Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Don’t Feed the Beast – The Great Tech Recruiter Infestation

mocko.org.uk

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 335 posts

Re: Don’t Feed the Beast – The Great Tech Recruiter Infestation

#111

Post by dheera »

jameshart wrote: post #30

US recruitment (at least around tech hubs) does seem a lot more civilized than the UK situation - most opportunities I see are directly advertised. I left the UK five years ago, and I still get most of my recruitment spam from UK agents. Someone clearly needs to educate those guys about aging their databases - someone who was in the market for opening level PHP gigs in 2001 is probably not still looking for opening l…

In the US I've been approached by a lot of headhunters/recruiters from the finance industry, usually throwing salary numbers at me before even saying what it is I would be doing for the world. I agree that the tech industry is mostly directly advertised, as it should be.

Re: Don’t Feed the Beast – The Great Tech Recruiter Infestation

#112

Post by nordic_nomad »

joeyspn wrote: post #88
ryguytilidie wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly it seems like the author has some serious problems. I know hundreds of recruiters having been at Google and Facebook and not a single one of them thinks like this at all. To say "now grovel and be exploited" about a process where the person will almost certainly end up with a fantastic offer for an engineering job in a comfortable office with great pay and great working conditions may actually be the least s…

You clearly don't have a clue about how things are here in the EU. Few weeks ago one of these charitable souls deceived a co-worker offering him an incredible opportunity to move to London and the result was: - £15k ($23k) less salary than advertised in the offer - No benefits (healthcare, dental, etc) - No free food/snacks/bevare at the company - No perks (equipment, etc) When questioned about this, the recruiter sa…

Holy god, that's a job in technology? Sounds like your typical retail wage slave situation here in the US. Even entry level tech jobs are in the $40-$50k range generally.

Re: Don’t Feed the Beast – The Great Tech Recruiter Infestation

#113

Post by celticninja »

ascorbic wrote: post #47
mbroshi wrote: post #34

I will admit I did not make it through this entire article, but it really did not ring true to me at all--just sounded like an unsupported, hostile, angry rant. >> “Fucked if we care” think the recruiters, “now grovel and be exploited”. ... >> You’re meat to them, a resource to be packaged and sold and exploited. Who's being exploited here? I think he's implying the programmers, but as someone who left academia for i…

Are you in the UK? If so, I'm seriously surprised this doesn't ring true. To me it exactly matches my experience both as a contractor and as an employer. As to who is being exploited here, it's the whole IT industry. They are rent-seekers, pure and simple, and they leech off our industry. They may not be sending children down mines, but that doesn't diminish the fact they are terrible companies and terrible people.

Really? Terrible companies and terrible people?

Do you know how agencies work? You do understand that employers contact them and ask them to find people, to organise their payroll, do relevant checks e.g. confirm right to work, security, skills etc. And these companies know they will be paying a % to the agency and this is because they dont want to do that work themselves they just want a competent worker in place asap.

Those same employers could spend their time searching job boards for suitable candidates but they don't want to so they outsource.

As for the OP saying they are taking 15% of his money. That's not the case. In most cases the Employer will agree a rate with the agency, so they will be a maximum of e.g £250 a day for the contractor and a 15% fee to the agency. So they are paying out around £290 per day to the agency. If the contractor was located directly do you think they would pay him/her £290 per day? No they would pay £250 as they know that is the going rate. they pay the agency fee so they dont have to go through the recruitment process e.g. post adverts, interview people (phone), interview (in person) skill check, right to work check etc.

Re: Don’t Feed the Beast – The Great Tech Recruiter Infestation

#114

Post by supercanuck »

ryguytilidie wrote: post #90
supercanuck wrote: post #78

You do realize that there is an entire IT Industry outside of Facebook and Google?

Snark for no reason? Check. Somehow extrapolates me saying that I know lots of recruiters because I worked with recruiters at a large company means that I believe IT only exists within two companies on earth? Check. Thanks, great response.

You are using your experience at two of of the best technology companies in the world to trash the author's criticism of the recruiting in the "IT" industry.

Your comment was very tone deaf.

Re: Don’t Feed the Beast – The Great Tech Recruiter Infestation

#115

Post by dheera »

Flenser wrote: post #21
adrianb wrote: post #11

I stopped answering the phone to unknown numbers because of this.

I turned off my voicemail because of this.

My voicemail recording is just several minutes of classical music with the occasional "All of our representatives are currently busy at this time. Please stay on the line and we'll be with you shortly." at regular intervals.

Re: Don’t Feed the Beast – The Great Tech Recruiter Infestation

#116

Post by celticninja »

Just as an aside as the original article seems to think that the recruiter is taking money from him, i.e.t he 15% is 15% he could be receving. It does not work like that. Most employers know what the going day rate is for their required skill set. If they got a contractor directly they would pay the day rate, they would not bump it up 15% because they didn't go through an agency. they pay the agency fee to undertake the work of locating the contractor. If they do the work to locate the contractor themselves why would they pay the contractor extra? They would not.

Its almost as if the article writer has so little knowledge of how recruitment works that he is a target for shitty people in the industry, kind of like how once you respond to a Nigerian prince loads of scammers come out of the woodwork.

Re: Don’t Feed the Beast – The Great Tech Recruiter Infestation

#118

Post by bitwize »

phone rings

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Cloud Strife?"

(pausing a moment to consider whether even to continue) "...Yeah."

"Hey, Cloud, how's your afternoon going? My name is Michael Gravitz and I'm a recruiter for Warmbody Technical Services. I came across your résumé on Dice, and I noticed you have a lot of Buster Sword experience. We've got a great opportunity for a Bodyguard role with an established, profitable company in the electric power industry that I think you'd be a great fit for--"

"It's Shinra, isn't it."

"Bingo! It is Shinra! Out of curiosity, how did you know--"

"Not interested."

"Oh. Okay. Well, do you know anyone who's looking and might be interested in this role?"

"No."

"Oh! Well! I'm so glad to hear that all your friends have jobs, Cloud! You have a great day!"

"Bye."

click

Re: Don’t Feed the Beast – The Great Tech Recruiter Infestation

#119

Post by michaelt »

ascorbic wrote: post #47
mbroshi wrote: post #34

I will admit I did not make it through this entire article, but it really did not ring true to me at all--just sounded like an unsupported, hostile, angry rant. >> “Fucked if we care” think the recruiters, “now grovel and be exploited”. ... >> You’re meat to them, a resource to be packaged and sold and exploited. Who's being exploited here? I think he's implying the programmers, but as someone who left academia for i…

Are you in the UK? If so, I'm seriously surprised this doesn't ring true. To me it exactly matches my experience both as a contractor and as an employer. As to who is being exploited here, it's the whole IT industry. They are rent-seekers, pure and simple, and they leech off our industry. They may not be sending children down mines, but that doesn't diminish the fact they are terrible companies and terrible people.

  They are rent-seekers, pure and simple, and they
  leech off our industry.
I'm no fan of recruiters, but nothing stops you applying to the company directly, and nothing stops the company posting their own job ads.
Post reply on HN