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Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

danrodriguez.me

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Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#11

Post by gingerlime »

I can totally relate to the things the author wrote on the post, and my personal experience is not much different. However, I can't help but feeling a little bit uncomfortable with the tone.

As developers / engineers we are privileged to be in a position to choose our employer more than they choose us, to be "chased" by recruiters and flattered about our much desired skills. It's important to maintain some humility and not forget how hard it is for other people (recruiters included).

I have no doubts that the author didn't intend to patronize and that his advise to recruiters is ultimately a positive one, (yes - it would save both the recruiter and the engineer time, if the recruiter wouldn't call about a java job when the CV says javascript). I just wish it was coming across a little less arrogant.

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#12

Post by affiliate777 »

benjaminwootton wrote: post #6

I don't think we need to be as adversary towards recruiters as we sometimes are as a profession. Good recruiters are basically your sales force. They'll be out there building connections and holding a very wide book of open opportunities for you the moment you need them. The good ones will also be respected on the other side, by the employer. If they think you are a particularly good fit for a good role, they can hav…

I agree that an adversarial tone is not advisable for multiple reasons. I have seen a couple of articles on this topic where the engineer comes across as downright rude. I think this particular article (mostly) avoided this trap and recognized that while there are legitimate issues with the way recruiters approach engineers, this is still ultimately a good problem to have. Being in demand is great, but the tides can turn quickly in any profession (see: lawyers). I think it's perfectly appropriate to be able to point out issues with recruiting, but ideally with a sense of humility and appreciation for the opportunities that one has -- this article does that for the most part.

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#13

Post by aristus »

I've talked to experienced recruiters and hiring managers about this. The interesting thing is that the content of the email actually doesn't matter much at all. Personalization, mentioning mutual contacts, etc helps but not a lot.

The single biggest determinant of a successful recruit is (drumroll, please) whether the candidate is currently looking for a job.

I just went back to read the recruiting email that kicked off my current job. And I quote:

"I came across your profile online and would like to chat with you about the exciting career opportunities that we have available at Facebook."

Wow. That sure sounded a lot more exciting at the time, because I was looking. And that's my point. Timing is nearly everything. Maybe you could find ways to predict when or if someone is looking, say, close to anniversaries of their current job (ie vesting cliffs) right before or after performance review time, etc.

But when the cost of a mis-timed email is essentially zero, there's no point. In a tight market like we have now, there will be a lot of smarmy, cut-n-paste junk in your inbox. Because it works.

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#14

Post by berlinbrown »

"Unless we’ve explicitly set up a time to talk, DO NOT CALL ME."

I have yet to put out my phone number when applying for any job. Somehow recruiters found my number from a few interviews I did from 10 years ago.

When ever it suits them, they still call.

Thanks to google voice I have a pretty good setup I don't have to respond

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#15

Post by operand »

gingerlime wrote: post #11

I can totally relate to the things the author wrote on the post, and my personal experience is not much different. However, I can't help but feeling a little bit uncomfortable with the tone. As developers / engineers we are privileged to be in a position to choose our employer more than they choose us, to be "chased" by recruiters and flattered about our much desired skills. It's important to maintain some humility a…

You're right. I really didn't mean to come off like that. But looking back I should've known better and should've worded things more professionally. I think I may edit the post based on what you guys have said about my tone. I was sincerely trying to help.

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#16

Post by berlinbrown »

I asked this on reddit. How much of a proliferation do recruiters have on the job market?

For example, in major cities, recruiters can find out information about every real job in the city and essentially build a relationship with every major company out there. In theory, they can own the job market.

The HR recruiters don't have the time to scan over all the resumes they get. And the new job seeker doesn't have a relationship with the company, so he is just sending out email blind. Oh yea, I see recruiters from all over the country connecting with companies and trying to fill those positions. So it isn't even local anymore. Pretty much any shady recruiter can see an open position and try fill it.

So the third-party recruiter has a gold mine on their hands. They upsell on finding good candidates because they are the only people that have the time/resources to actually do that kind of scanning. It is pretty shady but apparently lucrative. So the job seeker almost has to contact at least one recruiter.

My question, what percentage of open jobs out there get filled by third-party recruiters?

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#17

Post by lordlic »

> Most experienced engineers get several solicitations a day

As an engineer who's just starting out, I get no solicitations at all. I've heard about people being constantly contacted about work, but that's just not happening to me. If I lost my job, I'd have no idea what to do. How do you get on these people's radar? I'd love to feel more in control of my career instead of like my whole life depends on the good graces of my current boss.

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#18

Post by gingerlime »

operand wrote: post #15
gingerlime wrote: post #11

I can totally relate to the things the author wrote on the post, and my personal experience is not much different. However, I can't help but feeling a little bit uncomfortable with the tone. As developers / engineers we are privileged to be in a position to choose our employer more than they choose us, to be "chased" by recruiters and flattered about our much desired skills. It's important to maintain some humility a…

You're right. I really didn't mean to come off like that. But looking back I should've known better and should've worded things more professionally. I think I may edit the post based on what you guys have said about my tone. I was sincerely trying to help.

I know you did. My criticism was purely about the style, not the substance.

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#19

Post by operand »

gingerlime wrote: post #18
operand wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're right. I really didn't mean to come off like that. But looking back I should've known better and should've worded things more professionally. I think I may edit the post based on what you guys have said about my tone. I was sincerely trying to help.

I know you did. My criticism was purely about the style, not the substance.

I edited it a bunch. Hopefully it's better now. Thank you for the feedback.

Re: Tips For Tech Recruiters, From an Engineer

#20

Post by ColinDabritz »

iamdave wrote: post #2

If I hear anything about you looking for “ninjas”, “pirates”, “hackers”, “samurais”, or anything of the like, I’m just going to assume you’re looking for a new saturday morning cartoon character and not an engineer. Grow up. This needs to be on a billboard.

Quite, also "rockstars". I did think "hackers" was an odd choice. It may be misused or overused, but it's also an insiders term, e.g. Hacker News. I'm ok with a recruiter using it the appropriate context. I wonder how much a bay area billboard runs. If it gets a bit of news coverage it'll probably make waves.
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