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Need help understanding external recruiter's role in this hiring process

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Need help understanding external recruiter's role in this hiring process

I've worked with a lot of external recruiters over the years - both contingent and retained - as both a candidate and a client. But I'm kind of flummoxed by the external recruiter I'm currently interacting with for a position. I'm wondering if any HR/recruiters on this board can provide insight.

I'm interviewing for a c-suite role in a small company with a new CEO. I initially interviewed with internal HR - great first interview in early February. She was very enthusiastic about me and my background - even discussed potentially bringing me in within the next few weeks.

A week later, I get an email from an external recruiter saying she was taking over the recruiting process. So we talk, basically retread the initial conversation and she says she'll get back to me in a few weeks. I ask her for the interview process, but she's pretty vague about it.

At the start of March, external recruiter emails saying I'm moving to next round, she'll contact me in a few weeks to set up interviews. A week later, she emails me asking for my availability through April 5. I give her lots of time and I get scheduled at the very end of the month long interview window.

This interview is with the members of the executive team, so I ask external recruiter to give me some background on them - pretty typical prep for this type of role. But she tells me she doesn't have much info on them. OK....??? So I reach out to the internal HR contact and she gives me a good summary of the people. I also ask her about the next steps and she says that it should move pretty quickly at this point.

Last week I had a really great series of interviews with the exec team. I emailed the external recruiter after to let her know how it went and ask about next steps. Several days later I get an emailed response that they are "still interviewing top candidates," and it will be a few weeks before she can let me know about next steps.

I'm so confused. My experience with external recruiters is that they usually know something about the client and are really vested in giving the candidate info and updates. Like explaining what the process will be upfront, being explicit about the number of people being interviewed in a particular round, helping to prep for interviews, calling after interviews to see how they went, etc. I know that some clients can be unpredictable during the process, but recruiters usually find a way to convey that and still provide information to candidates. I'm really interested in this opportunity, but honestly, this recruiter experience is turning me off.

I'm trying to understand what her motivation is to be so limited in her information giving. Is it possible that because I was sourced before she was brought on that she won't make a dime if I'm selected in the end? She mentioned at one point that they are handling other recruiting activities for the company - is it possible that this isn't a contingent or retained search, but just contractually paid, regardless of hiring outcome?

Is there any value in me asking her some clarifying questions at this point? Or should I just hang tight and wait for next steps?

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  1. Steff

    Keep looking. It's obvious this company has some issues. They are stringing you along. If it were me in this market I'd put my energy elsewhere. It's their loss. Meet with them on YOUR terms. Unf games like this are the norm nowadays. Good luck!

  2. Anonymous

    She sounds new and more of a coordinator. I wouldn't expect too much. Just wade through the process as best you can.

  3. Anonymous

    sounds like they are not giving her enough information to be helpful to you. I'm a Recruiter. It is frustrating.

  4. Anonymous

    What you could do is 1. hang tight and wait for next steps and maybe 2. reach out to internal HR about your experience with this external recruiter. Don't go right into attack mode about this external recruiter, just share with HR the facts of your experience thus far and maybe how it varies from previous experience. If I was the internal HR person, I would want to know this as it could be a coaching opportunity for this recruiter and if this is how this external resource is interacting with all candidates, this could be costing the company candidates down the road.

  5. Anne Krook

    The company she works for may well be cheaping out and giving her more assignments than she can reasonably handle, which will lead her to not have enough time for any of them. At this point she is basically a scheduler rather than a provider of intel or an informational packet on the company. S/he also undoubtedly views the company, rather than you, as her client, since they're paying her, and us more worried about keeping them happy than you informed.

  6. Anonymous

    I wouldn't put so much energy into understanding the recruiter. Just keep in touch while you keep looking for a role. The fact that you weren't head-hunted and assigned a professional to navigate your recruitment tells me this is a young or small company that is professionally unsavvy and not well versed in business. So you'll need to be patient while they fumble around. What business entrusts a newbie recruiter with executive placement?

  7. Anonymous

    And this is why I recommended she reach out to internal HR. If she goes into attack mode on the recruiter, that may not go well.

  8. Anonymous

    What I would say to that though, you start putting the recruiter on blast - in an effort to make herself look better she could spin things to where she is the good guy and OP is the bad guy. The recruiter is apparently the one managing this process and (I really struggle trusting people) could sabotage it.

  9. Anonymous

    Wellll, I think I can help some. I was a recruiter. But, mercy me, I'm reading some bad reviews on recruiters. If there are recruiters reading this, read up and listen up. NEVER ghost your candidates. They are your pipeline! Yes, it's exhausting work but as much time as you take to take selfies and post on social media, make time for your candidates. They are your lifeline. They refer their friends, colleagues, peers.

    Now, back to the issue. You have internal information I think. Did you note the names of each person interviewing you at the company? Go to LinkedIn, connect, then follow up with an email (I'm sure you can find them) and send them a note. Drop your recruiter. Trust me, the company you interviewed with could care less about the recruiter. They care about you. By pass your ghosting-slow-responding-recruiter and go for the contacts you've made to let them know you're very interested. Never apologize. I used to tell each candidate, email the manager you interviewed with. You will shine. And guess what they did. I was top 10% in the company for a reason. I really think I should go train these bad recruiters. They sound awful. But you sound great and I think you have a great chance. The recruiter is your road block.

  10. Chrishogg

    It may be true that "the company you interviewed with (couldn't) care less about the recruiter ... but it may not.

    After all, the company hired this recruiter (or chose to work with / through this recruiter) and you trying to go around this recruiter and "make it happen" could easily be seen as disruptive and as not being a team player and not being someone who will "fit in to the way we do things here."

    I have no advice for you, other than I think you would be very wise to think long and hard before ignoring this recruiter and trying to go around them.

  11. Anonymous

    Amen! Yes, that is just what I mentioned. Contact them yourself! Drop the recruiter, they are not doing their job, and a good recruiter, keeps all of their candidates near. This is why they don't work out. They can't perform. Remember the beginning of the story, another recruiter took over. Probably no longer works there. Bypass the connector, go connect on your own. You've got this!

  12. Ruth Robbins

    Reach out with some fresh ideas to those folks you already met with and connected to. we call that writing an influence letter.

    Ping into their concerns and hot point issues. Establish

    yourself as a VERY interested candidate and looking forward to your meeting you guys can continue your intriguing conversations about their needs. when you meet at the end of the month. Make it about their issues. Send an influence letter especially to the key hiring persion you'd be reporting to, I surmise theCEO.

    Stay on their radar screen. ( And yes , it's probably true that you present 'no skin in the game' for this new outside recruiter).

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