Is it common for recruiters to cold call?

21 Comments

1. AnonymousNovember 17,2022 at 3:24PM UTC

   It is common for recruiters to reach out. Typically, it will be through LinkedIn or email first though. However, please be careful of scams though. There are a lot of them it seems at the moment. Never give out personal information.

2. AnonymousNovember 17,2022 at 3:45PM UTC

   Nothing unusual about that. Recruiters love LinkedIn. Just make sure the company is legit (if you’re open to job opportunities)

3. Shelly EdwardsNovember 17,2022 at 3:46PM UTC

   It is becoming more and more common I think. I've had them call me at my current employer to see if I am looking for a new position. That's always an interesting choice I think, and by interesting I mean not the smartest move. Can you really discuss lookling for a new job while sitting at your current job?

4. Barb HansenNovember 17,2022 at 4:15PM UTC

   If your phone number is attached to your LinkedIn profile (not necessarily publicly available, just attached) or available on business databases like ZoomInfo, you can expect to get phone calls from recruiters.

   it doesn't happen all the time - email and LinkedIn connection requests/DMs are more common - but it happens.

5. AnonymousNovember 17,2022 at 4:46PM UTC

   Yes, these days they use zoomIQ or other phone number lookup tools and perhaps even your linkedin info is in there. If you are not private about your phone number then you are already out there on lists. these tools farm the web and find places you have shared that info and then they sell it to others. Agency recruiters are currently starving so this is not a surprise.

6. AnonymousNovember 17,2022 at 5:01PM UTC

   Yes, it's a numbers game and recruiters are looking for as many qualified candidates as possible to hopefully submit to fill an open position.

7. AnonymousNovember 17,2022 at 5:33PM UTC

   Not these days with such a shortage of workers and apps like Linkedin. I received a lot of solicitations for positions which I appreciated before I landed a job on my own.

   For me, open job information and assistance was always welcomed!

8. AnonymousNovember 17,2022 at 5:42PM UTC

   Yep, this happens at least once a week to me. Mostly for tech jobs. Sometimes, though, they are super off-base (like completely different tech stack, etc).

9. AnonymousNovember 17,2022 at 6:42PM UTC

   Yes, it happens to me. Not a bad idea to keep their contact info, but let them know you are not interested at this time.

10. Crystal HowellNovember 18,2022 at 1:59PM UTC

    They are on the hunt for the new year, some get paid a high commission from the employer if they find you and if they are self employed. They shop for jobs for you as well, so always be nice.

11. (redacted)November 19,2022 at 1:32PM UTC

    Pretty regularly. Now that I’m a part of our regional growth team, I’ll start taking the calls so I can know what other opportunities our candidates might be offered. ?

12. GirlBossanova934974November 19,2022 at 1:54PM UTC

    This has been quite common for a number of years. Recruiters are constantly going through LinkedIn looking for candidates for open requisitions. I get a dozen to two dozen calls per week from recruiters. My take is that this is a very good way for you to measure your market value at any given moment. More calls, more demand for your services and thus a higher paycheck. IF you are not interested in a new position at this time, I would SAVE all the recruiter emails that come in. You are never know when you will need it. It is so easy to pull up the old emails and start inquiring. If you are interested in a new position, well someone saved you the time to go looking on your own.

13. Vivian Chern ShnaidmanNovember 19,2022 at 1:55PM UTC

    Happens to me multiple times a day but I’m a psychiatrist so a very high demand field (and not even looking for a job). I think recruiting itself is a big industry and they look for leads wherever they can find them. I wouldn’t be alarmed.

14. AnonymousNovember 19,2022 at 2:33PM UTC

    This has been happening to me fairly regularly. After one bad experience, I take them with a grain of salt.

15. AnonymousNovember 19,2022 at 2:48PM UTC

    When I was on the job market, I started receiving them as well. At least in my field/level, The cold calls are a more recent phenomena. People will send emails to set up time to speak with you but random calling is something at least for me that's pretty new. The upside is that you may find out about a great new opportunity. The downside, which became more of the norm, is that you find yourself having spoken with someone with no contact information. More times than not, they ended up ghosting after those "wonderful" cold calls. It's also disrespectful for candidates who are applying for multiple jobs because the recruiter will call you with no preparation and expect you to know the details of one of numerous jobs for which you have applied. It's a bit obnoxious but a necessary evil in today's market. At this point, I choose to let them go to voicemail and return the call if I'm interested. Quite frankly, there's no way to distinguish the cold calls from spam, which is another reason I take that approach.

16. AnonymousNovember 19,2022 at 4:37PM UTC

    I recently had a head hunter reach out to me on LinkedIn. This unexpected contact led to an interview at an amazing company. I left a job of 20 years for this new opportunity that I wouldn’t have had the courage to apply for on my own. Do your research but don’t discount the opportunity.

17. AnonymousNovember 19,2022 at 9:07PM UTC

    The same thing happened to me!

18. AnonymousNovember 19,2022 at 9:30PM UTC

    The only times this happened to me was for a "cattle call" type of interview, where a room full of people was given an overview of what the company did and what positions were available. Those that didn't get up and walk out were given interviews. In all cases, I walked out before the actual interviews started. It was a very impersonal and demoralizing experience. One gave everyone a quiz at the start to help weed out some of the applicants. [Edit to add:] Since then, I have researched every company before applying and refreshed my memory when I am called for an interview.

19. Karen BurkeNovember 19,2022 at 10:11PM UTC

    Yes, it's normal. Lately though most of them are trash (that I get anyway), and most of the time I ignore them because they clearly aren't reading my resume or profile.

20. AnonymousNovember 20,2022 at 2:03AM UTC

    A former colleague obtained his new position via a cold call he received from a recruiter who saw his profile on LinkedIn. Not only was the new position a huge step up but he also received a 35% increase in salary.

21. Krystin MorganNovember 20,2022 at 2:41AM UTC

    It's not as common nowadays as it used to be, but it's definitely part of a lot of recruiters' workflows. Very normal, but also understandable if it caught you off guard!