www.sharongraham.ca

If you are a jobseeker in today’s market, you have probably experienced the “Rude Recruiter” phenomenon. It seems that some recruiters treat job seekers as if they are nothing more than small, insignificant fish in a sea of candidates.

Working with six-figure professionals every day, I have heard horror stories from many highly marketable candidates who are treated poorly by recruiters. Here is how the story generally goes:

You are a diligent six-figure job seeker and you spend much of each working day carefully researching recruiters and submitting a professional resume only to suitable recruiters. You wait an appropriate time to get a response. None comes – not even a simple acknowledgement of receipt. Then, being proactive, you pick up the phone, call the recruiter, and leave a message, which seems to end up in some sort of “Black Hole.” Being a most persistent professional, you call again and finally reach a person who responds with a curt “If you sent your resume, we have your resume. We’ll get back to you when there is an opportunity.” CLICK. When a recruiter finally takes notice and calls you in, you are left waiting for an inordinate amount of time in the lobby. What you may find is that after you complete a great interview, send a strong note of thanks, and follow up with a message to express your interest, you never hear back at all – not even the courtesy of letting you know that someone else was selected.

Let’s face it – job search is like a wild ride on a roller coaster. I cannot even imagine how deflating these “ups and downs” must be for a person who has spent their life building a noteworthy career and gaining respect from colleagues, suppliers, clients, and previous employers.

I must acknowledge that there are good recruiters and good recruitment firms out there. But, I have heard far too many six-figure job seekers saying that it seems that recruiters have lost their manners. They rarely respond to applications received and often treat candidates with disrespect. I wonder if many of these same recruiters have forgotten what it felt like when they were looking for a job. I also wonder if they realize that the applicant they treat badly today will become valuable to them as a potential client or perfect candidate tomorrow. And, what will that person think of them after the way they were treated by the recruiter?

To be fair, we must also understand that the world has been changing at a tremendous pace. Organizations are charged to do more with less. Recruiters being bombarded with hundreds (and yes, even thousands) of resumes for one position. Internet correspondence is often impersonal. And, realistically, recruiters are not paid by applicants they are paid by companies to find the best candidate for the job, so they really don’t have any allegiance to the applicant at all. This certainly does not excuse rudeness, but it does explain why things are the way they seem to be today.

Let’s be realistic. Recruiters are results driven. If they don’t want to put you forward for the role, there has to be a reason:

• They do not have an appropriate job for you at this time.
• They have other candidates who seem to be more qualified than you.
• Something in your resume, conversation, or background turned them off.
• Your level or salary expectation is not a match for the positions they fill.

Now, rather than focusing on the negative, let’s talk about what six-figure candidates can do to get noticed and taken seriously. If the world has changed, then we need to change with it. Applying to a position on the Internet will not get you the kind of connection or relationship that a $100k+ professional needs.

Realistically, I don’t think that recruiters take a “first come, first served” approach. I think that most do their due diligence. Remember, if you are competing against hundreds of potentially qualified candidates, your chances of getting called are pretty slim.

The six-figure people who generally get in are the ones who are well-networked, well-presented, well-known, and well-matched to the position. In other words, you’ll have the best chance of getting a call-back and getting treated with respect if YOU have done your due diligence:

• You need to be presenting one of the most powerful resume out of all the resumes they receive.
• You need to have already made a strong internal contact (a corporate decision maker)
• You need to have a highly visible, powerful online presence that the recruiter will find and LOVE when they do their due diligence.
• You need to do all your homework to investigate the company’s underlying needs and use your resume and supplementary material to show them exactly what you can do to help them.

No matter how you are treated, it is best to “take the high road.” Treat all recruiters with as much respect as you would have wanted to receive yourself. Swallow your pride and find a way to create a bond where none exists. If the recruiter sees you as a valuable connection, you will find that the relationship will quickly turn positive.

If you are targeting a six-figure opportunity that is a good fit, a better way to getting your foot in the door would be to make connections within the company. If there is a job posting, don’t bypass the recruiter, but if you have already made other “inroads” with key decision makers in the company, then let them know that you are interested. Surely, that person will inform the recruiter to bring you forward during the selection process.

Here’s wishing you ethics, integrity, and lots of return calls during your job search!

This post was inspired by a recent comment from Steve R. Did a recruiter recently treat you with disrespect? How did you handle it? If you would like to tell me your horror story, ask a question, state your opinion, or give further advice, please do comment.

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