If you’ve ever been on a job search, you’ve probably worked with recruiters at some point. I’ll start by saying that I’ve worked with some wonderful, smart recruiters who genuinely cared about placing me in the right job at the right company. However, I’ve also worked with recruiters who had their own agendas – to my detriment.
As part of my “Tales from a Job Hunter” series, I’m sharing some problems I encountered and how you can deal with it if you find yourself in the same situation:
The job sounds too good to be true. This has happened to me several times – the job description, pay, benefits, etc. are all perfect. So much so that it seems it would be out of reach. But the recruiter insists on a phone call and it starts with very direct questions about what I do at my job. The questions get more tactical and it starts to become clear that the recruiter doesn’t know how to staff the position and is trying to learn about my experience to see what level he should be looking at. This is a waste of my time – I’m helping him without getting anything in return. The best thing to do is, as politely as possible, interrupt or stop the conversation with an excuse and stop working with that recruiter.
The call goes beyond 30 minutes. I once found myself on a great call with a recruiter – he had a hybrid job he was trying to staff for and we were talking about the possibilities of the role. Then he began asking me what exactly about my experience applied to the job – no red flags yet, but as I began to explain and he asked for more and more specifics I began to realize what was happening. He too did not know how to staff for the position and was looking for my answers to give me that direction. We were on the phone for over an hour – completely inappropriate for an initial call especially considering I was still working. I did not return his calls.
The recruiter doesn’t know what you do. It can be hard to find this out. I started working with a recruiter who had initially contacted me about a job I was potential fit for. It ended up being below my experience level and with too much focus in an area outside of my expertise. However, I’d been able to interview so considered that experience and the connections made to be beneficial. I reached out a few months later for a different job at the same company that a different title, but many of the same job functions. I explained why I felt it was a good fit and she put my resume forward, but it was rejected with the reasoning that my experience wasn’t a match. I became concerned that this recruiter wasn’t selling me in properly – I needed her to be able to overcome the title. At this point, there are two options – you can stop working with the recruiter, or you can work to further educate the recruiter on what your skills are. I chose the latter in this case.
These are just a few of my tales – remember, just because a recruiter contacts you on LinkedIn doesn’t mean it’s a good lead. It’s perfectly acceptable to request more information before scheduling a call. If you decide to have a call, make sure it’s introductory and focused first on the role to see if you’re interested. If you are, then share with the recruiter why you’re a potential fit.
Good luck!
Check out the other posts in this series:
Tales from a Job Hunter: Introduction
Tales from a Job Hunter: Hiring Manager Ads to Job Description During Interview
Tales from a Job Hunter: The Bait and Switch
Tales from a Job Hunter: HR Fails