A recruiter reached out to me about a position, and when I spoke with the recruiter on the phone, he seemed very excited to put me forth for the position, so I used looked up the company - including who my boss would likely be.

Anonymous

May 9,2022 at 5:29PM UTC

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A recruiter reached out to me about a position, and when I spoke with the recruiter on the phone, he seemed very excited to put me forth for the position, so I used looked up the company - including who my boss would likely be.

The Prospective boss sent me a connection request (probably after seeing that I viewed his profile?) on LI, and we haven't talked about jobs or anything; the conversations have been pretty casual (after he connected, I sent him a congrats on the work anniversary).

My question is this - the recruiter has been crickets since I "confirmed" the following list. Am I prohibited from talking with the company / prospective boss about any employment? It seems to be very specific, but I don't want to assume.

By replying to this email, I, (Anon Ymous), give TechRecruiter, Inc. the right to represent me as a candidate for the SpecificJob opening at HiringCompany and agree to the following:

I will not authorize any other company or individual to submit me to the above-mentioned position.

I agree to a contract position.

I am available to start a new position two weeks after position acceptance.

I confirm that I have not been convicted of any felonies or misdemeanors outside of minor traffic violations and can pass a drug screen.

I understand that all travel and transportation expenses are at my own expense and are not the responsibility of Synigent Technologies or the end client.

I am eligible to work full-time for any US employer without sponsorship or restriction.

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Joanne RosenMay 9,2022 at 5:39PM UTC
Interesting. I don't think any of that has validity in the recruiting space. You are not their client. The company is their client.
There is nothing stopping you from being honest with the new connection and saying, "I was researching the company after being contacted about the blah blah position. That's how I found your profile."
It's simply a conversation.
Cheers
Joanne
TKMay 11,2022 at 2:19PM UTC
agree w/ joanne.
AnonymousMay 9,2022 at 5:43PM UTC
I've never seen an agreement like this put forth by a recruiter, but as Joanne below says, it doesn't seem like it could really hold water, and of all the weird specific points, it doesn't say you can't speak to people in the company.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistMay 9,2022 at 5:47PM UTC
That's an RTR - Right to Represent.
First, I would follow up with the recruiter and ask for an update.
If you don't hear anything back, I would consider reaching out to the hiring manager directly to follow up - you could say something along the lines of "I believe I was submitted for xyz position by a recruiting firm but I get no response from them. I wanted to follow up and confirm that you received my resume and see if there's an update on next steps".
Alexis GladstoneMay 9,2022 at 6:51PM UTC
As has been said, I also have never seen anything like this. I like the advice to reach out directly.
Personally I'd be a bit leery about some of this, particularly the not reimbursing for travel. While it may be a moot point, I've never heard of this, even as a long-time independent contractor. It makes me think what other one-sided practices they might have.
Catherine WinderMay 12,2022 at 1:08PM UTC
I would be very cautious of how you proceed! There are a lot of red flags with this entire situation. If "Tech Recruiters, Inc. " is indeed a legitimate company I could not find them on the web under this spelling. nor on LinkedIn. There is a Tech Recruiter.lk on LinkedIn based out of Sri Lanka and they have no jobs posted on LinkedIn.
Did the recruiter send you the job description and requirements? Having a prospective boss reach out to you before a formal interview is very suspect.
As has been mentioned already, the company is the client and the recruiter should be your contact. Does the hiring company have a website? Do they list open positions? You should be able to locate their HR staff in LI. You could reach out to them and inquire if this position is still open and mention that the recruiter who contacted you is not responding to your emails.
Last week I received a message on LI from a Sheikh wanting to start a conversation, ahhhh thanks - born at night but not last night!
Be very careful. Remember "Not all that glitters is gold".
PebblesMay 12,2022 at 1:30PM UTC
My guess is that “TechRecruiter” is not the name of the company (i.e., the OP is keeping everyone and everything anonymous) and the typo is hers, not evidence of a shady company.
Charisse SebastianMay 12,2022 at 1:28PM UTC
Since the hiring manager reached out to you directly, I also would try to follow up with the manager. However as in any job search situation, because there are so many unscrupulous recruiters and you can not find a verifiable website or internet footprint on this one, and who is now gone silent and a hiring manager who is at least a little quirky, be VERY careful.
PS. the text of the e-mail from the recruiter in your post is a typical boiler plate, RTR- Right to represent. But never forget the recruiter, any recruiter is NOT representing you in the vein of being an ally, agent or broker on your side. They are being paid a commission by the hiring company if you take the job and work there, typically for at least 90 days.
AnonymousMay 12,2022 at 1:44PM UTC
I am not even sure that this whole thing is just not a scam . There are alot of them out there about jobs. Having said this, I have never really had a recruiter do anything great for me and yes I agree there are a lot of recruiters who are not honest. Also, I understand your interest about the company, but I don't understand how the prospective boss knew that you seen his profile . This whole thing is confusing and not professional and does not sound like a real job
AnonymousMay 12,2022 at 2:00PM UTC
LinkedIn shows public profiles of anyone who has viewed your profile. If you choose to remain anonymous, you can change your linked in setting so you when look through people's profiles, it just says "someone from XYZ" view your profile.
John HerndonMay 12,2022 at 2:10PM UTC
That sounds like a scam. It is generally not my experience to write a declaration like that. Was the recruiter Indian? I ask as the name of the firm sounds very familiar.
Alexis GladstoneMay 12,2022 at 2:38PM UTC
I appreciate your insights and experience in dealing with search firms. My own experience, on both sides of the table, was always retained searches.
Melissa GoslingMay 12,2022 at 2:42PM UTC
Generally, if a recruiter has sent you the position, it is bad form for you to contact the company directly. It can actually cause you problems down the road.
Personally, if you reach out, I would mention that the recruiter had reached out to you and you are very interested. That way you stay above board, but are still expressing your interest.
Conny SantiagoMay 12,2022 at 3:41PM UTC
I am interested in knowing what happens next. Please update us!
Claire HarterMay 12,2022 at 3:45PM UTC
just speaking anecdotally, I have had friends reach out to the company not about the position they discussed with the employer but different one, and it went way better. full-time vs contract, etc.
GirlBossanova934974May 12,2022 at 4:45PM UTC
This document being referenced is a standard "Right to Represent" or RTR. The RTR prohibits you from taking a job from the hiring company without the hiring company paying the recruiter. That being said, I wouldn't get too jacked up about this thing. A lot of big recruiting firms using smaller firms to gather leads aka YOU and the smaller firm gets paid a commission based upon how many RTRs they turn in. You can start feeling a little optimistic
when the actual hiring company sets up an interview between you and the hiring manager. The rest is paper passing.
AnonymousMay 12,2022 at 5:26PM UTC
That is typically the email Manpower / Experis sends to candidates. It happens a lot and oftentimes nothing becomes if it. I had it happen with about 4 jobs, now I am like lesson learned.
Carolyn HipkinsMay 13,2022 at 9:01PM UTC
I received my a si.ilar email from a recruiter. They were representing a company that was bidding on a contract. The needed to show that they had legitimate possible be candidates. Bottom line, nothing is secure until you get specifics (i.e. specific times for phone interviews, interviews, etc.)
AnonymousMay 12,2022 at 5:37PM UTC
I do not think this falls into a binding contract legally. I would follow up with the recruiter to check status, and if you don't hear reach out to your contact since you've established a connection and make sure the reason they know why you viewed their profile was because you were doing research on a possible position. By doing so you may burn a bridge with the recruiter which is why I think you should give them another opportunity to respond.
Linda BlackmoreMay 12,2022 at 5:53PM UTC
You might not hearing anything back from the recruiter now because they've been told that the company has had contact with you, and not as arranged/intro'd by the recruiter. It's usually a "first dibs" situation. Companies pay a lot, a percentage of your salary typically, to anyone the recruiter intros and then the company hires.
Cortney SpencerMay 12,2022 at 5:59PM UTC
You should not talk with the company directly without first being formally introduced by recruiter. Keep in mind with recruiters it is a numbers game and many, many candidates come across their desks. Hang tight and know if an interview is going to happen, you will be notified. If you don't hear you can safely assume they passed on your resume.
RiaMay 12,2022 at 7:55PM UTC
Yep
Bradford McCormickMay 13,2022 at 3:40PM UTC
I am not clear: The recruiter told you about a company and then you contacted the company "around" the recruiter, and now the recruiter is unhappy about you doing that because you signed an agreement with said recruiter to not do this? If this is the case, and I am not at all clear from what you wrote that it is! -- If this is the case you need to go through the recruiter. Recruiters are "head hunters"; now exactly the most honorable profession. But trying to shortchange somebody is not right. In some business situations (like the old diamond market?), a person's word is their bond. I wish to repeat: I may be totally misunderstanding your situation. I cannot unambiguously read the text.
AnonymousMay 13,2022 at 6:10PM UTC
The recruiter reached out to me, and after a conversation where they seemed very excited about placing me with this company, I looked into the company. I did not reach out to the company directly other than looking at them on LinkedIn. The prospective boss must have seen that I looked at his profile, and he sent a connection request to me. Meanwhile, the recruiter has said absolutely nothing one way or the other since our initial conversation other than the email that I copied and pasted. After I responded to the email, there was nothing from the recruiter at all.
Now that it has been a few weeks, I'm pretty sure that the recruiter has written me off, and I want to think that it's safe to assume that I can write them off as well.
Joanne RosenMay 14,2022 at 6:10PM UTC
I disagree. The recruiter ghosted her. If the person was any good, there would have been better communication. She didn't say she would shortchange the recruiter, just that she had decided to be proactive.
Too many recruiters are doing this kind of stuff and it's not okay. Ghosting has become WAY too acceptable in this decade. What happened to the recruiter's professionalism? You don't get respect just because you make someone agree to your terms. You get respect by following through.
Cheers
Joanne
Liz MilneMay 14,2022 at 11:07PM UTC
For a very shady definition of 'signed a contract', imo. Replying to an email should NOT count as agreeing to anything, unless the wording from the signatory is, 'Yes, I contract X to do a,b,c on my behalf' or something similar...
If someone's OOO message autoreplies, does that mean there's a contract in place?!
Liz MilneMay 14,2022 at 3:24AM UTC
Send the recruiter an email saying that as you haven't heard from them, you are hereby nullifying any contractual obligations imposed on you by their previous email and will be seeking employment yourself. No need to detail it'll be with the same company...
Ilene CutroneoMay 14,2022 at 3:38PM UTC
I had a similar situation with another recruiter.
It went as far as the employer offering me the position and a start date. Then crickets from the recruiter with the contract and when I advised the employer that no paperwork was provided to me and the recruiter was not responding , the employer rescinded the job. Found another job subsequently but did not use that recruiter.
Bradford McCormickMay 16,2022 at 4:30AM UTC
Let me add something tangential here about recruiters. I encountered one once who was very full of himself (I am just a mouse). I forget the exact conversation but I probably said I had certain feelings about the boss-employee relationship. He flat out instructed me: "If your boss says: 'Jump!', you ask: 'How high?'" I had wasted 3 hours and put on my business suit to meet this dude.
Many years previously I got a job from a very "classy" recruiter who contacted me (cold call) from I know not where but probably somebody I knew had given him my name.
Last I heard of JumpBoy he had got a big promotion.