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Hello
I'm a techincal guy and I keep my resume updated on some of the large boards. I have been noticing that when a position opens I get contacted by up to 6 or so firms for the same position. All claiming to be working directly with the company. It's obvious to me that they are not working with the company and are reading the phone message schpiel from a card for the first time. In general its easy to wade through to pick out who is who. Whats the deal with this? and how would people keep from wasting time with a frivolous recruiter? Sorry, I'm not normally cynical, but this brings it out.
John Lucht said it best
in his "Rites of Passage" books: You are not the recruiter's customer. The company is the customer. You are the product
The recruiter is only paid if they fill the position. They want to be first to give your name & resume to the company. If they submit your name before you apply directly, they could be eligible for the commission.
Courtesy
Good morning,
I suggest to always extend courtesy as you never know which of these recruiters you might need in the future for either finding you a new job or helping you find a new employee.
My strategy is to always give a few minutes to chat and if not interested, then say you are not looking but would be happy to keep in touch. This can be done via phone or email depending on the contact method.
Labelling as vultures isn't fair. They are doing their jobs and whether they are doing professionally doesn't matter, you should always respond professionally. This is a great way to grow your network.
As a manager who is often hiring I get many calls from recruiters and of course I have my favorites but I try to maintain good relations with all who contact me (and it can be a lot sometimes) as I never know when it may come in handy.
Dawne
True
You're right that is unfair. Sorry. I just think its misleading when these firms claim to be contracted to fill a position and they are not. Then many of them show up at once with the same story. I asked my recruiter friends about it and they were unfamiliar with it.
Please keep in mind that
Please keep in mind that occasionally (this is very rare) corporations may work with multiple recruiters.
My last site worked with 2-3 staffing agencies due to their specialties but it was extremely rare that all 3 would be recruiting for the same position.
Often they are trolling the job boards (same as many of us looking for a new position) and reaching out to anyone they find with the experience.
Mac