Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think I found the one area where they'll hire anybody. Recruiting. Whenever I repost my resume online, I get lots of phone calls from recruiters. Some are pretty good, but most are unbelievably bad. From the questions they ask, you can tell they didn't even bother reading your resume. And it becomes painfully obvious they're not even remotely familiar with the industry you work in or what some of the terminology means. Now, I'm not suggesting all recruiters are like this. So if you are one, please don't take offense. But it does seem like a lot of the ones out there really don't know what they're doing. When I use a recruiter, I want someone I can trust will do a good job representing me to their client and will be an able negotiator, not someone who's just collecting resumes to meet a quota or throwing every resume he finds at his client. Further, I'd want a recruiter doesn't come across like a used car salesman. Does anyone know of any good sites that offer reviews on recruiters or their firms?
No, but it sounds as if you're receiving calls from contingency based firms as opposed to those who operate on a retainer basis. The latter are more professional and require that the candidates they present to firms are screened and referenced. Contingency based firms aren't much different than employment agencies, except for the fact that they're seeking the candidate.
It could depend on how extensive the company's HR function is. I think in general though, I wouldn't want to work for a firm that had a poor recruiter.
First impressions mean a lot, and if this is the image they give of their company, then they can keep their job.
i have worked with recruiters. from my experiences, you need to find the right ones - these are the guys that really understand what YOU are looking for and what experiences you have that may match an opening from one of their client companies. recruiters are a great resource most times because they have connections into multiple clients (sometimes in a diverse range of industries).
i think one important thing to do when working with recruiters is to see how much they will go above and beyond for you. at the end of the day, we all know recruiters are typically commission based so they get a portion of what your salary would be if they placed you at the company. i've met my share of good and bad recruiters. the bad ones just throw any (and i mean any) jobs at you, despite what your profile is or what you're wanting... stay away from these ones. also bad ones ask you for upfront fees. most times, a good recruiter will never ask money from YOU but only from the company that you're trying to get into, once you get placed.
Recruiters can be pretty valuable. They can get your resume past HR and directly in front of the person doing the hiring. They can also move it to the front of the line, depending on their relationship with the client. In a good market, I interview any recruiter who contacts me. I try to find out about their experience, their success at placing candidates, their relationship with the client, and just get an overall idea of whether I can trust this person to be represent me and do a good job negotiating for me. But in a bad market, it's difficult to pass up opportunity. You've been applying to jobs left and right and not hearing back. Now you get a call from a recruiter who claims they can get your resume into Company X. You don't really get a good impression of this person, but you're worried that you'll miss out on that job or that company and that it'll be a long time before you get a break like this. So do you hold your nose and just let this person represent you or do you take a big risk and pass them over while someone else lands that job you wanted? That's the problem with today's market. You feel like you have no choice but to rely on these people, especially if the alternative is remaining unemployed.
Recruiters can be pretty valuable. They can get your resume past HR and directly in front of the person doing the hiring. They can also move it to the front of the line, depending on their relationship with the client. In a good market, I interview any recruiter who contacts me. I try to find out about their experience, their success at placing candidates, their relationship with the client, and just get an overall idea of whether I can trust this person to be represent me and do a good job negotiating for me. But in a bad market, it's difficult to pass up opportunity. You've been applying to jobs left and right and not hearing back. Now you get a call from a recruiter who claims they can get your resume into Company X. You don't really get a good impression of this person, but you're worried that you'll miss out on that job or that company and that it'll be a long time before you get a break like this. So do you hold your nose and just let this person represent you or do you take a big risk and pass them over while someone else lands that job you wanted? That's the problem with today's market. You feel like you have no choice but to rely on these people, especially if the alternative is remaining unemployed.
Recruiters work for the client company, not for you. You shouldn't think they are going to be on your side.
Recruiters work for the client company, not for you. You shouldn't think they are going to be on your side.
I never suggested they work for me. But good recruiters aren't just concerned with filling a job opening, but also with maintaining a good relationship with their client and having a good reputation in the industry. A recruiter may find me, think I'm an OK fit for a job, and then ask to present me to their client. The client says they like my resume, but don't really think I'd be a good fit. This is where the shady recruiter might oversell me, misrepresent my skills and experience, and leave the client believing I'm something that I'm not. So if they did hire me, that would put me in a bad spot and the recruiter, when confronted by the client, could easily say, "well he lied to us." This is why I trust very few recruiters. I know they're not looking out for my best interests. I'm not the one they answer to. But if I am a good fit for the job they're working on, it's obviously in their best interests to keep me happy. If they don't earn my trust, then they miss out on filling that job. But in this market, it's easy for them to find plenty of other people. That's the problem. The recruiter can be complete scum and get away with it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
