A terrible recruiter from flex-associates.com found me on linkedin, I came "highly recommended", from a super secret sauce. Next day they tried it on with my junior. Same person, same conversation tactic, same lack of knowledge about the industries I work in and the systems I work with and develop for.
Awful Recruiters
51–60 of 74 posts
Re: Awful Recruiters
#52I once had a job that depressed the hell out of me. I had thought the company would be good because the job ad said they'd never, ever lost an engineer in more than 10 years of operation.
2 months after I'd left, the same job ad was on the recruiter's website.
Re: Awful Recruiters
#53I first started writing software on contract in the mid-90's. It was a good time, full of C++ jobs and my skills and my market seemed to be in harmony. I put my resume out there on the still-so-new-it-shined internet and immediately got over a dozen calls, the vast majority being from 3rd-party recruiters. I complained to my wife after the third call in a row and she explained to me that I should never be upset when…
> ... when someone called because they wanted to get me a job She overestimates the bad recruiters. Recruiters have been known to advertise non-existent positions so they can build up their folios. They have been known to alter resumes to make it look like the candidate is a fit when they aren't. They have been known to lie about candidates. They have been known to try to make the candidates do all the work. They hav…
The awful recruiter is nowhere near as unethical as the awful hiring manager. I know folks who were asked by the prospective "hiring manager" at companies like Cisco (for a contract gig) to basically show how they'd do the first 3 months of the job.
Some replied with a load of work that they figure would put them ahead of the other candidates. All they got for their efforts was the sound of crickets on the other end... turns out the "hiring manager" was really just trolling for the candidates ideas and work output.
Re: Awful Recruiters
#54> All third-party recruiters are awful and need to find a real profession. Wow, I'm not the biggest recruiter fan but this makes the site pretty hard to take seriously.
Obviously I'm kidding.
"positions I am wildly unqualitified for"
Is the way you misspelled 'unqualified' supposed to be ironic?
Re: Awful Recruiters
#55You can add cybercoders to that list.
I second this. I receive emails from them on a weekly basis for jobs that are outside my main skill set.
I'm glad they have my google voice number..it's much easier to block people.
Re: Awful Recruiters
#56We recruit directly. Our ads are clearly marked at top and bottom with 'We do not use, and never have used, a recruitment agency. Please do not contact us if you are a recruitment agent' Despite this, we receive multiple calls a day from agencies. Exasperating!
I've seen that as well. There are two things going on. One is that agencies will add the jobs to their books. It makes them look better - "hey look at all these cool jobs we are recruiting for". The second is that they can claim to have introduced a candidate to you and can try to sue. Often a company will just roll over especially if it turns out to be a good candidate. Remember that the good recruiters will be succ…
"The second is that they can claim to have introduced a candidate to you and can try to sue. Often a company will just roll over especially if it turns out to be a good candidate."
It depends on the market. I have known companies to say outright that due to the conflict, they wouldn't touch the candidate for 6 months or more.
Re: Awful Recruiters
#57Sounds like this person has put himself up on some/many job sites and is wondering why every recruiter on the planet is sending him referrals. Besides, if a particular company sends you a bunch spam, it's usually a 1-3 click process to add them to your spam filter. As for the list he provided, I don't agree with the top entry. I got a great referral from WorkBridgeAssociates, and our company has found several good pe…
Or, you could easily figure out who this person is and then realize they are quite good and that is why they are getting contacted all the time...?
Yes, that is certainly a possibility. And if they are that good, then they'd definitely have set up a spam filter and not have complained so loudly, so publicly. I don't really care too much either way about it. It seems to be too much huffing and puffing over a trivial issue.
Re: Awful Recruiters
#58I really wanted to read user-submitted emails they've received from recruiters.
Re: Awful Recruiters
#59I'd love to see a RateMyProfessor-style site for recruiters. Among other things, it might provide some reward for the few who try to behave well towards developers and employers.
I agree. I think the great recruiters should be rewarded as they are few and far-between, and the terrible ones should be outed. It'd be nice to turn the tables and evaluate their qualifications just as they do ours.
Re: Awful Recruiters
#60I first started writing software on contract in the mid-90's. It was a good time, full of C++ jobs and my skills and my market seemed to be in harmony. I put my resume out there on the still-so-new-it-shined internet and immediately got over a dozen calls, the vast majority being from 3rd-party recruiters. I complained to my wife after the third call in a row and she explained to me that I should never be upset when…
> ... when someone called because they wanted to get me a job She overestimates the bad recruiters. Recruiters have been known to advertise non-existent positions so they can build up their folios. They have been known to alter resumes to make it look like the candidate is a fit when they aren't. They have been known to lie about candidates. They have been known to try to make the candidates do all the work. They hav…
Thanks for the comment. I noticed Modis on your list. Do you recall how they earned the spot? I've worked for them (granted, years ago) with no problem. I've had very few bad experiences - never had my resume submitted without approval, or had my resume edited. I do check out a recruiter before working for them and maybe my internal warning system works. Often I try to work for companies that offer insurance, which is a hurdle that fly-by-night shops can't clear.
Protip: If a recruiter ever uses the term "DIRECT CLIENT" in an email, they are ignored, especially if it's in all caps. That seems to be a great filter for getting rid of bad recruiters. I'm not even sure why so many places use it.