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It seems like most folks here are not inclined to talk on the phone with recruiters. I think that is a mistake. I get pinged about once every other month by a

It seems like most folks here are not inclined to talk on the phone with recruiters. I think that is a mistake. I get pinged about once every other month by a recruiter in the FinTech space and I usually speak with them on the phone. They are usually senior recruiters who know about the industry. I find out what skills companies are looking for, what salaries they are willing to pay and other tips about hiring practices. When I am ready to make a switch, I now have a better understanding of what's out there. Sure, sometimes the calls are a waste of time, but its not like I haven't also wasted at least that much time in a week scrolling on reddit. I guess what I'm trying say is don't be so dismissive about a conversation. Building a relationship with the folks who are a gateway to new jobs is not a bad thing.

makeitdouble 5y ago
I thik people have issues with professional recruiters, whose whole job is to match candidates to offers. Compared to a discussion with an HR member who also happen to deal with recruiting it's night and day. The gold standard being of course talking to an actual manager or team member who can explain why they need people, and for what. Even talking to my own company's HR people felt like a chore in a lot of jobs, and we took a lot of time to get them to understand what we are looking for. It's just not simple, they don't do the same job, and the further the people are from us the harder it is to have efficient recruiting discussions IMO.
jlokier 5y ago
I agree with you, when it's not so often. Having a certain rate of calls is worth it, even if you don't like calls much, and it can even be enjoyable with the subset of recruiters who behave like empathic human beings. It can become too much when it's several call requests a day, and some of them can become rather pushy, e.g. demanding references up front before you've even applied for something. I don't get many approaches at the moment, but last year the number ramped up to a point where I had to be selective about phone calls. Part of it is that a 15 minute call isn't just 15 minutes. If you want good outcomes, there's some preparation involved. A bit of research on the company helps. Refreshing what you recall about $X that they mentioned. And just getting into a good frame of mind to have a productive call. Maybe get a nice drink ready. Even finding somewhere quiet to take a call, if you aren't normally in a suitable place. And there's stopping what else you were doing. Personally I've enjoyed chatting with many recruiters over the last couple of years, and it has led to some pleasant relationships, and a much better understanding of what's realistically out there. It's also been an opportunity for me to share with recruiters things they didn't know but were interested in, mostly technology areas and terminology. My current role came from taking a long call with a recruiter more than a year earlier about a different role in a different company. I enjoyed the chat, we talked about the industry in general, technology trends, different skill areas, how to manage projects and so on, as they tried to figure out how to pitch me to the company. That one didn't work out. But a year later I came to their mind for a role somewhere else, I remembered them as well so the new call started out well, and the role turned out to be a great fit for me. They also ended up negotiating for me, undoubtedly helped by the chat from a year before, and I'm pleased with how it turned out. As a result of all the positive interactions I ended up enthusiastic about the new job too.

makeitdouble 5y ago

I thik people have issues with professional recruiters, whose whole job is to match candidates to offers. Compared to a discussion with an HR member who also happen to deal with recruiting it's night and day. The gold standard being of course talking to an actual manager or team member who can explain why they need people, and for what. Even talking to my own company's HR people felt like a chore in a lot of jobs, and we took a lot of time to get them to understand what we are looking for. It's just not simple, they don't do the same job, and the further the people are from us the harder it is to have efficient recruiting discussions IMO.

jlokier 5y ago

I agree with you, when it's not so often. Having a certain rate of calls is worth it, even if you don't like calls much, and it can even be enjoyable with the subset of recruiters who behave like empathic human beings. It can become too much when it's several call requests a day, and some of them can become rather pushy, e.g. demanding references up front before you've even applied for something. I don't get many approaches at the moment, but last year the number ramped up to a point where I had to be selective about phone calls. Part of it is that a 15 minute call isn't just 15 minutes. If you want good outcomes, there's some preparation involved. A bit of research on the company helps. Refreshing what you recall about $X that they mentioned. And just getting into a good frame of mind to have a productive call. Maybe get a nice drink ready. Even finding somewhere quiet to take a call, if you aren't normally in a suitable place. And there's stopping what else you were doing. Personally I've enjoyed chatting with many recruiters over the last couple of years, and it has led to some pleasant relationships, and a much better understanding of what's realistically out there. It's also been an opportunity for me to share with recruiters things they didn't know but were interested in, mostly technology areas and terminology. My current role came from taking a long call with a recruiter more than a year earlier about a different role in a different company. I enjoyed the chat, we talked about the industry in general, technology trends, different skill areas, how to manage projects and so on, as they tried to figure out how to pitch me to the company. That one didn't work out. But a year later I came to their mind for a role somewhere else, I remembered them as well so the new call started out well, and the role turned out to be a great fit for me. They also ended up negotiating for me, undoubtedly helped by the chat from a year before, and I'm pleased with how it turned out. As a result of all the positive interactions I ended up enthusiastic about the new job too.