hire the next best Recruiter that fit’s the budget and can get the job done, eventually or to do enough to get by… Then that next best Recruiter warrants the quote “Why most Recruiters suck!”…
- Randy Kishun
What’s up Randy…cup of coffee sometime?
You’re right that a seasoned wrangler/recruiter should be able to generate flow in a reasonable period of time but engagement and coming in for interviews has many variables. For those who don’t know him Randy works heavily in financial services which has it’s own dynamics with respect to employee movement – recruiter success is a function of sector, available talent pool, etc. all which cross over each other and sometimes produce dangerous flooding that is difficult to navigate through.
But I won’t put the blame on one side or the other – both have their bad recruiters and each has it’s own challenges and objectives that typically run counter to the others. The best recruiters live on both sides and maintain relationships with great people whom they can tap into at a moments notice.
Someone doesn’t know Randy? LIES
Well said. If you are around, coffee sometime tomorrow, hit the cell (347) ROCK247
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Nice constructive rant Steve. Thanks
Helping candidates differentiate between good and bad recruiters is an important learning…whether they are in the firm itself or 3rd party/agency folks trying to represent you to the firm.
As a job seeker, getting up to bat is hard enough but with both lousy internal and external recruiters in play, it is a mitigated disaster.
My favorite story is about a top engineering manager who was distressed at his inability to get up to bat for a great opening in a fortune 50 firm despite knowing from an internal referral that he had all the exact key requirements in skill, knowledge, experience, previous companies, school ties etc. (Should have at least had a phone screen.)
I had the means to investigate and it turns out he had been ‘represented’ 6 months prior for a totally wrong job by a 3rd party recruiter who wasn’t on the firm’s ‘preferred vendor list’ and had never made a placement with the firm (that he claimed was a client).
Worse- the internal recruiter handling the ‘old’ assignment and desperate for candidates accepted the 3rd party recruiter’s pile of paper (all of it, about 100 resumes).
You can guess where this is going.
The firm’s expensive ATS had this cool feature to automatically advance or suppress the ability of the the company recruiter to see resumes based on a weighting of source criteria. So, resumes previously submitted by 3rd party recruiters for example could be suppressed for 1 year to avoid paying the fee…no matter how well they were matched. (In this company after the audit I sparked, they found about 4000 candidates suppressed for jobs they were matched to. Dumb policies. Dumb recruiters. (we could spend an hour detailing 60 ways how to this better) Everyone got what they deserved…except the qualified candidate who was not dumb…just ignorant.
I have a similar list about how to work with 3rd party recruiters. I’ll share 2 for the moment:
- NEVER work with a 3rd party recruiter with less than a year in the business. They are simply too desperate and any company that is working with them is even more desperate.
- ALWAYS limit your permission to represent you to a company as follows: state in an email that you must be informed of the specific name and title of the person in the company that the 3rd party recruiter is representing you to. State the title of the job and limit the time for representation to 30 days with an option to renew for an additional 30 days if you like. Finally, request the 3rd party recruiter click reply and state “i Agree” in order for you to go forward. (and that is with folks who can prove they actually have made current placements in that specific firm).
I think there is an infographic in here someplace
I’ll add a one more Gerry (when I get both you and Sumser to chime in, I know I’m on the right track)…
ASK any recruiter for 2 candidate references at your level (wait until the recruiter gets excited about you first)…then call them
Steve,
This is a great post. There are few slimeball craptastic recruiters who make the rest of the industry look bad. Companies (hiring managers) need to ask the right questions and know that if something looks to good to be true, then it probably is. The same holds true for a candidate. They get taken advantage of. It’s important to seek out the best recruiters to work with. These are not necessarily the most visible ones but the ones like you who have a blog with posts like this. You are hands down one of my favorite recruiters who isn’t afraid to tell it straight which you also do on your blog.
Jessica
@blogging4jobs
Hey Steve-
Love this post because it’s a spot-on description of too many recruiters out there. Aside from having experienced them as a job seeker in the past, I personally know several that ‘found recruiting’ after failing (or doing really poorly) at some other crap job or in college. It’s unfortunate that so many candidates have a negative opinion of recruiters and the industry as a whole because there are obviously great ones out there who get it, like yourself. A few job seekers we know have already shared the post and are happy to see that there are ways to negate crappy recruiter behavior and not get taken advantage of.
A
I didn’t know that recruiters like this even existed anymore. Hmm. Perhaps they’re just trying to make it easier for good recruiters like me to stand out? Nice of them to do that.
Here’s the thing… While I agree with the majority of what you said… Sometimes, often, we serve someone who has those ideas as being the CORE of what we do, with no changes, nothing else allowed. Churn and burn, for all involved. The candidates, the clients, and the peons, AKA the recruiters. The only thing that matters is the deal. Not the people, just the fee. I have heard Senior Managers make comments saying essentially that they can replace a recruiter any day of the week, sales people is who I want to keep. When the choice is to keep your job or find another that situation isn’t as black or white, you do as you’re told. I wish there was more integrity and honesty but I also wish most of us weren’t 3 paychecks from broke, even the best of us.
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Recruiters need a reality check, here it is…
• In the recruitment/staffing agency-talent-client relationship, the most important person is not the agency or client, it is the talent. Why? Because the agency’s business model is based on providing talent to client companies who have a permanent or temporary role to fill. When a staffing requisition for a client is filled, only then does the agency get paid for filling that requisition. Without talent to place with the client, the agency has no way of generating revenue; without revenue, the agency will eventually shutter the business as a failure.
• Job seekers use recruiters and staffing agencies as JUST ANOTHER TOOL in their search for permanent or freelance work; in other words, JOB SEEKERS DON’T EXCLUSIVELY NEED RECRUITERS/STAFFING AGENCIES IN THE SAME WAY YOU NEED THE JOB SEEKER. Refer back to the first bullet point.
• The recruitment industry is a business of connections and relationships. Every talent candidate that an agency takes on has the potential to be a direct or a network connection to a company that could possibly become a noteworthy new client for that agency (thanks to LinkedIn, everybody is connected to somebody [important] somehow). Furthermore, some of those talent candidates may have formerly been a decision maker or influencer before they sought out your company’s services. When those talent candidates get permanently back to work (and reclaim their former lives) they will remember how the agency treated them. So, now this question is asked, “Will the agency be remembered well and rewarded with a new business lead or referral?” or “Will the agency be remembered for treating someone unprofessionally via playing games or jerking them around only to find my company and the offending recruiter on an internal blacklist?”
And speaking of LinkedIn, because everyone is connected to someone, let’s not forget that every screwed over candidate can be a link in the networking chain that stands between the agency and a desired prospect. That screwed over candidate might very well not pass along that agency’s recruiter’s connection request if they are a point in the path to the desired prospect.
• When recruiters play games with candidates, such as leaving us hanging as to our status after a interview, reaching out to us then dropping off the face of the Earth when we leave a return message or e-mail, etc. This shoddy treatment reinforces the negative reputation of the industry, and for staffing/recruiting firm it generates ill will. Refer back to the first and third bullet point.
• Before the Internet, one unhappy customer would tell five of their friends about their negative experience with a company that wronged them. Today, with the Internet and the multitude of review sites (Yelp, Glassdoor, etc), Twitter feeds, message boards, blogs, etc. al, that number has exponentially grown into the millions. Word-Of-Mouth is now your company’s best friend or worst enemy. What will the screwed over candidate say about your company? Now imagine that this candidate is skilled in SEO techniques…
• The recruiters are direct representatives of the agency, a public face. When they interact with industry peers, a client, or an existing or potential candidate they are a reflection of the agency brand and an extension of the executive management team’s leadership.
@Cypher 1001, Spot on. True. Seconded.
Signed,
One of the aformentioned screwed over Candidates
I have enjoyed this article so much, that I am going to print it and put it on my desk as a reminder so that may never become a crappy one! Thank you Steve!