4 ms·

I am green to working with recruiters. What should I watch for? I already do not like the experience but I don't know if that's a problem with me or them.

chpmrc 8y ago
There are a lot of guides to help you figure out whether a recruiter is serious or not. A recent thing that happened to me was that a recruitment agency refused to let me have a chat with their client before I provided some references. It seemed weird and I really didn't want to waste my references not having even just a verbal confirmation that they were interested in hiring me. I really thought they were asking in good faith. It turns out that you should NEVER disclose your references with a recruiter before an offer is on the table, in writing. This is a very common technique and it usually means they are no longer interested in hiring you but they would gladly use your references as potential candidates or future leads to get more business. Very shady ;) TL;DR: do a lot of Googling of the kind "how to tell if a recruiter is bad".
- hyperpape 8y ago
  Earlier discussion of the "don't give your references to a recruiter" point on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17412060 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17412060
meddlepal 8y ago
All recruiters are sales people... not all of them are awful, but there's a large amount of fairly terrible. My two lookouts are the usual high-pressure sales tactics and recruiters that try to be "buddies" with you.
csmattryder 8y ago
- Recuiters aren't your friends, they're salespeople, selling you. - Don't stick your CV on a job board, there's no expiry and recuiters will call up wondering if you're still unemployed three years later. - Never answer "how much are you currently on?". You should always say "I'm looking for $X" - feel free to give a range, but keep the ball in your court. Check glassdoor/linkedin to make sure you're not blagging for an unreasonable figure.
- deathanatos 8y ago
  > - Never answer "how much are you currently on?". You should always say "I'm looking for $X" - feel free to give a range, but keep the ball in your court. (IANAL.) Know your locale's regulations here. For example, in California, it is not legal for an employer to ask about prior salary[1]: > (b) An employer shall not, orally or in writing, personally or through an agent, seek salary history information, including compensation and benefits, about an applicant for employment. > (c) An employer, upon reasonable request, shall provide the pay scale for a position to an applicant applying for employment. (CA LAB §432.3[2].) (The advice in the comment I'm replying to is good, too. This isn't meant to contradict it.) [1]: https://www.sfgate.com/business/networth/article/New-law-bans-California-employers-from-asking-12274431.php https://www.sfgate.com/business/networth/article/New-law-ban... [2]: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&division=2.&title=&part=1.&chapter=3.&article=3 http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xh....
52-6F-62 8y ago
They're not all bad. I prefer in-house recruiters because they tend to work with you better and stay in contact even if the company or you decide to go another route. Now outside recruiters... I've had some outright demand my salary information so that they can sell me for the right price. Just be clever enough not to disclose that. It's entirely a business interaction and not a friendship. They want something out of you, and you may want something out of them. It helps if you can honestly say you want $X and that you're already interviewing with other companies under that expectation. If you don't need to, don't needlessly sign up for interviews and tests with positions that don't particularly interest you for any reason. I've also been bait-and-switched before. There's not too much you can do about that. But if they pull that, you know to end the discussion there. It's not supposed to be a zero-sum relationship, but sadly many will sell you to the lowest bidder if that means a commission. All that said, don't shut off completely if you don't want to. I engage casually from time-to-time. I'll give them a 15 minute call sometimes if my curiosity gets the better of me. And all of that said, it's much better speaking directly with the people you'll be working with or for.

chpmrc 8y ago

There are a lot of guides to help you figure out whether a recruiter is serious or not. A recent thing that happened to me was that a recruitment agency refused to let me have a chat with their client before I provided some references. It seemed weird and I really didn't want to waste my references not having even just a verbal confirmation that they were interested in hiring me. I really thought they were asking in good faith. It turns out that you should NEVER disclose your references with a recruiter before an offer is on the table, in writing. This is a very common technique and it usually means they are no longer interested in hiring you but they would gladly use your references as potential candidates or future leads to get more business. Very shady ;) TL;DR: do a lot of Googling of the kind "how to tell if a recruiter is bad".

hyperpape 8y ago
Earlier discussion of the "don't give your references to a recruiter" point on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17412060 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17412060

meddlepal 8y ago

All recruiters are sales people... not all of them are awful, but there's a large amount of fairly terrible. My two lookouts are the usual high-pressure sales tactics and recruiters that try to be "buddies" with you.

csmattryder 8y ago

- Recuiters aren't your friends, they're salespeople, selling you. - Don't stick your CV on a job board, there's no expiry and recuiters will call up wondering if you're still unemployed three years later. - Never answer "how much are you currently on?". You should always say "I'm looking for $X" - feel free to give a range, but keep the ball in your court. Check glassdoor/linkedin to make sure you're not blagging for an unreasonable figure.

deathanatos 8y ago
> - Never answer "how much are you currently on?". You should always say "I'm looking for $X" - feel free to give a range, but keep the ball in your court. (IANAL.) Know your locale's regulations here. For example, in California, it is not legal for an employer to ask about prior salary[1]: > (b) An employer shall not, orally or in writing, personally or through an agent, seek salary history information, including compensation and benefits, about an applicant for employment. > (c) An employer, upon reasonable request, shall provide the pay scale for a position to an applicant applying for employment. (CA LAB §432.3[2].) (The advice in the comment I'm replying to is good, too. This isn't meant to contradict it.) [1]: https://www.sfgate.com/business/networth/article/New-law-bans-California-employers-from-asking-12274431.php https://www.sfgate.com/business/networth/article/New-law-ban... [2]: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&division=2.&title=&part=1.&chapter=3.&article=3 http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xh....

52-6F-62 8y ago

They're not all bad. I prefer in-house recruiters because they tend to work with you better and stay in contact even if the company or you decide to go another route. Now outside recruiters... I've had some outright demand my salary information so that they can sell me for the right price. Just be clever enough not to disclose that. It's entirely a business interaction and not a friendship. They want something out of you, and you may want something out of them. It helps if you can honestly say you want $X and that you're already interviewing with other companies under that expectation. If you don't need to, don't needlessly sign up for interviews and tests with positions that don't particularly interest you for any reason. I've also been bait-and-switched before. There's not too much you can do about that. But if they pull that, you know to end the discussion there. It's not supposed to be a zero-sum relationship, but sadly many will sell you to the lowest bidder if that means a commission. All that said, don't shut off completely if you don't want to. I engage casually from time-to-time. I'll give them a 15 minute call sometimes if my curiosity gets the better of me. And all of that said, it's much better speaking directly with the people you'll be working with or for.