Adam,

Yes, I believe many do and I am starting to get a broad picture as to why. If you refer to the similar question I asked: What annoys you most about agency recruiters"-- many answered stating recruiters were not trained well enough, didn't listen and were all about pushing resumes for $.

I am about to write a blog on this- as I am a recruiter myself currently looking for work. I think the problem could be avoided if agencies hired seasoned, professional recruiters with an education-- as well as offered a better pay package. I have almost four years of recruiting-- wearing nearly every hat on the agency side, I have my BA degree, a personality and business sense. Somehow this translates to local agencies that I am worth in the low $30's with a potential to make maybe an extra $3k-$4k in commission if I dedicate my life to working around the clock and burning myself out. This is an insult, frankly. I could make more money working as an administrative assistant with a lot less of the headache.

Staffing agencies are all about money-- and it seems they are not investing any money into their internal employees. Therefore, you get under-educated, high turn-over recruiters that are constantly trying to sell sell sell to make a few $ and ultimately get burned out. No wonder then, when you call a staffing agency you always get a new person, you rarely are able to establish a working relationship on the client or candidate side, and in turn why there is such a bad rep.

If only some recruiting companies would invest more in the internal hiring process and on qualified talent. You would find a much hire return in happy customers, happy applicants and a change of opinion on the reputation of the business.

Fortunately there are a few redeeming companies out there and many seasoned recruiters that provide excellent service, personalization and follow up. Now if only one of them would hire me!

Links:

• http://kahlinkelly.wordpress.com

posted 5 months ago

Nope not all.

I do have a good story.

A recruiter got me a great job with a company in NJ. On Valentines Day the following year, he send my wife roses and candy (I don't think they knew each other well thats what she told me anyway). In the note, he said that he wanted to thank the wife of someone special for making his year.

I had another recruiter, that didn't get me a job (from a very well known firm ahhh RHI), send me an email once, that I was wasting his time, and not to respond to any more "blind ads" they were posting on Craigslist. I asked why he didn't identify his company or himself on Craigslist so that I know that it was him, and his response was, "I should have known". Needless to say the emails didn't from either person.

So its not recruiters, its the "person".

posted 5 months ago

Recruiters have always helped me throughout my career. So much so, that I wanted to become one and eventually did. I thought that the job was one in which I helped people find jobs (which is what attracted me to the industry because I like helping people) but it's actually not, it's one in which you help employers find people, most of the time for cheap. We(recuiters) are not the bad guys, we are just the messengers. If I could I would help get everyone their ideal job and salary.

Also; what about the candidates?!

What's the deal with a candidate that makes up stuff on his/her resume, or adds stuff on their resume that he/she has only used in a college classroom. What about the candidates that call several times a day, email you several times a week so that you submit their resume for their "dream job", and then disappear off of the face of the earth? Or even worse some candidates wait until the day of their interview to pull the no call/no show stunt. HELLO... Candidates if you find a job or decide to stay at your current job or decide that you don't like the job that you are being submitted for any more, be kind, call your recruiter before he/she schedules an interview for you or sends your resume to his/her client. You can get a person fired for something like that. Also if you can't make an interview, let the recruiter know. We work really hard(the good recruiters) to help get you these interviews and desired salaries; all we ask for is a little courtesy. Keep an open line of communication. Thanks.
(smiles :)

posted 5 months ago

As a Recruiter I occasionally feel as if I'm looked upon as if I am on par with a used car salesman (no offense to any who are reading this). I have found -- as some of you have mentioned -- there are too many people who come into this industry simply to make a quick buck.

I think part of the problem is these recruiters forget that ultimately this isn't about them; it's about other people. Yes, I make money off of trading human capital, but the fact is, without them, I'm nothing, and too many people forget that. This (like any sales job) is a marathon and not a sprint, and the quantity over quality recruiter will quickly get left behind by those with a strong work ethic, integrity and who truly care about making a good match, not just a match.

I work hard to prove myself in the beginning with new clients and candidates as someone who is an expert in my field, and truly try to constantly outdo myself with what I give to the people I work with.

In my mind, the proof is in the pudding: I have a loyal client base who happily sing my praises within their organizations and (most importantly) refers colleagues to me.

I hold my candidates' hands throughout what can be a very difficult process by preparing them as much as possible pre-interview and then keeping them as up-to-date as possible and trying hard to get good feedback for going forward (either positive or negative). The one thing candidates hate (having been one myself) is being left in the ether with no resolution whatsoever. It's frustrating and not fair to them.

By setting the bar high with clear expectations and explaining how my process works, I have found good success and respect. While the money is good, it's hard won and I look at every dollar as justification for all the sweat equity I put in to every deal (even the ones I don't close).

I'll step off my soapbox now.... :-)

posted 5 months ago

Unfortunately, there are plenty of recruiters out there that operate without ethics and some companies that encourage that behavior. It gives the industry a bad reputation. There is no barrier to entry in the recruiting profession...and there's a lot of monetary potential...so, there's no wonder that unscrupulous and unethical recruiters are out there.

However, there are those of us out there that not only run their desk, but train others on how to run their recruiting business in a way that builds long term relationships and operate in a way that puts the customer first (customer being both the client company and the job seeker). I’ve been fortunate to have countless candidates and clients provide positive feedback on their experiences with my recruiters over the years.

I’m a firm believer in what goes around comes around. In the recruiting profession that saying is never more true!

posted 5 months ago

I have had both good and bad experiences with recruiters. Is that different from any other profession? In the long run, it's the good professionals who will get my respect, have an earning potential with me as a candidate and have me as a good reference for other top professionals seeking new positions.

One cannot deny respect to a very difficult job recruiters do. They are dependent on the information they receive from a company seeking applicants and also dependent on job seekers to be the people they expound on their resumes. Often information from both those ends are not complete or truthful. Recruiters sit precariously in the middle, ready to offer apologies to either party on the behalf of the other. Aside from that, selling anything is one of the hardest jobs on can do.

My hat, if I was wearing one, is off to recruiters. Even the not so good ones face quite a daily challenge.

posted 5 months ago

I believe that recruiters, as a whole, owe much of their poor reputation to hiring managers. In my own (brief) time as a recruiter, hiring managers proved to be the biggest obstacle to sourcing talent. My personal experience with recruiters has been frustrating; but, I don't want to bore you all with my tales of my poor experiences. I will try to explain this throughly, and hopefully concisely, but I fear that this will still be a lengthy answer so please bear with me. Hopefully this will shed some light on what is going on behind the scenes.

As many people have pointed out in literature, television, and all over the internet, there is a looming talent shortage. Many of the Baby Boomers will be retiring, or already have, and the group with the numbers to fill the gap is Gen Y. The problem with Gen Y is that the many, myself included, lack experience.

Hiring managers seem extremely reluctant, some even downright hostile, to the idea of hiring college graduates without any experience. This reluctance is great if you have three to five years experience, the magical amount of experience necessary to be qualified for any job in the eyes of most hiring managers, but terrible for anyone else.

Although I've mostly written up to this point about the detrimental effects of a lack of experience, many mid- to late-career workers find themselves with the opposite problem. Hiring managers often refuse to consider workers who have too much experience because they will "retire soon" or "will cost too much".

Recruiters are not completely innocent of the reputation they have earned. Many do not take the time to learn about the positions they are recruiting for and become very narrow-minded, focusing in on only the "ideal" candidate.

Great recruiters, not necessarily the ones who place the most candidates, understand the positions and environment they are hiring for. These recruiters tend to be open to candidates who don't fit the "ideal candidate" mold and often push back on their hiring managers to do the same. Even if the recruiter does push back often, as was my experience, the hiring manager refuses to consider other options.

posted 5 months ago

I think similar to the Real Estate field; bad apples can spoil the bunch.

Many people have felt duped meeting with recruiters as they expect to receive a job referral after having spent time meeting the outside recruitment agency.

It is important to speak to the recruiter on the phone before you meet with them. Determine if they have actual job openings in mind for you or are just having you in to increase their candidate pool on the off chance that something will come up.

Recruitment works best in specialized fields- just as recruiters that focus on attorneys with a background in patent law whose accounts are Fortune 500 companies as opposed to general firms.

I have had recent good experience building relationships with a couple recruitment companies on behalf of my clients. Feel free to contact me for potential recruiter referral.

posted 5 months ago

This does seem to be an on-going theme. I'd love to also hear some clients chime in. I've been working in this business (mainly on the sales side) for almost 11yrs and I try to pride myself on providing an excellent service to both my cleints and my candidates.

posted 5 months ago

I have been in this recruitment game for a year now, and I must say, I took a different approach to this agency recruitment position. I am very focused and geared towards building relations of long term nature with my candidates for fulltime and contract work. It is not just about taking a % and moving on. The value of a relationship at that level can extent to many more opportunities both for work and other aspects. It is recommended as a recruiter to make this sort of approach known to the candidate because it gives you an upper edge compared to the rest of the recruiters out there. I can offer this added value to my clients which puts me ahead of many others.
I have encountered many candidates with a sour taste for recruiters for obvious reasons stated in the question, but I have tried to convice them not all of us are the same. Some do bother to be exposed to extensive training and are taught the value of relationship building and managing.

Thank you,

posted 5 months ago

There are always going to be bad apples to spoil the bushel.

There are some extremely talented, brilliant and ethical recruiters out there. However, the ones that stick out in your mind are the bad ones.

I truly believe that ‘bad’ recruiters aren’t “bad” people. They are either poorly trained, don’t have a passion for what they are doing or are under so much pressure to meet their metrics or a quota they lose the human factor of the business.

Too often recruiters lose sight of what’s on the candidate side of the deal they are trying to put together. I have recently felt what it’s its like to be a “candidate” working with recruiters who could care less about me, my career and the major life decision that I needed to make. I felt like a means to a commission.

Still, I don’t think they are “bad recruiters”, just green apples.

posted 5 months ago

I think more and more stories are about bad experiences because people tend to go out of their way to complain, but not to compliment. So as a result we see many bad stories about recruiters. I am betting if we look close - we will see many bad stories about marketers, sales people, etc...

There are good recruiters, bad recruiters and recruiters who fall in the middle... Just like most everything else in life :)

~B

posted 5 months ago

Where recruiters tend to fail and get bad reputations is through NOT setting expectations with their candidates and clients. Most often, recruiters contact candidates because they have an immediate open - not multiple openings. So it needs to be stated clearly to the candidate (and to your client) what they can expect from you.

In addition, recruiters need to be honest and responsive. Just because you've got the resume of someone who looks good on paper or are contacting them via LinkedIn, you need to tell them as a professional, if and how well they match up to the job requirements. Why set expectations that you can't follow through upon.

Last but not least, if you see a candidate strictly as a commodity, you should get out the business. This profession is about helping people find the next step in their career, not just padding your pocket book. That's where the bad reputation can be earned. And earned very quickly.

posted 5 months ago

Most yes. But searching does pay huge dividends when you find a could 2 or 3.

I've had great experiences with these two.

Marc A also suggests these experts on this topic:

• Terence D
• Carmen J

posted 5 months ago

It's a simple formula - mutual respect!

Keep in mind that a recruiter cannot perform magic and although as a candidate you should be treated with respect you cannot expect to become a priority. A recruiter deals with thousands of individuals but is ultimately accountable to the client (the company looking to hire) and as such if you make a positive impression and are qualified you will almost certainly have a positive experience!

Having said this; there are bad apples so approach the recruitment industry with realistic expectations, find a professional and knowledgeable recruiter and witness first hand how millions of individuals are successfully and happily 'placed' in jobs they would otherwise not have even known about!

posted 5 months ago

I feel bad for recruiters. Too many companies will take multiple bids so you see 4 ads that are the same for 4 different recruiters filling one position at one company. I mean c'mon. The posting companies get to have their cake and eat it too...I always ask the recruiter up front if they are the sole provider of the position or if it is open to other firms. You can get into situations in reverse, where a recruiter will push UNDER pricing you to beat out others, and get their sale. Most ads are represented by recruiters so you really dont have a choice but to use them.

posted 5 months ago

Recruiters having a bad name - No way.

Kinda of like car salesmen & cold call marketing people.

It takes just 1 recruiter to cause a bad experience and then you have spiral taking place where all recruiters are stereotyped.

I get calls from recruiters & headhunters every week. It is scary that many of them use the same techniques and leave the same type of message or email. (Please stop with I have a great candidate or I have teh dream position for you). The elevator speech is the same and the email has the same read to it. Its these people that are short term in nature and do not understand the concept of relationship building or partnering.

Today's true Talent Acquisition professional (Ok - big word for recruiter) does not have to leave cheesy messages nor send out emails that quickly get deleted. This is the person that understands your needs, the needs of the client and is interested in finding the right fit for both sides. To find these rare but outstanding recruiters is through networking and strong referrals. Let me know if you would like a good/clean referral.

Cheers

posted 5 months ago

I'm a recruiter who believes that recruiters indeed have a bad reputation.

There is virtually no barrier to entry and many see they what they deem as huge payouts without realizing how many months and hard experience went into the end result.

Most agencies have no training and run by people with no insight into human nature. They do not expect their recruiters to last more than a year. There are always more.

BUT they are an absolute necessary to getting exposure to jobs you will find no where else. So what does a job seeker do?

Write down everything the recruiter tells you = stop and ask to repeat if they talk too fast. Don't wait by the computer for an answer - hire more recruiters and write down what they say.

NOW you got the interview - give them everything you've got - totally sell yourself into the job regardless of how you feel. You can always say no!

When the company says you're our pick of the day - you then pull out the paper with all the recruiter promises. Go through the promises with your prospective employer asking if they are indeed true because that is what you will base your decision on.

If a lot of falsehoods come up you can still take the job (or not) if it suits you but inform them that this recruiter misrepresented you in several area and you would like them to know they are dishonest and may do the firm harm in future. Itemizing the recruiter's falsehoods will set the tone that you play clean and will be loyal.

Some agencies pay kickbacks to individual human resource personal to push certain candidates into a position over more qualified people. So in that case honestly certainly will not pay. But do you want to work in this environment?

The bottom line is:
Do you need a job bad? Then do what ever the recruiter says just to get a paycheck and back on your feet.

Are you looking for a genuine career advance and a stable logical resume then read the above.

BUT - Go into all of this already knowing what you want.

posted 5 months ago

It definitely comes down to the recruiter you are working with. I worked in the agency world for quite a few years and was successful because I provided a service to the candidate and always put myself in their shoes. It seems most of the agencies do use the same tactics of a glorified telemarketer (no offense to anyone). At some point they will have to realize that building relationships and being proactive instead reactive is the key. I have sense moved on to corporate recruiting and still come across a few of those "bad" apples. I believe Benny Greenberg made a very good point.

"Benny GreenBerg: I think more and more stories are about bad experiences because people tend to go out of their way to complain, but not to compliment. So as a result we see many bad stories about recruiters."

posted 5 months ago

Deb Wittner is great. I've used her in the past. She is very professional, owns her own company and provides great service. Her honesty with me was refreshing in terms of what I could expect and what she could provide.

Another that I've used and can be found on LI is Patrick Krohn

posted 5 months ago

From the candidate side I would say that my experience has been that for every one good recruiter there are 8-10 bads ones. I think to minimize the one's negative experience with recruiters, candidates need to remind themselves of the following so as not to expect too much from recruiters:

1. Recruiters specialize in fitting round pegs into round holes. If you are looking to make a significant career change, either job description or industry, don't count on a recruiter. They sell themselves as being able to find the candidate who has all the qualifications and experience of the opening. They are not in the business of placing people who may be out-of-the-box.

2. You are most likely one of a few candidates the recruiter has in the mix, so he/she may not have a vested interest in seeing you get the job; he/she wins if one or the other dogs in the hunt get the offer.

3. Unless they are well known in your industry, don't expect the recruiter to understand/know your job functions and the comapnies you have worked for. They probably have little knowledge of the nuiances of your business.

4. Expect the hurry up and wait routine. Most want you to jump through hoops to get info and then you won't hear from them for weeks.

5. Never hearing back. Maybe they don't know anything new, maybe you are on the "B" list and he/she doesn't want to blow you off just yet. This is part of the game.

Also, its none of their business who else you are talking to, what other recruiters you have sent resumes to, and what companies you have targeted.

posted 5 months ago

I've met a few of them here and there and what I have found is that the ones who want to build a relationship and understand what you are trying to do and what future needs your company has, are few and far between.

Should you get a good story here, consider that a reference. Reach out to that recruiter and make them your own!

bruce.kane.linkedin@gmail.com
open networker: http://www.linkedin.com/in/brucekane

posted 5 months ago

This is a fair question.

The reality is that there are many recruiters who are good and many who are bad, and also many recruitment firms that are good or bad.

In all cases look for the individual or firm that demonstrates good values and integrity on a consistent basis.

The best differentiator is communication.

Good recruiters will not send your details to any client without asking the candidate for permission.

They will also know their clients'business and culture well so that they can present properly qualified and briefed candidates that will be impressive and appropriate and not waste any one's time.

Good consultants got that reputation by doing good quality repeat business for their clints over a long period of time.

Clirents do not always encourage quality work by briefing a number of consultants which reduces quality by simply being a race to present a resume.

Recruitment firms that have a low quality approach are those that encourage their consultants to do shoddy work by sending multiple copies of a candidate's resume without permission to many clients by fax or email and then demanding a fee for a placement that comes from not adding any value to the process.

I have been a recruiter for 20+ years following a career in engineering and I am proud of my current role which is one of the few that can have a Win/Win/Win result.

In training more that 80 recruiters my bottom line is that they should treat people the same as they would hope to be treated in all situations and not too many people will be wrong or wronged.

Recruiter everywhere must continually remind themselves tha we have the power to change people's lives and to have respect for this privilege.

More Power to Integrity and Ethics.

posted 5 months ago

Yes, I would agree that many recruiters have bad reputations. As a job seeker I’ve had some unpleasant experiences with some recruiters that were basically treating me as a commodity and only want to “fill their requisition” and move on to the next. As result, the experience was impersonal and transactional. Worse, I’ve had some that acted unethically and used information I shared to their advantage and my detriment. Those are people that I quickly disassociated myself with and will regard very cautiously should I have an opportunity to meet again. As someone that has worked in recruitment, I have had many opportunities to assist job seekers in finding great jobs and employers in finding great employees. This was accomplished by using a consultative approach that focuses on relationships. And, above all, I always acted ethically. I have not placed every job seeker I’ve met and I certainly can’t say that I’ve been able to fill every requisition that I’ve received. But I can say that I’ve had the opportunity to help a lot of people and I that’s been very satisfying.

posted 5 months ago

It really depends on the recruiter.

I get pretty hostile when recruiters approach me with "opportunities" that are ridiculously poor fits for my education and experience, although I try as much as possible to remain civil. I don't feel that I should have my time wasted by lazy, inexperienced recruiters who can't be bothered to put much more effort in than spamming the hundreds of people that come up in a (poorly phrased) keyword search. Even more frustrating to me are the recruiters who become pushy and rude when I tell them that an opportunity is not a good fit. Unfortunately, this describes about 90% of the recruiters that I've dealt with.

On the other hand, the remaining 10% can be excellent. I've been at my current company for over three years now and I only found out about them because the recruiter they had retained got in touch with me. When I flew out to interview, we met for breakfast where he briefed me on some of the people I would be interviewing with, and he was tremendously helpful in salary negotiations.

posted 5 months ago

As a rule of thumb, I do not work with recruiters.

With all my previous experiences, I have found hat they are not looking to find me my ideal position but rather looking for a way (anyway) to fit me in the position that they have available. Also, why do I continually get contacted for entry level advertising sales positions when I clearly state that I have 13 years of advertising experience? Thank you very much Yellowbook and RR Donelley, I am NOT interested and please never call me again... oh, and if you would just take a brief second to actually look at my resume or career experience you would have noticed that I already worked for Yellowbook - you knucklehead (but I digress).

Finally, yesterday, I received a quality request from a recruiter that actually represented various positions in which I would actually be interested. I applaud the fact that this recruiter actually did his homework and took the time to see that I would potentially be a good fit. Maybe he didn't notice my embarassing stint at Yellowbook and maybe he did, but at least he was NOT suggesting I work there.

A recruiter who actually understands the position for which they are recruiting and takes the time to find quality candids instead of throwing a 100 candidates against the employer and crossing their fingers that someone get hires, this is the only type of recruiter with whom I would ever consider dealing!

posted 5 months ago

Do recruiters have a bad reputation?

"YES" -- and one of the main reasons is that the contingency recruiting business pays recruiters $1,000-2,000/month draw versus straight commission. That's a run rate of $12-24K per year, often with no health benefits -- even though a recruiter who does not close a deal in his first four months on the job is fired. A typical agency is almost a feudal enterprise.

Would any bright, aggressive, empathic, degreed, business-oriented person with a lot of professional options sign up for that kind of deal? No.

In fact, I only did it because I was *out of options* during the last recession. (See www.97JobSearchTips.com)

The result is that contingency recruiters are very transactional in their approach to developing candidate relationships: They are prone to pick the lowest hanging fruit they can find, chasing any search assignment in any industry regardless of how it aligns with their own expertise.

Retained recruiters are under a similar type of transactional pressure, although the economics of the retained search business are different, and I won't get into that here.

The bottom line is that the compensation systems in the recruiting business engender the kind of short-termism that gives the industry a bad reputation.

Kind regards,
Harry

PS - You can read good stories about exceptional recruiters in their LinkedIn testimonials. Great recruiters are out there, but like I said: They're exceptional.

Links:

• http://www.marketingheadhunter.com
• http://www.97JobSearchTips.com

posted 5 months ago