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

mocko.org.uk

261–270 of 335 posts

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

#261

I've been on the job market the last few weeks, going mostly through New York recruiters. The quality of the experience has varied wildly, with some obviously doing the minimum work necessary, and just as obviously not knowing or caring about the "acronyms" on my resume. Others seem pretty professional, have apparently done research, and the clients they recruit for would indicate they have a reputation to maintain.…

Unsolicited I know but a good friend of mine runs a recruitment firm in NYC. He's a tech guy (I've worked with him for nearly 10 years) and the founder is an ex-Google dev too (I've only Skyped with him but he seems to know his stuff).

They mostly place for contract roles - but I could be wrong on that.

Happy to introduce you if you wish.

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

#262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 as…

"Do you know how agencies work?"

Pretty much how the article was written.

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

#263

I don't understand. If recruiters are leeches, why do employers work with them ? perhaps, it's because they provide a service, no?

Because everyone is really bad at recruitment. Companies hire recruiters because they think it'll help dampen the badness of their own recruiting abilities, but really it just makes it harder, as recruiters scare away decent candidates.

I don't get it. If a recruiter calls you, you are either interested or not. So, what's the harm ?

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

#264
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…

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…

"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 self aware thing I've ever seen a human being write."

It was at this point that you lost me. You've clearly been lucky enough to never had a crappy job.

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

#265
post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

there are literally millions of recruiters in the world. You think knowing a couple hundred means you know how they all act, or even a majority?

So let me see if I follow. It is completely rational and even considered informational to post some strawmen about 2 or 3 recruiters. HOWEVER, knowing hundreds of recruiters and talking about their actual behavior is not rational. "You think knowing a couple hundred means you know how they all act, or even a majority?" I...what? Are we just coming up with the dumbest, most obtuse questions possible? Again, what shred…

>So let me see if I follow.

You obviously don't, so you may want to give up or try again.

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

#266
post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

there are literally millions of recruiters in the world. You think knowing a couple hundred means you know how they all act, or even a majority?

So let me see if I follow. It is completely rational and even considered informational to post some strawmen about 2 or 3 recruiters. HOWEVER, knowing hundreds of recruiters and talking about their actual behavior is not rational. "You think knowing a couple hundred means you know how they all act, or even a majority?" I...what? Are we just coming up with the dumbest, most obtuse questions possible? Again, what shred…

[deleted]

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

#267
A recruiter once lost it with me when I was job hunting about 5 years ago. They has put me forward for a job which I'd already applied for (one of the biggest consulting co's in the world) and was convinced that I'd cut them out of the process completely (despite the fact I'd told them I'd applied).

Got offered the job in the end. Shitty salary (and not the most exciting of jobs as I gathered too).

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

#268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because everyone is really bad at recruitment. Companies hire recruiters because they think it'll help dampen the badness of their own recruiting abilities, but really it just makes it harder, as recruiters scare away decent candidates.

I don't get it. If a recruiter calls you, you are either interested or not. So, what's the harm ?

If your API receives 1 spam request a day its no biggie.

If it receives a few million (eg. via LOIC or whatever), its disabling.

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

#269

Had a recruiter email me recently saying: "JASON knowledge is an advantage..." Yep. I still don't know jason

I recall one phone call where the guy said "how much do you know about Ajax?" (pronounced like the Dutch football team). There was no reason for the guy to know any different, but it amused me at the time....

Haha, I'm a dev and I pronounced it like this for a while (knowing it was incorrect).

Someone like me probably set them down the wrong path!

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

#270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Lol, I'm a C++ games programmer and make $30k/year. North East of England + games industry.

You're getting fucked. Hard. But that's what the games industry is all about. Fucking developers over, and then replacing them with fresh faced new grads who think it'd be just spiffy to work in games.
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