4 ms·

Help me out, because I've never been in a position to be "recruited" for anything technical. What does an unethical recruiter do that ends up screwing over the

by Jgrubb 15y ago

Help me out, because I've never been in a position to be "recruited" for anything technical. What does an unethical recruiter do that ends up screwing over the recruited?

Peroni 15y ago
There are a couple of options. I could phone your previous employers without your permission on the guise of taking a reference for you and use that opportunity to build credibility with the potential client. I could contact you and find out where you are currently interviewing and approach those companies with stronger candidates.
- psykotic 15y ago
  Those are fortunately pretty rare behaviors. They call for a degree of sociopathy rather than merely buffoonish incompetence. An unfortunately common story I hear from acquaintances who have used recruiters in my industry is that many recruiters will use a shotgun approach and feed lines of bullshit to prospective employee and employer alike. The recruiter might take your resume, massage it to hit all the right notes for a wide range of listed positions, and then submit it. That will probably garner a few phone interviews and on-site visits at the very least. Once the candidate gets on the phone or on site, he and the people he's interviewing with will soon realize he's being tested for an entirely inappropriate position for his skill set. Not only is this a waste of time for everyone involved, but it permanently damages the candidate's reputation with that company and the people involved in the interviewing.
tomjen3 15y ago
There was an example of somebody who had taken an ad posted by a company, removed the name and increased the salary with 5k -- that way the recruiters would get all the applicants and they would get a lower salary than they would expect based on the ad.
rada 15y ago
One thing I have seen a LOT lately is asking for references early on in the process. It used to be that a recruiter would ask for references after a successful interview but now every recruiter wants them upfront, often as part of the initial application. Personally, I always decline and say that I wil be happy to provide them once an offer is forthcoming. It's never failed me, and I suspect that it's just a ruse to solicit the names of direct hiring managers.

by Jgrubb 15y ago

Help me out, because I've never been in a position to be "recruited" for anything technical. What does an unethical recruiter do that ends up screwing over the recruited?

Peroni 15y ago

There are a couple of options. I could phone your previous employers without your permission on the guise of taking a reference for you and use that opportunity to build credibility with the potential client. I could contact you and find out where you are currently interviewing and approach those companies with stronger candidates.

psykotic 15y ago
Those are fortunately pretty rare behaviors. They call for a degree of sociopathy rather than merely buffoonish incompetence. An unfortunately common story I hear from acquaintances who have used recruiters in my industry is that many recruiters will use a shotgun approach and feed lines of bullshit to prospective employee and employer alike. The recruiter might take your resume, massage it to hit all the right notes for a wide range of listed positions, and then submit it. That will probably garner a few phone interviews and on-site visits at the very least. Once the candidate gets on the phone or on site, he and the people he's interviewing with will soon realize he's being tested for an entirely inappropriate position for his skill set. Not only is this a waste of time for everyone involved, but it permanently damages the candidate's reputation with that company and the people involved in the interviewing.

tomjen3 15y ago

There was an example of somebody who had taken an ad posted by a company, removed the name and increased the salary with 5k -- that way the recruiters would get all the applicants and they would get a lower salary than they would expect based on the ad.

rada 15y ago

One thing I have seen a LOT lately is asking for references early on in the process. It used to be that a recruiter would ask for references after a successful interview but now every recruiter wants them upfront, often as part of the initial application. Personally, I always decline and say that I wil be happy to provide them once an offer is forthcoming. It's never failed me, and I suspect that it's just a ruse to solicit the names of direct hiring managers.