Season of Sharing: Am I being too cautious?

17 Comments

1. AnonymousNovember 9,2021 at 7:51PM UTC

   I respond to recruiters from acutal companies. Have had many good interviews and developed relationships with these people.

   From recruiters from agencies I give a polite "no thank you". If they are persistant I ask further questions "Does this position actually exist, what kind of company, how long have you had a relationship with this company?" I also check them out on LinkedIn. If they've only been recruiting for a year, they don't have any pull. I let it go at "No thank you."

   Invariably, if I agree to a recruiter from an agency, it doesn't really go anywhere, beyond a phone interview, IF they even show up for the phone screen. I use them as practice. It costs nothing, it's good to use them as much as they think they're using you and everyone needs to practice.

   You are going to be ghosted. You are going to waste some time. You will find a new job.

   My wish is for all of us who are looking to have something by Christmas.

2. Jocelyn LyonsNovember 9,2021 at 8:21PM UTC

   Great question! I am also exploring new opportunities, but still weary of recruiters. I'll be interested to see what others day - thank you for asking this question!

3. Sarah LarsonNovember 9,2021 at 8:22PM UTC

   I agree with another poster here, I respond and review opportunities sent by in-house recruiters. It's always great to expand your network even if you don't align with the role.

4. JaniceNovember 9,2021 at 9:47PM UTC

   I think it varies by agency. I happen to LOVE my current agency. They are very responsive and responsible-- I've been with them for 2 years.

5. AnonymousNovember 9,2021 at 9:59PM UTC

   I'm leery of recruiters that come out of "nowhere" because they are usually trying to sell you something or collect ideas for free ("ghosting"). Depending on age or interest, you might want to consider two part-time, flexible jobs. It's a fantastic way to start fresh after the pandemic. YOU FIND THEM, NOT THEM FIND YOU.

6. AnonymousNovember 10,2021 at 1:38PM UTC

   I think if you are looking for a new role, you should at least have an initial conversation with them - it may lead to an exciting step or not, but I would entertain the opportunities if they sound interesting and align to career goals.

7. Lesa Edwards, Career Coach & Master Resume WriterNovember 10,2021 at 1:41PM UTC

   There is a question you should ask as soon as a recruiter contacts you: Are you a contingency firm or a retained search firm? (If you are making less than about $150K, it's likely the former you are speaking to).

   If they are a contingency recruiter, it means there are multiple recruitment firms "in the race" to find the selected candidate -and it is, indeed, a race. Only one of those recruiters will actually make a commission, so speed is of the essence.

   For that reason, many contingency recruiters are filling a database of potential candidates for future positions so they can move quickly when a suitable opportunity comes up. While this may be okay for you if you aren't actively job seeking, you won't want to waste your time on this if you are trying to find your next role now.

   Your second question, then, should be: Is this position currently available?

   Here's a podcast on what to do when recruiters ghost you: https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2020-09-30-147-what-to-do-when-recruiters-ghost-you

8. Jessica Hill-KnudsonNovember 10,2021 at 2:08PM UTC

   I get a lot of recruiters contacting me via LinkedIn. I do a lot of vetting because recruiters from outside firms will contact me for positions that definitely aren't what I do or the position is completely generic (and judging by the rest of the comments, likely doesn't really exist).

   I ask to see a job description as an attachment to the LinkedIn message, not via email. I don't like the feeling that they're just trying to get my email address and resume to add to their database and will never hear from them again.

   If you're curious, you can always ask who the company is that is hiring, the recruiters I've dealt with have always told me.

   If I am interested in hearing more, I allow us to have a 15 min phone call. I have to limit it because they will want a 30 min phone call and I don't have time for a fluff go-nowhere call.

9. SueNovember 10,2021 at 2:09PM UTC

   I have not been looking, but I will say that recruiters are calling me asking if we need contractors/temps/FTE. Recruiters who are cold calling do not like the answer of No Thank you. I understand their jobs are harder - but I can't make up jobs to take on contractors. What part of me saying I have your information and will reach out if anything changes is unclear? Also as a large company we have specific companies we use, I can't just use a new company because you called me.

10. DeniseNovember 10,2021 at 2:23PM UTC

    Sounds like this is a common problem. I have had a lot of recruiters contacting me for sales jobs and I am not in sales and never have been. I've started asking them first "what about my linkedin profile made me sound like a good fit for this position." That helps me judge if they are just blindly reaching out to everyone in an area or were looking for qualifications that I have. One just set me up for an interview with her client for a position that is exactly what I'm looking for.

    All that to say my advice is they may be legit but ask questions before wasting too much time with them.

11. AnonymousNovember 10,2021 at 3:54PM UTC

    Stay open but don't get too focused on recruiters. Make sure to validate that any positions they present are really open and the recruiter has engaged the company to fill them.

    Many times it's a blanket request that goes out to dozens in order that maybe they beat others to the submission process.

12. Melinda ThompsonNovember 10,2021 at 5:01PM UTC

    I agree with the others’ comments about researching the recruiters to see if they are active in your field. I’ve worked with four recruiters who contacted me (all I n the media field) and they were legit, but their professionalism and communication skills varied widely, from super supportive and informative (Nicole Jamal) to the recruiter who never told me I wasn’t chosen after I had my third interview.

13. Karen GongawareNovember 10,2021 at 6:59PM UTC

    I don't bother with recruiters. They keep trying to get me to apply at their company for a vague job in an equally vaguer (is that a word?) field. If I want a job, I research who is hiring and go from there. Last recruiter wanted me to work at Amazon in charge of their warehouse. Nowhere in my resume does it state I love warehouses or even know what to do there. Good luck!

14. Cynthia Armistead NewmanNovember 11,2021 at 2:04AM UTC

    I hear from recruiters at least once or twice a week via LinkedIn (and more often than that by email). I will speak with the ones on LinkedIn, but not the ones who email me. I find the LI recruiters are more reliable and have more skin in the game.

15. Jackie GhedineNovember 11,2021 at 11:41AM UTC

    Mixed! There are great recruiters out there, those whom are top of their industry, well-connected and embedded into the fabric of the organization they recruit for.

    Then there are 'the others.' The 20 year olds who have no real connection, no real insight into matching and very limited communication abilities.

    Sadly, it's hard to tell the difference if they weren't referred to you by someone else or well-known in your industry.

16. AnonymousNovember 11,2021 at 3:56PM UTC

    I have never had success working with a recruiter.

17. Christina KirkNovember 11,2021 at 7:24PM UTC

    A recruiter helped me find the exact job I wanted to. So be open but ask plenty of questions l. Good luck!