51–60 of 68 posts
So the only "recruiters" I ever get contacting me are for body-shop type firms (TekSystems, Robert Half). I've talked to them and I tell them that I'm comfortable where I am, but if you can find me something better, I'm willing to listen. And I explain where I am being compensated now, and explain "better" would have to beat those things. They say "oh, yes, we can!" and then of course, the only thing that may be even…
I'm always perplexed at how annoyed the dev community gets at recruiters. Sure, it's weird when they don't put forth an effort, but come on, you're getting unsolicited job offers multiple times a week! We're EXTREMELY lucky that our industry is flourishing right now. So many people have been unemployed for months (years) and they can't so much as get a phone-call. Take the recruitment as flattery. If you're not inter…
Totally a first-world problem.
I share feedback with recruiters because I want feedback as an engineer. If they choose to ignore it... well, I'll have to find some way to deal with people trying to give me a job, I guess. Woe.
Seems like it's every week or so now that a developer writes a letter like this to recruiters. Trust me, I completely agree - recruiters suck. But I'm wondering if the recruiters you're actually trying to reach are simply never going to listen and never stop their ways. That's just not who they are. Somebody needs to fix the recruiting industry, for realz.
I'm not convinced it's that broken, though - at least from the recruiter's perspective. I have no doubt they pick up many candidates - those of us that are more "discerning" as just the collateral damage.
Simply filling those job openings every time does not mean the right fit is found every time.
I'm always perplexed at how annoyed the dev community gets at recruiters. Sure, it's weird when they don't put forth an effort, but come on, you're getting unsolicited job offers multiple times a week! We're EXTREMELY lucky that our industry is flourishing right now. So many people have been unemployed for months (years) and they can't so much as get a phone-call. Take the recruitment as flattery. If you're not inter…
(But it is still good to treat people considering you as a job prospect as flattery.)
Please spare us with the royal attitude. Congratulations, you know how computers work, and so do thousands of other people who work harder and cheaper than you. Recruiters don't care if you, candidate number 947392, is annoyed or not. They simply want to know if you're going to the damn interview or not. If not then goodbye, next. If you go to the interview, and you didn't embarrass the recruiter for suggesting you,…
How uppity of me, to let my desire to work in a job I like get in the way of a recruiter's money. I am thoroughly cowed. I've seen the error of my ways. Thank you.
If you want to stump a recruiter just ask "Why does does company X want to talk to me? What did they find so interesting about me?" Bad recruiters have no answer because they're just tossing candidates at roles and hoping something sticks.
However.
I think it's also important to realize, from a recruiter's perspective, that not everyone feels the same way you do. How would a recruiter know, before you posted this extremely condescending letter, that you're too important to speak to anyone but your mother on the phone? Some people prefer the phone to email (I certainly think it can be more efficient, especially when dealing with Q&A). How would a recruiter know that you actually WANT to not be considered for amazing jobs in certain areas because of your sexuality? (In my thinking, that's a type of discrimination that should be discouraged.) How is a recruiter to know that what would be too much detail in a job description for another potential hire is not enough detail for you? Or vice-verse?
Everyone is busy. Recruiters are busy, programmers are busy, stay at home moms are busy, CEOs are busy. As soon as you think you're too important and busy to show other people respect, there's a problem.
I certainly think you're right about many things. Publicists who send blanket mass pitches that begin "Dear editor," give the rest of us a bad rap and make our jobs that much harder. But closing your letter with "Most engineers hate recruiter pitches not because we hate being pitched, it’s because we hate dealing with recruiters" tells me even if a recruiter follows all of your guidelines and sends you amazing pitches, you'll still think of him/her as a less important person than you, and treat her/him accordingly - simply because of the career they've happened to choose. As a person who's been on the receiving end of emails like yours before (along the lines of "I don't deal with publicists") I can tell you you're not going to gain a lot of respect by making sure everyone knows how Very Important you are. If I were a top recruiter and happened to read this, you can bet I wouldn't bother approaching you in the future - I'd look for someone who communicates like he remembers what it's like to not be on top.
I don't like recruiters either but I think writing an open letter is going too far. I don't choose to make it my problem that recruiters suck. When I go to a sports game and get pestered by ticket scalpers, I don't lecture the scalpers on how the could be using more effective methods to sell their tickets and get all angry about how I'm tired of being offered tickets.
So... what you're telling me is you're tired of being offered posts on my blog and I could be using more effective methods? O:)
Please spare us with the royal attitude. Congratulations, you know how computers work, and so do thousands of other people who work harder and cheaper than you. Recruiters don't care if you, candidate number 947392, is annoyed or not. They simply want to know if you're going to the damn interview or not. If not then goodbye, next. If you go to the interview, and you didn't embarrass the recruiter for suggesting you,…
But it goes the other way as well. Why should a company spend a lot of effort on me before finding out if I am at least interested in the job?
What's the equivalent of speed-dating for employment? Job fairs?
I'm always perplexed at how annoyed the dev community gets at recruiters. Sure, it's weird when they don't put forth an effort, but come on, you're getting unsolicited job offers multiple times a week! We're EXTREMELY lucky that our industry is flourishing right now. So many people have been unemployed for months (years) and they can't so much as get a phone-call. Take the recruitment as flattery. If you're not inter…
I'm too young to remember the post-dot-com years, but those weren't a walk in the park either (to put it very mildly).
If they tell you the company, what's stopping you from turning them down and going directly to the company? I'm pretty sure that's the main reason they don't tell you the company.
I've had recruiters tell me right upfront which company they are dealing with.