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Show HN: My reply to LinkedIn recruiters

dennisvdvliet.typeform.com

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Re: Show HN: My reply to LinkedIn recruiters

#71

Post by copsarebastards »

Recent exchange I had with a recruiter over email:

Recruiter: I found your email on LinkedIn and I have a few Java positions you might be interested in. Would you be interested in

Me: I don't have a LinkedIn account. How did you actually find my info?

Recruiter: It was in a database we share with a few other recruitment agencies.

Me: Could you remove me from the database?

Recruiter: Okay, you have been removed from the database.

Me: Since we both know you didn't delete it, you at least update it to say I'm interested in Python jobs? I haven't worked in Java in 5 years and have no interest in going back.

Recruiter: Okay, I've added Python to your languages.

Me: But you didn't remove me from the database and you didn't remove Java from my languages?

Recruiter: I'm not authorized to remove data from the database.

Me: So you lied about where you got my info and you lied about deleting my data from your database?

I like to think that after this he had a revelation and switched careers, but more likely he moved on to prey on another sucker.

EDIT: This was from a new recruitment address. Most recruitment emails I receive get filtered and receive an automated response telling them politely that I'm not interested in their services.

Re: Show HN: My reply to LinkedIn recruiters

#72

Post by rilita »

mathgeek wrote: post #25
rilita wrote: post #20

Regarding your choice of fields: 1. Name - This is already in emails I get from recruiters 2. Email - Useful since LinkedIn emails typically don't include their actual email 3. Phone Number - Ditto to #1; they typically include it 4. How did you find me - Considering you stated this is in reply to LinkedIn recruiters; LinkedIn?? ... 5. Name of the company - Most recruiters will not share this information until you ha…

> You should be more interested in the opportunity not the exact pay. This looks like a money grab. Having a good career is more important than a dollar figure. If you're already in a position that you enjoy, the dollar figure is certainly one of, if not the most important items on a cold call job offer. Asking them to open the discussion with a rough number is more than fair, in my book.

I would never hire someone with this perspective. Quality of the position and the ability to enjoy it and work hard without stressing is way more important than pay in my book.

Re: Show HN: My reply to LinkedIn recruiters

#73

Post by TranquilMarmot »

joezydeco wrote: post #61
dorfsmay wrote: post #18

Are recruiters that big of an issue for you guys? I do not get that many emails/contacts from recruiters, and I find a quick polite email exchange or one phone call allows to quickly clarify the situation and we're done. I actually welcome recruiters contacting me, it keeps me in the loop of what's going, market rate etc... and sometime help me finding new gigs. EDIT: It seems that where you are located makes a big d…

I don't mind either, but what's annoying is how frustratingly vague they are when they are contacting me first . A typical example: Recruiter: "I have a great senior engineering position and you're a perfect match!" Me: "Great. Can you send me a job description and tell me more about what field they're in? I'm an embedded guy and I'm going to want to know if this is (for example) medical, automotive, HMI, or somethin…

I really don't mind the emails. It's the cold calls that bug me. I'll be sitting at my desk, happy and content and writing code, when my phone starts to buzz.

"Odd," I say, "I don't know anybody from Massachusetts.. maybe it's important!"

So I answer.

"Hello, I am calling from [recruiting company] and have a perfect position for you doing [x, y, and z]! Are you interested?"

Now I think to myself that maybe the job will be good, maybe the pay will be higher than what I'm currently getting, maybe it will be doing something I enjoy. So I say "Okay, sure. Tell me more."

The response is the same every time "Okay, I will send you an email to [my email address] if you would kindly respond with haste!"

I politely say thanks and hang up the phone. I go to check my email and sure enough, there it is- "Hello, I am with [recruiting company] and have a perfect position for you doing [x, y, and z]! Kindly fill out the info below and send me your resume."

WHY?! WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME IF YOU'RE JUST GOING TO SEND ME AN EMAIL SAYING THE EXACT THING YOU TOLD ME ON THE PHONE?!?!

Re: Show HN: My reply to LinkedIn recruiters

#74

Post by throwaway12309 »

dorfsmay wrote: post #18

Are recruiters that big of an issue for you guys? I do not get that many emails/contacts from recruiters, and I find a quick polite email exchange or one phone call allows to quickly clarify the situation and we're done. I actually welcome recruiters contacting me, it keeps me in the loop of what's going, market rate etc... and sometime help me finding new gigs. EDIT: It seems that where you are located makes a big d…

Recruiter spam has no correlation with expertise but more with your online profiles. Take linked in for example, when I had my real experience there (technologies used, etc) I got spammed a lot, but since changing all my profile to just contain the basic info (worked at X in year Y) just so I can connect with past workers, I get maybe 1-2 linked in spam emails a month. I assume if you have (or had since some recruiters scrape and store) filled your details in a job site (monster, cwjobs, etc) before, that rate will be a lot higher than if you just have a tech blog. Again, no relation with expertise, just online profile

Re: Show HN: My reply to LinkedIn recruiters

#75

Post by rilita »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #53
rilita wrote: post #20

Regarding your choice of fields: 1. Name - This is already in emails I get from recruiters 2. Email - Useful since LinkedIn emails typically don't include their actual email 3. Phone Number - Ditto to #1; they typically include it 4. How did you find me - Considering you stated this is in reply to LinkedIn recruiters; LinkedIn?? ... 5. Name of the company - Most recruiters will not share this information until you ha…

> Most recruiters will not share this information until you have gone through the process more. What is to stop you from ignoring them and contacting companies directly once they give this? Common courtesy. Not giving company name is a sign that the deal with the recruiter will likely not be a "win-win" arrangement. > This is a poor choice and will drive away recruiters. I think that's sort of a point of that form. T…

I agree it is reasonable to share the company name once you express interest. It is not reasonable to need it to decide whether you will even speak to the recruiter.

If your desire is just to weed out recruiters, why not just say "fuck off" and see which ones still persist. This is nearly equivalent.

The whole attitude of "I want to know the salary since I intend to switch again in a couple of years" is exactly why I wouldn't hire people with this attitude.

Re: Show HN: My reply to LinkedIn recruiters

#76

Post by rilita »

sqldba wrote: post #26
rilita wrote: post #20

Regarding your choice of fields: 1. Name - This is already in emails I get from recruiters 2. Email - Useful since LinkedIn emails typically don't include their actual email 3. Phone Number - Ditto to #1; they typically include it 4. How did you find me - Considering you stated this is in reply to LinkedIn recruiters; LinkedIn?? ... 5. Name of the company - Most recruiters will not share this information until you ha…

"Opportunity"! Opportunity to work for less while the recruiter sits there earning a fat fee for merely passing on my resume? No thanks. I love how everyone thinks their job is some amazing opportunity but won't back it up with something useful you can put towards maybe buying a place to live, like money.

Recruiters don't merely pass on resumes. They work hard to find viable candidates and to tolerate their crappy attitudes when they are trying to help place people in good jobs.

Re: Show HN: My reply to LinkedIn recruiters

#78

Post by rilita »

mrweasel wrote: post #56
rilita wrote: post #20

Regarding your choice of fields: 1. Name - This is already in emails I get from recruiters 2. Email - Useful since LinkedIn emails typically don't include their actual email 3. Phone Number - Ditto to #1; they typically include it 4. How did you find me - Considering you stated this is in reply to LinkedIn recruiters; LinkedIn?? ... 5. Name of the company - Most recruiters will not share this information until you ha…

5. is interesting, I honestly never considered your reasoning, but it makes sense. It also backfires though, I wouldn't talk to recruiter that wouldn't tells me the name of the company. There are companies that I wouldn't want to work for. They are usually the same companies that outsource recruitment, so it works out okay. > Having a good career is more important than a dollar figure I consider a decent salary part…

While I agree you need to know the company before accepting; the goal of recruiters primarily is to give you some limited information and then see if you are willing to talk on the phone. A short phone call is the best most efficient way to handle recruiters. You can have a frank conversation and determine exactly how valuable they are in a short period of time.

Dragging on initial email crap does not truly handle the situation.

As stated already, I think a range is reasonable. Asking the exact number is not.

Re: Show HN: My reply to LinkedIn recruiters

#80

Post by rilita »

rfrey wrote: post #41
rilita wrote: post #20

Regarding your choice of fields: 1. Name - This is already in emails I get from recruiters 2. Email - Useful since LinkedIn emails typically don't include their actual email 3. Phone Number - Ditto to #1; they typically include it 4. How did you find me - Considering you stated this is in reply to LinkedIn recruiters; LinkedIn?? ... 5. Name of the company - Most recruiters will not share this information until you ha…

It's an insult to ask what the pay is? Do you think the recruiter asks the employer? If so, there are two possible reasons: because it's pertinent information for candidates, or because the recruiter gets paid based on that info. If the former, no insult. If the latter, the recruiter is in familiar territory if so "insulted" by the candidate.

Yes it is. Many companies doing direct hire ( going past recruiters entirely ) will drop you as a candidate entirely if you ask for salary too soon in the process.
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