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

Don't Provide Your References to a Recruiter Until After Your Last Interview

kvonhorn.github.io

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 231 posts

Re: Don't Provide Your References to a Recruiter Until After Your Last Interview

#121

Post by marcell »

wonderwonder wrote: post #5

I got an email from a local recruiter a few weeks ago and stepped outside during my lunch break to give her a call. On the initial phone call she asked me where I worked currently. After the call I stepped back into my work where I sit back to back with my manager. No more than 5 minutes later his phone rings, its the recruiter calling to see if they have any need of her services. I emailed her while he was on the ph…

I've been told this is illegal as the recruiter is harming your prospects at your current job...

Re: Don't Provide Your References to a Recruiter Until After Your Last Interview

#122

Post by Zelphyr »

JavaAndChill wrote: post #32

I used to work as a recruiter (not anymore, terrible industry), and one of my colleagues actually sent a candidates CV to their current employer without their knowledge or consent. Things like these happen, because many external recruiters don’t take enough time for you when you’ve only just started working with you and they don’t know whether you’re “loyal” to them or just want to know your market value. And yes, re…

What are the trustworthy ones?

Re: Don't Provide Your References to a Recruiter Until After Your Last Interview

#123

Post by alex_anglin »

roburtguy wrote: post #43

Personally, I don't think this is that big a deal. If you're a good engineer, there really is no shortage of opportunities. If you're not a good engineer, then that is the root problem that should be fixed. For me, recruiters are just people who helps me do the logistics work so that I never had to apply for a job. "To this day, I don’t know what the recruiter said to my former manager, but I do know that my manager…

As a good engineer, surely you recognize that topics such as peoples careers are poorly defined by binary classification...

Re: Don't Provide Your References to a Recruiter Until After Your Last Interview

#125

Post by phyzome »

dm319 wrote: post #46

How do people deal with present employers becoming aware that you may be looking for another position? Do people hide it (hold references back until a job offer, or give previous employment references) or allow their employer to know?

It's funny how it differs by industry, too. In software land, you keep quiet. In the service sector, people seem to be pretty open about it. In academia, it's definitely openly discussed. I'm kind of curious what it's like in law, civil service, etc.

Re: Don't Provide Your References to a Recruiter Until After Your Last Interview

#126

Post by MisterBastahrd »

reureu wrote: post #95

I got a call from an external recruiter: "I have a candidate who would be a great fit for your company." I'm just a lowly data scientist with no hiring power, and at that job the entire data science team was quitting. So, I mentioned that I didn't think the team was growing since it seemed to be actively shrinking with no new reqs that I was aware of. Recruiter immediately turned it around and said they could represe…

I once got an email from a recruiter asking me if I was interested in a position at a company that he had a great working relationship with. I was the person doing the interviews for the position he was trying to hire for, and I'd never talked to him before in my life.

Re: Don't Provide Your References to a Recruiter Until After Your Last Interview

#127

Post by waitButWhy »

keyle wrote: post #105
reureu wrote: post #95

I got a call from an external recruiter: "I have a candidate who would be a great fit for your company." I'm just a lowly data scientist with no hiring power, and at that job the entire data science team was quitting. So, I mentioned that I didn't think the team was growing since it seemed to be actively shrinking with no new reqs that I was aware of. Recruiter immediately turned it around and said they could represe…

Yes once I've even been told that this employer requires a Word document as Resume. So I converted my full generated resume to PDF into a word document, line by line. Turns out, it was only so they could slap their info on it, reword my words and produce a PDF. I asked the employer later, they said they prefer PDF as it's easier to print.......... Snakes. They're leeches in snake skin.

Dude. It's one page of plain text. Maybe two pages. It will be transcribed by brute force in less than an hour, if need be. Probably by an unpaid intern.

You either want recruiters to help do all the leg work for you, or you don't. And you either want the job, or you don't.

If they have a policy of lubricating introductions under a branded letterhead, it's gonna go down that way.

The file format protects nothing. And by nothing, I mean absolutely nothing.

It doesn't even change the pace of what happens by slowing things down.

Re: Don't Provide Your References to a Recruiter Until After Your Last Interview

#128

Post by vkou »

fredophile wrote: post #63
Pxtl wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

... is there Yelp for recruiters? Because I'd want to know a recruiter pulls stunts like that before I work with them.

I don't think this would work. Anyone that is already using shady business practices wouldn't object to posting a few fake reviews of themselves and their competitors either.

Not to mention that many people burned by those business practices may not even realize they got burned. There's a lot of information asymmetry in the telephone game of candidate -> recruiter -> hr -> hiring manager.

Re: Don't Provide Your References to a Recruiter Until After Your Last Interview

#129

Post by mjevans »

soci wrote: post #41
wonderwonder wrote: post #5

I got an email from a local recruiter a few weeks ago and stepped outside during my lunch break to give her a call. On the initial phone call she asked me where I worked currently. After the call I stepped back into my work where I sit back to back with my manager. No more than 5 minutes later his phone rings, its the recruiter calling to see if they have any need of her services. I emailed her while he was on the ph…

I ran small recruitment agency for one year long (never again! terrible sharks industry). During that time I saw many non-ethical tactics used by other agencies. Some recruiters would do what you explain for one of the the following reasons: a) to blackmail the company in the likes of “I won’t touch your employees if you recruit using my services from now on”. b) already had a signed agreement with your employeer whi…

This sounds like something which should be transparently open, public knowledge, and public listings...

Can we please just have a matching service run by the unemployment office and also require salary / compensation range for the listed job? (Also that it IS an actual job and not head hunters collecting resumes.)

Re: Don't Provide Your References to a Recruiter Until After Your Last Interview

#130

Post by roburtguy »

alex_anglin wrote: post #123
roburtguy wrote: post #43

Personally, I don't think this is that big a deal. If you're a good engineer, there really is no shortage of opportunities. If you're not a good engineer, then that is the root problem that should be fixed. For me, recruiters are just people who helps me do the logistics work so that I never had to apply for a job. "To this day, I don’t know what the recruiter said to my former manager, but I do know that my manager…

As a good engineer, surely you recognize that topics such as peoples careers are poorly defined by binary classification...

Well of course, but I mean that as if you're not confident enough to recommend other engineers because of competition, then the root cause is probably your own standard of expertise that you have set that you have not met and should meet.
Post reply on HN