recruiter tactics

[dgowans]

Apologies in advance for a lengthy post......

I've been talking to a recruiter about a job opening that was listed in a local newspaper. I submitted my resume to the recruiter, which led to a phone conversation. At the end of the conversation, the recruiter seemed to think that my background is a good match for the job (as do I) and suggested that I tweak my resume a bit to make it a better fit for the position.

I must add that he didn't suggest that I put anything in my resume that wasn't true, he just wanted me to tailor it to maximize my chances of getting a foot in the door. I made the changes, re-sent my resume, and then followed up by phone to see what the next step in the process would be. I was a little surprised when the recruiter told me something along the lines of "I've got to be careful to not submit your information too soon so I don't scare anyone away." This confused me, so asked him to explain. The recruiter basically told that he wanted his hiring contact to get a bit discouraged/frustrated by seeing a few candidates which were not as experienced or qualified before he submitted my information as "someone you've got to take a look at."

I've dealt with a lot of recruiters in the past, but this is a first for me. It seems like gamesmanship to me and I'm not entirely sure what to think of it. (For those of you who are familiar with the movie "Swingers", it reminds me of the scene where the guys are discussing how long to wait to call the women they've just met).

I want to emphasize that I've not gotten any bad vibes from this guy - you know, the feelings that are all too common when dealing with people in the recruitment field. He was very straight forward with me about the scope of the position, understood my background as it related to the job, and didn't hesitate to tell me the name of the company so I could do my own research. All in all, it was one of the most pleasant experiences I've ever had with a recruiter, I'm just not sure what to make of the bit about waiting to submit my resume to the company.

At this point I plan on letting the process play out, because:

A) I'm very interested in the position, and
B) I don't see where I have another choice if I want to keep my name in the hat for the job. I could contact the company directly, but that would just open me up to speculation about my character due to the appearance that I'd tried to circumvent the recruiter.

I could voice a concern to the recruiter, although I see little point in this. After all, if he wants to wait to submit my information, there's nothing I can do to stop him, short of contacting the company myself. See point B, above. In fact, I'm not convinced that there is reason to be concerned. It seems that this guy is very familiar with the company and this waiting game may prove to be in my favor.

Thoughts, anyone?

 

[ctopher]

IMO, I would contact the company directly. I don't like recruters (car salesmen) and this one seems like a shark.
I don't play games like he wants you to do. That's just what I would do. If the company told me do go through him anyway, I would them them what he tried to do.
My 2 cents.

Chris
Systems Analyst, I.S.
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 05
AutoCAD 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

 

[IRstuff]

Sad to say, I'd have to agree that this guy clearly does not have your interests in the foremost.

Given that most recruiters are paid by the employer and have vested interest in maximizing your final offer, since their commission is often a percentage of that offer; it's not surprising that your considerations are not on the top of his list.

Obviously, if you lose the position, so does he, so there is some modicum of self-interest in getting you the job.

TTFN

 

[MedicineEng]

There are at least 2 ways to look at this:
1-The guy is looking for other CVs to present to the company since he would be seen as bad recruiter if he only present your CV and a load of other CV completely innapropriate for the job. So, he uses the delay tactics to see if he gains some time to get some other alternatives;
2-Since most probably he earns a % of the final agreed offer, he might know that the company his desperate and try to get you a better pay , thus a bigger commission.

If I had to bet, I would put my money in the first option.

If you really want the job, go speak directly with them.
But be prepared for the backlash since you don't know his power inside the company and with whom is he connected to.
I don't know the size of the company, but you should aim to speak as high possible, preferably the owner.

Good Luck.

 

[boffintech]

IRstuff wrote, "I'd have to agree that this guy clearly does not have your interests in the foremost."

Right, the guy clearly has his own interest at heart because that's where the profit motive is. If you want the job or whatever to go your way from a sales shark like this you have to play the game his way. He gets what he wants and you get what you want. Sounds like a win-win.

 

[Nella95]

I'm reminded of the fable with the scorpion and the dog (I think) - basically, the story is summarized as follows: the scorpion needs a ride across a body of water, and can't swim, so he asks a dog for a lift b/c the dog can swim. When the dog has almost crossed the river, the scorpion stings, and thus kills the dog - both of them die with the scorpion drowning.

My point being - recruiters will go to bat for you, but their inherent nature is to sting something.

 

[FACS]

Just keep on trucking.... forget about it and move on; if it happens...then it happens.

Charlie

http://www.facsco.com

 

[epoisses]

If you want to work with a recruiter, any recruiter shark or no shark, you shouldn't be surprised to see him handle things his way, which is not necessarily your way or 100% in your interest. Of course they have their tactics and either this way of doing things works for him, or he has told you a crap story - you never know and I am actually surprised he'd tell you this candidly if it were true.
Anyway I guess you'd have to either live with it or find a job by yourself...

 

[MikeHalloran]

When a company retains a recruiter, they sign a contract to the effect that they will not cheat the recruiter.

If you circumvent a recruiter and still get an offer, you _really_ won't like the company.

It will also be a very long time before another recruiter will help you; they talk to each other.

Let the profit motive work its magic.







Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA