I received an unsolicited email from a random recruiter about a position.

25 Comments

1. AnonymousSeptember 10,2022 at 1:28PM UTC

   Did you sign anything with the recruiting agency (guessing not since you said it was a ransom recruiter)?

2. AnonymousSeptember 10,2022 at 1:58PM UTC

   I don't like being presented to a company by a 3rd party recruiter because I know that a portion of the salary that I could've negotiated is getting reduced to cover placement fees. If you haven't responded to the recruiter apply directly to the company.

3. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistSeptember 11,2022 at 1:09AM UTC

   I don't know how you think you "know" this, but I have over 20 plus years recruiting experience - both agency and in-house - and I can assure you that recruiting does not work that way. It just doesn't.

   Your salary is based on the company's salary bands. A candidate that comes from a recruiter does not get paid less because they come from a recruiter. The fee is absolutely not deducted from a candidate's salary to cover placement fees.

   The recruiting fee is one of the costs of doing business. Just like companies pay for their recruiters to have very expensive LinkedIn Recruiter licenses or Indeed accounts. The costs of those resources aren't deducted from candidates compensation either.

4. AnonymousSeptember 11,2022 at 3:09PM UTC

   I know this because I just extended a rate increase to one of the contractors on my team and the 3rd party agency had to reduce their 30% markup to get them there...I also know because while there are salary bands with a lot of wiggle room between the min, mid and max points of the band, some hiring managers will offer the lower end of the salary band to cover that 3rd party recruiter placement fee that can sometimes get well over $20K for an FTE. You may have worked in recruiting for 20+ years, but I work in finance specifically managing labor budgets and trust me that information is not making it to you before the hiring manager gives you their budget for the position.

5. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistSeptember 11,2022 at 8:04PM UTC

   First of all regarding the contractor - that is staffing, not recruiting.
   And yes - the staffing firms can reduce their margins to give the candidate a higher hourly rate. The position is typically put out by the client at a set hourly rate and how much the candidate actually gets paid is up to the contracting companies. They typically low ball candidates first, which is why I always recommend candidates ask contracting companies to do better. But that is not the fee being deducted from a candidate's salary to cover placement fees.

   In virtually every company I have worked at, the hiring managers don't even know the terms of the agreements with the recruiting company - they know there's a fee but they don't know what the percentage would be. Actually neither do I. Those contracts are set at either a national or global basis and are considered part of the cost of doing business. I have never had a hiring manager want to offer a candidate that came through a recruiter less money than a candidate who didn't.

   YOU SAID:

   "that information is not making it to you before the hiring manager gives you their budget for the position."

   How would the hiring manager know where the candidate would be coming from before I've even started recruiting for candidates?

6. AnonymousSeptember 12,2022 at 12:10AM UTC

   I've worked for large companies that have internal talent acquisition teams. If a role is hard to fill and they need to bring in 3rd party recruiters, the hiring manager would need get to approval before trying to source the role from them because of the fees. They would only be able to select from a 3rd party recruiter that has a service agreement with the companies so the hiring manager would know the rate in advance because it's coming out of their budget. The large companies that I've worked for won't accept unsolicited 3rd party recruited applicants because of that fee.

   This is another reason why I caution her on working with this 3rd party recruiter because this person may not have the contract for this role and if he presents her and they don't have approved budget to cover that placement fee she can get rejected on a technicality.

   This will be my last response to you about this because I'm over it and you win :-)

7. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistSeptember 12,2022 at 12:19AM UTC

   That's why I wrote:

   "Those contracts are set at either a national or global basis"

8. AnonymousSeptember 10,2022 at 2:11PM UTC

   Can you find a way to reach out to your former boss, to get your resume directly in his hands? If so, that would be great!

9. Carol KelleySeptember 10,2022 at 6:02PM UTC

   That was my first inquiry directly to him if he knew about the position. I didn't know the details that the hiring manager worked for him until he responded.

10. AnonymousSeptember 11,2022 at 2:09AM UTC

    Ooo if you have direct contact with him, tell him that you are interested in the position and send him your resume and let him know when you can interview. Hiring managers look to ease the pain of interviewing people and you're doing him a one up or two. And best wishes girl, you're already halfway there!

11. Barb HansenSeptember 10,2022 at 4:58PM UTC

    You did not sign a contract with the recruiting company nor did you respond to the email, so apply any way you wish.

12. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistSeptember 11,2022 at 1:11AM UTC

    So here's the thing. You didn't know about this opening until the recruiter presented the opportunity to you, correct?

    So if you backdoor the recruiter and go directly to the company, you will screw the recruiter - who made you aware of this opportunity - out of their commission.

13. Looking for a changeSeptember 11,2022 at 12:05PM UTC

    i think if you send your former manager a message reminding them of how much you enjoyed working with them in the past they might remember you and you have a better chance of getting the job. The random recruiter if you didn’t answer isn’t important. Even if you did email the recruiter I’d email your former manager anyway

14. Mary0612September 11,2022 at 1:15PM UTC

    lol, you’re not bound to respond to anyone

15. Kimberly SweeneySeptember 11,2022 at 1:50PM UTC

    I would reach out to your former boss and once you have the conversation with them, respond to the recruiter but make sure your former boss follows up with the recruiter to push the process through.

16. AnonymousSeptember 12,2022 at 1:08PM UTC

    Is the job posted on the company's website or job sites like Indeed or LinkedIn? If so, many "random" recruiters will "scrape" these sites for opportunities and try to get commissions from the company. There is no way to know if this recruiter is even contracted with the company unless you ask one or the other. Since the email was unsolicited, I assume you have not used their services or site before, am I right? How do you suppose they got your email address? I typically do not respond to (or even read, for that matter) random emails from recruiting sites I have not used and posted a resume to.

17. AnonymousSeptember 12,2022 at 1:09PM UTC

    I haven't had good experiences with external recruiters, so I lean towards reaching out to your former boss. Most of the recruiters who have contacted me on LinkedIn seem more focused on having a phone conversation with me, but when I am not available immediately and suggest a time the next day, or even a few hours later, I never hear from them. My feeling is they have to talk to a certain number of candidates each day and that I'm part of their quota. Maybe your situation is different, but your personal connection is likely a far better way to get your resume in front of the hiring manager.

18. Leslie Orolfo-GoodwinSeptember 12,2022 at 1:11PM UTC

    Corporate recruiter here! Reach out to the recruiter if it is a corporate recruiter to get the details about the opportunity. Do not reach out if it is an agency recruiter. If you reach out to an agency recruiter, the company can’t touch you as an internal applicant. If you are interested in the position, contact your former boss verbally and follow up with an email that formally expresses your interest and outlines why you are a fit. Keep in mind that your former boss must follow the recruiting protocol. Good luck!

19. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistSeptember 12,2022 at 10:41PM UTC

    YOU SAID:

    "If you reach out to an agency recruiter, the company can’t touch you as an internal applicant. '

    I don't see anywhere where the OP indicated this would be an internal applicant situation.

    She said knew the company and people who work there - not that she worked there.

20. AnonymousSeptember 15,2022 at 12:34PM UTC

    I think she meant direct applicant in opposite of through a third party. Not that she thought it was an internal position.

21. AnonymousSeptember 12,2022 at 1:12PM UTC

    You absolutely are not bound or obligated to do anything. I would 100% reach out to the person you know and apply directly. Good luck! I hope you get it!

22. AnonymousSeptember 12,2022 at 3:19PM UTC

    Definitely not bound, but the recruiter may be able to fast track your application! It also wouldn't hurt mentioning your connection.

23. AnonymousSeptember 12,2022 at 6:39PM UTC

    Not bound to the recruiter. I’d recommend reaching out to your former boss and sharing the details with her. Similarly, follow up with the recruiter on the connection. It’s likely to come up regardless and you’ll still work with the recruiter in some capacity.

24. Farah BajwaSeptember 12,2022 at 7:54PM UTC

    I'd say reach out directly but mention it was brought to your attention by the recruiter in case they get commission or reward for finding employees Good luck!

25. AnonymousSeptember 14,2022 at 2:19PM UTC

    ALWAYS go with the personal connection.