4 ms·

I hate to say it but the guy who wrote this article is nothing more than an opportunist himself. If someone ever came to me looking for a job who had an agent,

by electic 14y ago

I hate to say it but the guy who wrote this article is nothing more than an opportunist himself. If someone ever came to me looking for a job who had an agent, I wouldn't even bother. Just like I don't bother with 3rd party recruiters.

tankenmate 14y ago
The feeling is mutual, he stated in the post that he wouldn't bother with you either.
- fecak 14y ago
  I did? Nevermind, just saw where I did!
  - raylu 14y ago
    I think he's referring to the bit about not contacting companies who don't work with recruiters since they don't value your services.
fecak 14y ago
I understand your skepticism, but look at the current model. You have recruiters representing candidates and companies, yet they are only financially motivated by whether a transaction happens (whether or not that is in the best interest of the job seeker). If you don't bother with recruiters, you certainly wouldn't bother with an agent. But I'm surprised you quickly dismiss a concept where you would have true representation. If you feel you can go it alone and don't need the help, more power to you. Some people change their own oil and mow their own lawns too, and some don't. Personal preference. You could argue all recruiters are opportunists to some degree. But if I do my job and do it well, someone gets a job they want and a company grows. It's a win win (except for the company that loses the employee).
tatsuke95 14y ago
I read this with the same mentality. What kind of bubble are we in where programmers require agents along the lines of professional athletes and Hollywood stars? It makes a bit of sense in the context of the latter two; the contracts are worth so much money that an agent can make a living off of a small percentage of the take. But if you're a programmer who can't handle your own finances, PR or salary negotiation, how well-rounded are you?
- fecak 14y ago
  "what kind of bubble are we in" - good question, and that was the key point. Tech recruiting is a big business, but recruiting in lots of other industries is not nearly as big. Why is that? There are more programmers than athletes and Hollywood stars, but there are many more people in industries where using a recruiter/agent is not the norm. If you think that programmers are good at or enjoy handling their own finances, doing PR, or salary negotiation, I'd encourage you to talk to thousands of programmers and ask them how they feel about that. I have programmers come to me for advice on negotiation and what career moves to take that aren't even active candidates (jobs they found on their own, yet still seeking representation). Programmers that I have met hate that part of the business, hate negotiation and building their brand. Of course there are some that are willing to do it and are good at it, but the majority seem to be completely fine passing that off on to somebody else if they can.
  - tatsuke95 14y ago
    >""what kind of bubble are we in" - good question, and that was the key point. Tech recruiting is a big business, but recruiting in lots of other industries is not nearly as big. Why is that?" What you say is reasonable. I'm not sure how I'd answer that question, however, which I guess brings us full circle to why it seems frothy to me. I'm not arguing that there is no business to be had in the space; apparently, it's happening. But the fact that there is actually demand for such an occupation to require or request agency representation is so far from the norm, it seems like an anomaly, destined to be corrected. Of course, I'm using hindsight, not foresight.

by electic 14y ago

tankenmate 14y ago

The feeling is mutual, he stated in the post that he wouldn't bother with you either.

fecak 14y ago
I did? Nevermind, just saw where I did!
- raylu 14y ago
  I think he's referring to the bit about not contacting companies who don't work with recruiters since they don't value your services.

fecak 14y ago

I understand your skepticism, but look at the current model. You have recruiters representing candidates and companies, yet they are only financially motivated by whether a transaction happens (whether or not that is in the best interest of the job seeker). If you don't bother with recruiters, you certainly wouldn't bother with an agent. But I'm surprised you quickly dismiss a concept where you would have true representation. If you feel you can go it alone and don't need the help, more power to you. Some people change their own oil and mow their own lawns too, and some don't. Personal preference. You could argue all recruiters are opportunists to some degree. But if I do my job and do it well, someone gets a job they want and a company grows. It's a win win (except for the company that loses the employee).

tatsuke95 14y ago

I read this with the same mentality. What kind of bubble are we in where programmers require agents along the lines of professional athletes and Hollywood stars? It makes a bit of sense in the context of the latter two; the contracts are worth so much money that an agent can make a living off of a small percentage of the take. But if you're a programmer who can't handle your own finances, PR or salary negotiation, how well-rounded are you?

fecak 14y ago
"what kind of bubble are we in" - good question, and that was the key point. Tech recruiting is a big business, but recruiting in lots of other industries is not nearly as big. Why is that? There are more programmers than athletes and Hollywood stars, but there are many more people in industries where using a recruiter/agent is not the norm. If you think that programmers are good at or enjoy handling their own finances, doing PR, or salary negotiation, I'd encourage you to talk to thousands of programmers and ask them how they feel about that. I have programmers come to me for advice on negotiation and what career moves to take that aren't even active candidates (jobs they found on their own, yet still seeking representation). Programmers that I have met hate that part of the business, hate negotiation and building their brand. Of course there are some that are willing to do it and are good at it, but the majority seem to be completely fine passing that off on to somebody else if they can.
- tatsuke95 14y ago
  >""what kind of bubble are we in" - good question, and that was the key point. Tech recruiting is a big business, but recruiting in lots of other industries is not nearly as big. Why is that?" What you say is reasonable. I'm not sure how I'd answer that question, however, which I guess brings us full circle to why it seems frothy to me. I'm not arguing that there is no business to be had in the space; apparently, it's happening. But the fact that there is actually demand for such an occupation to require or request agency representation is so far from the norm, it seems like an anomaly, destined to be corrected. Of course, I'm using hindsight, not foresight.