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| Recruiters Not Responding? Here's Why |
by Jon Jacobs - April 3, 2009
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A story on our sister site eFinancialCareers that showcased recruiters' complaints about "crazy" candidates struck a nerve among many users there. Several comments draw a link between overeager job-seekers - who recruiters may view as pests - and uncommunicative recruiters whom sincere and well-behaved job-seekers may label rude and unprofessional. The question of whether recruiters ought to be more responsive to candidates eliminated from a client's interview process (and those job-seekers a recruiter doesn't plan to refer for an interview at all) has long been a bone of contention. In fact, it was a story and contentious comment thread on just that topic that drew me to participate in an eFinancialCareers discussion for the first time, months before I became an employee in 2007.
Revisiting the issue today, my first thought is: Does it matter?
For a job-seeker, expending emotional energy over being ignored by a recruiter was always an iffy proposition. After all, how is venting going to get you closer to landing a job?
Fewer Retained Searches
But at least, in better times there was the hope that if a recruiter perchance did return your phone call or e-mail, you'd be on the road to salvation. Retained search firms usually have an exclusive right to present candidates to their client employer, and typically refer only a small number of candidates for any given opening. So if the retained recruiter liked you, you'd have a solid shot at getting hired.
That's much less so today, for the simple reason that retained searches are far less common in finance than two years, even one year, ago (as several recruiter friends have told me). Employers seem to be moving away from them, to save on fees. That's forcing recruiters to work increasingly on contingency, where they're due a fee only if the employer ends up hiring a candidate they've referred.
Minimal Benefit
That, In turn, makes recruiters less useful to job-seekers. The moat you must cross to progress from a recruiter (now likely working on contingency) to the direct employer is wider than ever, because fewer recruiters have any real "in." In many cases they're just looking for something, anything, to throw at the employer's wall so they can hope it sticks.
So, if chasing recruiters is less useful than before, then it follows that agonizing over recruiters' lack of courtesy is also less productive. You'd be agonizing over bad treatment at the hands of someone who probably wouldn't be a great conduit to the job, even if they treated you like royalty. So, here's my advice: stop agonizing about unimportant slights, and get your eyes back on the ball.
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| Disgruntled Seeker (New York) |
on 23 Jul 2009 at 12:44 pm |
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| The system is not about the bias an employer or a recruiter can present to an employee, nor is it about the bias a job seeking employee presents to an employer or recruiter nor however. It is about a country which unifies it populace to ensuring opportunity and trust in its very own system for all. The system is in its own effect the creator of its foundation and future. People are native to there very own nature of creation and spiritual belonging. If not then we are mere animals and will pursue that course. We then must rewrite the laws of government and principles. |
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| James Van Gundy (Arizona) |
on 20 Jul 2009 at 9:04 pm |
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Ibelieve it is not only the recruiter, but also the hiring manager or the company recruiter (screener). What everyone fails to address, is the current jobs market has found millions of desperate people out of work, either about to or already have lost thier,homrs, cars, credit standing , self respect etc.
Positions are placed on internet job boards by both employers and recruiters which either do not exist or are a hopeful vacancy in the future. Candudates sit and waiot for the phone to ring, check thier email every few minutes for a response that never comes.. Meanwhile the bills continue to pile up, and desperations sets in. An employee whom was once a valuable memebr of an organization, making significsnt contributions on a daily basis, suddenlky findd himnself out of work through no fault of his own, beelieves he will very quickly land a new job. However when this does not hsppan, evern though he may submit hubndreds of resumes thrugh the internet he begins to develop a deep felt disdasin for those whom appear to be actuallt hiring, but have no intention of this.
Having been a hiring managert for many many years, I ALWAYS posted my vacanices in variouys media. Within 1 week I screened and interviewed candidates, then with another 3 days I hired the best people for thr job opportunity. I also personally contascted thise whom were not successful immediuately and discussed future possibilites and lent advice on other companies that may be hiring in my industry. Mining.
To do less is simplu unprofessional. I have had many many recruiter call only after seeing the same job that I saw posted on the internet, pretending to be THE recruiter for the company, but when I called the ciompany they had not contracted with this recruiter to fill the position.
I have worked with one or two very very good recruiter in my career, but ther vast majority will simply lead you on, have no knowledge of the actual job description, do not provide suffcieitn information on the job description posting because thet have absolutely NO knowledge of the industry or the type of person required.
So don not call these candidates crazy, they are simply responding to YOUR posting for a job they feel they ARE quakified for. They also want to feed thier families. |
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| Jan Heeramaneck (San Marcos) |
on 01 May 2009 at 7:45 pm |
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| There is a need for licensing of someone wanting to be in the business of recruiting. This should include a code of conduct including training on professional courtesies. Communications with a clients should require a clear worded explanation for candidates that are deemed unsuitable. As a minimum there needs to be a code of conduct for all parties to communicate the decision regarding a potential candidate that has been interviewed. This should be legislated at the state level and companies and recruiters fined for non-adherence. Suffice to say I have been for an interview without the courtesy of any final conclusion. |
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| Michael Hardesty (Oakland, California) |
on 01 May 2009 at 2:01 pm |
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I'm afraid the two recruiters doth protest too much. I have come to distrust and loathe recruiters. It has been at least
15 years since I ever got a job through a recruiter. They
often advertise nonexistent jobs just to build up their resume
files and thus waste a job seeker's time as well as falsely
getting up their hopes. Maybe it was better in the old days
when you paid them a fee after they got you a job. They
of course no loyalty to applicants and most of them seem
more anxious to weed out candidates than to check out
the candidate's strong points. The net result is to add anguish to a person already troubled by the current job
market. Who needs that ? |
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| Shina (NYC) |
on 22 Apr 2009 at 9:47 am |
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| This is so true. These recruiters are only trying to get commissions and will advertise a job that they know very well is from a client who doesn't want agencies calling them.I have learned my lesson with recruiters and agencies. Trust me, you are better off dealing with the client yourself especially in these tough economic times. Think about your career because these recruiters are looking to use people |
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| William (Cleveland, Ohio) |
on 18 Apr 2009 at 6:36 pm |
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I sympathize with all of the comments. While I have occasionally been contacted by a recruiter that seems to 'care' some, it is usually not the case. While I understand that they are doing their job, I have unfortunately come to not expect them to keep me informed about job searches. I also know not to expect them to tell me that they are pushing another candidate ahead of me. In general, I have tried to greatly lower my expectations of what to expect from them. For example, I am 54 and there is rampant age discriminaton.
I know that a recruiter would not tell me whether my age was a factor.
Nonetheless, I can still appreciate a good recruiter! |
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| Vanesssa (SF bay area) |
on 09 Apr 2009 at 4:31 pm |
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I am a CPA and had really bad experience with recruiters here including Robert Half, Kelly Financial Recruiters, Accountants Inc and others. All they care about is adding your resume to their system, after that there is no follow up and no call returns.
Robert half people even tried me to push for a job which i found that others were not taking bcoz the manager was horrible. i got the news from outside that all the subordinates of that person left the company within six months of joining.
I think all recruiter care about is there commission targets. |
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| JoAnne Berti (Toronto, Canada) |
on 09 Apr 2009 at 10:17 am |
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Well, after reading all the remarks. Let me tell you, I have been trying for 3 year to get a job. Once you are over "50", let me tell you, your feel worthless, degraded, trying to get a job. I have been to over 20 recruiters, I don't know how many hundreds of resume that I have sent out. The sad thing about it is, I am from the old school, when an employee was dedicated, loyal, reliable. That is very hard to find today!
But most of the jobs that are posted are by Agencies. That leave me out.
My ending note: Spite it all, I will continue to look. Wishing you all good luck on the job hunt. |
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| Coty (Chicago) |
on 08 Apr 2009 at 3:56 pm |
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| About two years ago when everything was pretty good there used to be some great recruiters. Since those days are gone they very rarely call me with anything I have the actual companies call me instead of agencies. I wonder if they'll go bust or what!! |
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| Mike S. |
on 08 Apr 2009 at 12:32 pm |
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I give accolades to editor for his candid article. Recruiters have become too saturated in the market. I think a computer could do a better job screening resumes.
These days you see a single position open up that an employer is looking to fill, yet there are several - I mean like five plus staffing co's/recruiters trying to land that talent.
On a job search engine - you will have multiple staffers trying to fill the same position. And depending on which one you end up with on the totem poll - they will try and push you to accept lower wages. Personally, I think contacting HR (internal) for a job is a better experience. However, chances are you will face heavier competition.
- IT consultant |
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| Keith (Northern California) |
on 08 Apr 2009 at 10:46 am |
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Obviously, the recruiting agency is trying to make a sale; not to help a candidate find a job.
Years ago, I responded to a newspaper ad (before the days of internet) about a job that I was very interested in. The recruiting rep basically told me that I was not the right fit for the job and therefore did not line up an interview for me. I found that another recruiting agency advertised the same job. So I went through them...........and got the job.
Many times, I have lost job opportunities because the prospective employer will find someone that is not going through an agency; so therefore they do not have to pay a recruiting fee.
And recently, I was contacted by an agency that I have worked for on contract positions on 2 occasions. They were excited about an opportunity and wanted my permission to submit my resume. I quickly sent them my updated resume and list references. But 2 days later, I contacted the rep to get an update and she hadn't even sent my resume' to the client. |
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| timmy (unknown) |
on 08 Apr 2009 at 10:46 am |
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| In my experience the behavior is the same in a down economy as it is in an up economy. Many of the large recruiting firms (KF, H&S, etc.) have a spotty record of performance and much of it depends on the individual recruiter. I’ve had several bad experiences with KF long before the economic downturn. I went through a 3 month interview process, attended 4 separate interview sessions, and at the end of it they said the client had decided to not fill the position. What a bunch of BS. It seems recruiters don’t want to or can’t deliver bad news to candidates. If the company doesn’t want to hire you and has found someone else tell the other candidates and don’t leave the candidate wondering what is going on. Be professional and tell the candidate what the outcome was so they can move one. I have another example where the recruiter said the CFO fell off a ladder and was severely injured and therefore the company not moving forward with filling the position until he was better LMAO……right! |
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| TIGGA (DC) |
on 08 Apr 2009 at 9:52 am |
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I agree with the article for the most part. I've been on both sides of the job search (as a candidate and as a hiring manager).
Most recruiters who have contacted me as a candidate, know just the basics about the accounting jobs they are calling me about (they usually find my resume online). As I begin to ask specifics about the job, they usually tell me to just let them send in my resume and see what happens, or encourage me to ask more pointed questions at the interview.
Once the interview is over, they usually want feedback immediately, and want to know if Iwill take the job if offered. Sometimes I don't even get a chance to absorb the information gathered from the interview. I've even had a recruiter try to encourage me to accept an offer for a job I really did not want. After I did not accept the position, they never called me again for any opportunities. I guess I turned out to be a waste of their time.
I've even been contacted by several placement firms for the same opening, which leads me to believe that many of them have no real pipeline with the perspective employer.
I've also placed ads for vacancies in the past as a hiring manager and have gotten cold calls from many recruiters trying to get me to meet with their candidates. They usually will contact me and tell me that their candidate has learned of the opening and has contacted them to help secure an interview, because they are really excited about the opportunity. On many occasions the candidate has a different story..informing me that the recruiter mentioned that I was very interested in meeting them, some who don't even have any of the skill sets I'm looking for. I've also found it very difficult to use a recruiter because the fees are anywhere between 15 to 25% of the base salary.
I agree. In times like these, most hiring managers don't want to pay the additional fees.
My advice to someone who is considering using a recruiter is to limit yourself to one or two people who have experience placing candidates within your industry. Try to form a relationship with them to the point that even if you find an opening on your own, they will help give you some background information on the perspective employer without trying to represent you themselves. There are some that are actually willing to do that. |
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| MilfordMayor2 (Milford, PA) |
on 08 Apr 2009 at 8:42 am |
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This article and the comments of 911AlwaysRemember are mirror images of my job search experience. To the extent that the I needed to explain to the recruiter my experience and what types of positions I am seeking on seven occasions and after revising my resume four times I was presented for one position in an industry in which I had no experience.
I attempted to keep the lines of communication open and presented opportunities that I found on the website to my contact with a request to be submitted and never received any correspondence confirming or declining my presentation.
Finally after sixteen months I attempted to contact the recruiter and was told that they were no longer there. I was surprised that I did not receive any contact providing information about being reassigned to a new recruiter.
This has been a frustrating experience. I believe that my treatment has been unprofessional and would not only avoid recommending Robert Half but have already directed other accounting professionals away from that organization.
Thank you for letting me vent! |
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| Mark Feffer (New York) |
on 08 Apr 2009 at 6:36 am |
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We're sorry that some recruiters were insulted by this item. We didn't mean it to be offensive, but it does reflect thoughts we often hear from job-seekers and, as Jon Jacobs noted, draws from conversations he had with experienced financial recruiters.
That said, the points made by Ms. Harris and Ms. Wortman are well-taken. I'd invite them - or any other recruiter interested - to write a standalone article to share your point of view.
Simply write me at editor@jobsinthemoney.com
Mark Feffer
Editor |
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| Tony Alcazar (Los Angeles) |
on 07 Apr 2009 at 9:47 pm |
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Great article. Not only recruiters sometimes were uncourteous and unhelpful, but unknowledgeable.
I am an accounting professional specialized in Manufacturing. How can they refer to an employers if they don't know what are the position is all about, they have never being in a factory and don't know how a supply chain works.
One time I was discarded by a recruiter but hired by the employer directly, when I applied on my own. The recruiter was naive enough to tell me the name of the employer, so I went direct. |
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| 911AlwaysRemember (Monroe, New York State) |
on 07 Apr 2009 at 7:30 pm |
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| Robert Half Finance and Accounting U.S.is a perfect example of what is discussed in the aforementioned article. |
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| Lois A. Harris (Florida) |
on 07 Apr 2009 at 6:05 pm |
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I just read your article and must admit, I found it very offensive to a recruiter such as myself, of which I am sure there are many, who do return phone calls and respond to emails when candidates apply. I am very sensitive, especially in this market to what candidates are going through to find a job, especially those who have been caught up in the recent economic situation and have mortgages and families to support. There are many professional recruiters out there who are very compassionate to these candidates.
In this market everyone is struggling, including recruiters, so an article like this does not help those of us who work hard for our candidates. Even if I can't find them a job as I am not an employment agency and do not work that way, I still take the time to listen and make suggestions to them that might help them. As far as us not having an exclusive pipeline to our clients, I don't know about others, but, I have had a 20+ year history of working very closely with my clients and gaining their confidence in my ability to find them the right candidate, so, that statements leads me to believe that you are really not that up to date on how we work or your exposure to recruiters has not been very favorable. Recruiters such as myself use websites like yours to identify candidates for positions and I would imagine are one source of your income, therefore, I think you really need more information or at least some sensitivity as to your clients, many of which were recruiters until they read this article. I would certainly never write something like this regarding my clients as I am dependent upon them for my income and have great respect for them as they do for me and my firm.
Are there recruiters out there such as you describe....Of course there are, but, please, let's not take the narrow minded opinion that your article reflects and lump them all together. You really need to become more informed as to the realities of these situations before you print and email this type of article to people.
In closing, I was about to call you and use your services as I recently received a request for a tax director and have used you in the past with some success. This has certainly made me rethink where I want to spend my hard earned money.
Lois Harris
President
The Harris Firm, Inc.
321-622-4061 |
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| Sue Wortman (Napa) |
on 07 Apr 2009 at 5:09 pm |
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Wow, what negative thing to say to many of your customers
that advertise with you.
Due to the great numbers of candidates right now, a recruiter
may be used to screen the hundreds and hundreds of resumes or applications for the client company.
The quality recruiters have ongoing relationships with clients , true they may work on less jobs, this is a temporary
situation.
As a recruiter and business owner, I have in the past used
your site for posting. I say in the past, not in the future , this
is highly insulting, and not true about most recruiters. |
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| The Business Matchmaker (Vernon Hills, IL) |
on 07 Apr 2009 at 4:44 pm |
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I recently wrote an article on my blog that covers a related topic, specifically everyone loves to hate recruiters - that is until the recruiter helps you land a job! http://thebizmatchmaker.typepad.com.
Business is tough for recruiters no doubt. You may have heard - the economy is in peril. But it is even tougher to be a candidate these days without someone advocating for your candidacy. This is what a good recruiter does and does very well. Whether they are retained or on contingency - recruiters sell talent. Employees don't know how to do this.
So believe it or not - I agree with the writer. Get you eye on the ball. To work with a recruiter or not is not the end game job seekers should be concentrating on - and the fact that the writer had to point that our illustrates better than any article or response I could write about why recruiters are valuable assets. |
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