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Why are you going through recruiters? You already know how to market yourself. You're just trying to market yourself to a different set of people. Also, you c

by swombat 16y ago

Why are you going through recruiters? You already know how to market yourself. You're just trying to market yourself to a different set of people. Also, you can't at the same time say you're a whore for money and then complain that you have to prostitute yourself to make your money.

TamDenholm 16y ago
I can get work myself but its only about half as well paid as the jobs i can get from recruiters. I can live on what i make as a freelancer, but i get a much larger injection of cash if i take on an on-site contract. This is the only reason.
zeraholladay 16y ago
The reality of the situation is that if you want to work for a large corporation, then you're stuck playing their games. I've had a recruiter ask for references upfront. They don't always check them, but references are required for their software. Also, the other commenter noted that the recruiter is likely using your references to build a list of contacts. A list of line managers is more valuable to a recruiter than a list of technicians since the line managers make hiring decisions and serve as contacts for additional sales.
jrockway 16y ago
There are two reasons to involve recruiters. One, many companies only accept your resume if it comes from a recruiter. If you know someone personally (or online), then you can come in through the back door. But for 99% of companies you want to work for, you don't know anyone to vouch for you. So it's either deal with a recruiter, or leave some doors unopened. Second, recruiters get paid as a percentage of the salary they get you, and aren't afraid to get you an amount that gets them a good amount. I always hate to play hardball (effective as it is) and talk about how much money I want, but recruiters love doing that it. It's their job. And, if they are a jackass about it, you just say (after you start work) "oh, sorry about him, recruiters, sigh" and keep whatever they negotiated for you. Then you are the good guy, but you get the benefits as if you were the bad guy. :) FWIW, I doubled my salary by working with a recruiter. And I like the job better! Being a corporate sellout is highly underrated.
projectileboy 16y ago
Oftentimes as an independent contractor you must deal with recruiters in one way or another, because they're on the dreaded "preferred vendor list", which is the only way you're getting work from any company bigger than a few hundred people. It's a total scam, but there's no easy way around it.
- Dylanlacey 16y ago
  Except figuring out how to get on the preferred vendor list yourself.
  - projectileboy 16y ago
    True, but in most cases that's not worth the effort, unless you want to have a really long-term relationship with a particular client. Where I work, that's not usually the nature of the gigs, but ymmv.

by swombat 16y ago

TamDenholm 16y ago

I can get work myself but its only about half as well paid as the jobs i can get from recruiters. I can live on what i make as a freelancer, but i get a much larger injection of cash if i take on an on-site contract. This is the only reason.

zeraholladay 16y ago

The reality of the situation is that if you want to work for a large corporation, then you're stuck playing their games. I've had a recruiter ask for references upfront. They don't always check them, but references are required for their software. Also, the other commenter noted that the recruiter is likely using your references to build a list of contacts. A list of line managers is more valuable to a recruiter than a list of technicians since the line managers make hiring decisions and serve as contacts for additional sales.

jrockway 16y ago

There are two reasons to involve recruiters. One, many companies only accept your resume if it comes from a recruiter. If you know someone personally (or online), then you can come in through the back door. But for 99% of companies you want to work for, you don't know anyone to vouch for you. So it's either deal with a recruiter, or leave some doors unopened. Second, recruiters get paid as a percentage of the salary they get you, and aren't afraid to get you an amount that gets them a good amount. I always hate to play hardball (effective as it is) and talk about how much money I want, but recruiters love doing that it. It's their job. And, if they are a jackass about it, you just say (after you start work) "oh, sorry about him, recruiters, sigh" and keep whatever they negotiated for you. Then you are the good guy, but you get the benefits as if you were the bad guy. :) FWIW, I doubled my salary by working with a recruiter. And I like the job better! Being a corporate sellout is highly underrated.

projectileboy 16y ago

Oftentimes as an independent contractor you must deal with recruiters in one way or another, because they're on the dreaded "preferred vendor list", which is the only way you're getting work from any company bigger than a few hundred people. It's a total scam, but there's no easy way around it.

Dylanlacey 16y ago
Except figuring out how to get on the preferred vendor list yourself.
- projectileboy 16y ago
  True, but in most cases that's not worth the effort, unless you want to have a really long-term relationship with a particular client. Where I work, that's not usually the nature of the gigs, but ymmv.