TEN THINGS "YOUR" RECRUITER WON'T TELL YOU!

1. We're not really looking for a job for you.

Recruiters spend their time focused on the next assignment, the next client and candidates for the job search at hand. Recruiters work for the client company, not for you, the job seeker. Disabuse yourself of the notion at the recruiter is working for you.


2. We're not your agent.

Although you may think recruiters will serve your interests exclusively, they will not conduct a job search for you nor will they find job opportunities for you. Typically the candidate [you] is a distant third in the order of importance behind the client company and the recruiter.


3. You're not the most wonderful candidate they've ever seen.

The initial telephone conversation will seem like the best conversation you've ever had. The recruiters will play to your ego and strongly indicate that they'd be thrilled to work with you. Just email that resume in and you're on your way to that dream job. [No effort on your part required.]


4. The actual number of candidates under consideration for a position.

Recruiters receive an inordinate number of resumes every week, perhaps 200 - 1200 or more. They're not going to say that you're one of 659 candidates...so don't hold your breath. If you don't hear back, your resume entered the data base zone from which one rarely returns.


5. We won't return your phone calls after the initial contact.

After that first contact call everything is sweetness and light. You're primed for the follow-up call with all the particulars for the eagerly anticipated interview, but it never comes. You wait and wait until you begin to doubt your sanity and question your own abilities.


6. Your salary history and pay requirements will be held against you.

No one wants to waste time, and recruiters are certainly no exception. Salary information and compensation history are used to disqualify candidates rather than screen them into the selection process. You may quickly remove yourself from consideration with one inept response, if you provide specific, detailed salary information.


7. We may try to lower your expectations, so we can place you and earn a fee.

Hey, we're only human. A guy's gotta make a buck! True, but what about you and your income level. Resist the attempt to "talk" you down a level because the job market is terrible or because it's a great company for advancement, etc, etc. Know your value and stick with it. If you do, the recruiter will lose interest in you fairly quickly, and you'll be free to negotiate your own package.


8. We won't disclose how many searches we're conducting right now.

Recruiters are great at multi-tasking and, with computer support, are able to handle a substantial number of searches simultaneously. However, they don't want to scare you off with the truth. [Either too many or too few searches] So you'll blissfully think that the recruiter will have time for your questions and be happy to take your calls or answer your emails.....NOT!


9. Send us your resume at your own risk. We'll likely be sending it to a number of companies as a trial balloon.

Your resume is a confidential document and must be treated as such. If the recruiter doesn't provide a written confidentiality statement for you, insist, in writing, that your resume must be treated as confidential. Also, indicate that your resume may not be sent to any company without your permission in advance. Protect yourself at all times!


10. We may request a listing of your top ten target companies and harm your chances of ever connecting with them during your search.

This is a technique that's used on the unsuspecting to save time and lessen the recruiters work. Unfortunately if you comply and provide a list of target companies, the likelihood of you making a connection with your top companies is now remote at best. The recruiter will have tainted the water by the time you come along to drink from the well.













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