6 ms·

I get this "let's meet in person" come-on by recruiters all the time, and find it really creepy. When I ask why, they say something like "I like to form a perso

I get this "let's meet in person" come-on by recruiters all the time, and find it really creepy. When I ask why, they say something like "I like to form a personal relationship with all my potential clients" or some BS like that. What are they really trying to do? Is this some way for them to have "dibs" on you, in case you somehow manage to get an interview with one of their client companies independently?

Evgeny 15y ago
My guess would be that they want to see if a candidate is cleanly shaved, neatly dressed and can communicate in person?
DarkShikari 15y ago
"I like to form a personal relationship with all my potential clients" And dishonest as well. You're not the client; you're the product.
saraid216 15y ago
For me at least, it's harder to pick apart what someone says out loud, but if you write it down and hand it to me, I can re-read it at leisure and tell you in minute detail all the idiocies. Spoken word coding would kill me.
ultrasaurus 15y ago
For low-quality recruiters it's about their value maximizing function (odds you'll take job * odds they'll take you): - visiting them in person shows willingness to accept arbitrary tasks (or desperation, either way it shows that you're likely to accept a non-ideal job) - they want to see that you won't embarras them (since all they know about you is buzzwords on your resume and that you're the kind of person who responds to unsolicited recruiting)
georgieporgie 15y ago
I was warned years and years ago that these calls and visits are a waste of time by a friend. A few years ago, though, I got such a call and decided to give it a shot. I figured, sure, maybe they just want to make sure you're presentable in person. They said they had several positions they wanted to discuss with me. So I went to their office in SF. I had to wait around for awhile before finally being led back by what I can only describe as a bimbo recruiter. I sat at her desk among a see of other recruiters (most on phones) as she plodded through my resume and did God knows what on her computer. Basically, she completely failed to comprehend anything about my skill set and, in person, did that recruiter thing where they repeatedly mention jobs wholly unrelated to anything in your past. Then they wanted references. Without any job having even been specified. I refused, stating that I only give references when an offer is on the table. They kept prying, saying they needed to vet me before presenting me (again, to no job that had been mentioned). Basically, I think they were just trying to pump me for contact. Eventually, they gave up and went on to ask about past salary. As a matter of principle, I refuse to give this out. If you don't know what I'm worth, you shouldn't be in the business. They continued to pry, for some reason refusing to take "none of your business" for an answer. Finally, she asked if I could meet with some other guy. So I sit in another room for ten minutes until this guy finally walks in. Turns out he's just there to try and break me for salary info. I keep telling him various version of, "I have a policy of never discussing past salary," to no avail. Finally he says, "look, I understand if you were underpaid," (I wasn't), "but you can either tell us, or there's nothing more we can do here." I said, "okay," and walked out. A week later I got an email from the same idiots about another position completely unrelated to my skillset. I responded, telling them that I thought they were downright creepy and not to contact me again. He emailed me back to "disagree". I blacklisted their domain in my email client. So, basically, my impression is that at best you are dealing with someone who values their time above yours, and more likely someone who is trying to pump you for information.
kd0amg 15y ago
I think if I ever get that suggestion, my response will be something like, "Ok. I can generally be found at the following location during working hours: ...." (which wouldn't be too difficult for them to find out if they really cared to).

Evgeny 15y ago

My guess would be that they want to see if a candidate is cleanly shaved, neatly dressed and can communicate in person?

DarkShikari 15y ago

"I like to form a personal relationship with all my potential clients" And dishonest as well. You're not the client; you're the product.

saraid216 15y ago

For me at least, it's harder to pick apart what someone says out loud, but if you write it down and hand it to me, I can re-read it at leisure and tell you in minute detail all the idiocies. Spoken word coding would kill me.

ultrasaurus 15y ago

For low-quality recruiters it's about their value maximizing function (odds you'll take job * odds they'll take you): - visiting them in person shows willingness to accept arbitrary tasks (or desperation, either way it shows that you're likely to accept a non-ideal job) - they want to see that you won't embarras them (since all they know about you is buzzwords on your resume and that you're the kind of person who responds to unsolicited recruiting)

georgieporgie 15y ago

I was warned years and years ago that these calls and visits are a waste of time by a friend. A few years ago, though, I got such a call and decided to give it a shot. I figured, sure, maybe they just want to make sure you're presentable in person. They said they had several positions they wanted to discuss with me. So I went to their office in SF. I had to wait around for awhile before finally being led back by what I can only describe as a bimbo recruiter. I sat at her desk among a see of other recruiters (most on phones) as she plodded through my resume and did God knows what on her computer. Basically, she completely failed to comprehend anything about my skill set and, in person, did that recruiter thing where they repeatedly mention jobs wholly unrelated to anything in your past. Then they wanted references. Without any job having even been specified. I refused, stating that I only give references when an offer is on the table. They kept prying, saying they needed to vet me before presenting me (again, to no job that had been mentioned). Basically, I think they were just trying to pump me for contact. Eventually, they gave up and went on to ask about past salary. As a matter of principle, I refuse to give this out. If you don't know what I'm worth, you shouldn't be in the business. They continued to pry, for some reason refusing to take "none of your business" for an answer. Finally, she asked if I could meet with some other guy. So I sit in another room for ten minutes until this guy finally walks in. Turns out he's just there to try and break me for salary info. I keep telling him various version of, "I have a policy of never discussing past salary," to no avail. Finally he says, "look, I understand if you were underpaid," (I wasn't), "but you can either tell us, or there's nothing more we can do here." I said, "okay," and walked out. A week later I got an email from the same idiots about another position completely unrelated to my skillset. I responded, telling them that I thought they were downright creepy and not to contact me again. He emailed me back to "disagree". I blacklisted their domain in my email client. So, basically, my impression is that at best you are dealing with someone who values their time above yours, and more likely someone who is trying to pump you for information.

kd0amg 15y ago

I think if I ever get that suggestion, my response will be something like, "Ok. I can generally be found at the following location during working hours: ...." (which wouldn't be too difficult for them to find out if they really cared to).