Why Do Recruiters "Fall Off the Earth"? An Insider's Guide to the Disappearing Recruiter
As a Recruiter, I am often asked, "Why do recruiters incessantly contact me about a job, only to disappear once I've been submitted?"
Let me assure you, you are not alone. The lack of proper follow through by recruiters is not only an epidemic, it's also pretty lame. I'm going to expand upon some of the reasons this typically occurs, so you can be proactive when - not if - it happens to you.
The "Soft" Recruiter
This type of recruiter is afraid to tell you when the answer from a client is "no". To be fair, there are times when the feedback from a client is so bad, I don't like to deliver the news either. However, you still deserve to know when you've been rejected. If your recruiter doesn't follow up to deliver a yes or no to you within 3 weeks, chances are they aren't going to. If your calls and emails go unreturned, you've probably encountered a soft recruiter.
The "Busy" Recruiter
Also known as The "Overwhelmed" Recruiter; if your conversations with this recruiter are generally rushed and it takes days for them to return your call or email, you are probably working with one of these. The main reason for the disappearance if this recruiter is that you've fallen off of the "money radar". Translation: The client rejected your resume and there is no way they will make commission off of you now. They suddenly have amnesia, will forget to call you, and quickly move on to their next conquest. The difference between this recruiter and the "soft" recruiter is that they have no problem telling you about the rejection; if only they could remember.
The "Lazy" Recruiter
This one is nearly self explanatory, although it is sometimes easy to confuse a lazy recruiter with a busy one. The lazy recruiter prefers to work only when necessary, so they gauge you by effort. If they think you can make them money, they will work quickly and diligently. They are easily annoyed and often get snippy if you ask too many questions. If you are rejected by their client, they immediately lose interest in you and spend the rest of the day surfing the internet looking at LOLZ cats.
Traits of a GOOD Recruiter:
* A good recruiter will be as proactive for you as possible, regardless if you are on the current money radar.
* A good recruiter has the ability to remember you when the right opportunity does come along.
* A good recruiter spends time with you; it's important to know what your objectives and desires are, in order to properly match you to opportunities.
* A good recruiter returns your calls or emails in a timely fashion.
* A good recruiter will tell you the truth. (Your resume sucks, your salary expectations are unrealistic, etc.)
* A good recruiter will help you how they can, even if they have nothing to gain from it.
If you find yourself working with a "soft", "busy" or "lazy" recruiter, then drop that zero and get yourself a TRUE recruiting hero! Don't settle for working with bad recruiters!
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Unfortunately, I think you
Unfortunately, I think you can use the (in)famous 90-10 rule... 90% fall into the first three categories and 10% fall into the 'good'. That means candidates need to learn to identify the type they are dealing with and figure out ways of working with them or at least dealing with the way they work. Thanks for posting the guide I am sure it will be helpful to a lot of people.
Agreed! I hate being lumped
Agreed! I hate being lumped in with that 90% when someone hasn't even given me a chance. There are some candidates that refuse to work with all recruiters based on 1 or 10 bad experiences.
http://www.aplace4people.com/index.html
Unfortunately, if a person
Unfortunately, if a person encounters the bad ones the first 8 or 9 times out, its easy to see why they might assume that all recruiters are bad. Anyway, a lot of people shun all recruiters unless they are actively looking, which is, in my opinion, generally a mistake. I will usually talk to them even if just to say, politely, no thanks to a given opportunity they might be looking for. Basically I don't want to end up on any more recruiter's 'DO NOT CALL' lists than I have to. Also, maybe they might keep me in mind later for something that might be what I am looking for. And maybe if I do call them when I am looking later they might even remember having talked to me in the past and possibly that will make it more likely they might present me to a client. Not that its working for me these days... but I think that is more that there are just no good opportunities out there right now.
What makes the 90-10 rule
What makes the 90-10 rule even more interesting is that 100% of recruiters claim they fall in that 10%. I have yet to figure out a way to make that math work.
I'm not here to insult recruiters. I am one...but I fall in that 10%. ;)
It's all about prooving
It's all about prooving yourself. :)
Unfortunately there are lots
Unfortunately there are lots of bad apples out there to spoil the whole barrel. Some people just don't understand the value of building strong personal relationships. They just go after the quick buck and the rest can't be helped. Remember that the traditional model for a staffing company is a sales model.
Although this blog is talking about the candidate side, the same is true on the employer side. When I'm out talking to clients I find lots of people unwilling to work with staffing agencies because of their bad experiences. This makes it more difficult for me to work with companies, but if I'm given the chance to prove myself I am quick to change people's minds.
My advice to both candidates and recruiters is to ask around. People will refer the people who they've had good relationships with. Austin is a very small town and people know each other.
Some additional advice to candidates, take ownership of your search. If your recruiter is not being responsive, then give them a couple chances but STAY ON THEM. If you send them a daily email regarding a submission and they don't respond to you after a week, then kick them to the curb and use someone else. There should at least be a response of "I'm sorry I haven't heard back from the client yet." Some employers (especially the state) take a lot of time in each step of their decisions.
If you don't have an active submission and you haven't heard from your recruiter in a while, ping out to them to make sure you stay in their awareness. You should receive some sort of friendly response from them.
Feel free to use several staffing agencies. Your main goal is to find a job, right?
The good apples within staffing agencies will be able to help employers find the diamonds in the rough. They will help candidates to find the perfect fit for their job.
Hope this helps!
More generally on "bad"
More generally on "bad" recruiters, half of the recruiters I've encountered seem addicted to gabbing. There is a difference between learning enough about be to be able to know when to call me & calling me because you are bored, lonely, or insecure. My time is valuable, maybe even more than yours, even if I'm looking for work. If I'm calling for status, that is what I want. If you are calling for status, that is what you need. You are in a people position. Learn the skills.
Agreed; although I have
Agreed; although I have encountered a lot of candidates that do the same. :)
http://www.aplace4people.com/index.html
There is a large recruiting
There is a large recruiting firm in Austin (I won't directly name them), that is very bad about this. They were doing a large hiring push for a traveling desktop support position. They brought me in, signed the contract, said I would be starting that Monday, then I didn't hear anything else from them. I called and called, and left several messages, but nothing.... A few weeks later, I got a call and was asked to come in to have the fingerprints done, so that they could process my clearance. When I asked about the delay, I got the standard apologies. I did the fingerprinting and was told that I would now start the following Monday. I have not heard from them since, and cannot get anyone there to return my calls.
Wow, that is pretty awful of
Wow, that is pretty awful of them to just leave you hanging like that. I wonder where the problem is. I suspect the client is having funding troubles for the position, but its pretty inexcusable for the agency to be doing such a poor job of communicating status to you. Leaving things like that is a good way for them to lose a candidate and have to end up punting, which could anger the client when/if they really are finally ready to move.
I'm pretty certain the real
I'm pretty certain the real delay has been on the client end. It is the communication issue that burns me up. If they are having problems on the client end, just tell me that. I will eventually speak with a manager over there about the communication issue, but I want to wait until I already have another postion somewhere else. Although I will approach the conversation very politely, and look at it as an opportunity for improvement, I don't want to take the chance of burning any bridges that I might still need right now.
For humans in general that
For humans in general that "90/10" thing--or, to be somewhat optimistic, that "80/20" thing--applies to every one in every position in every organization in every country in the world.
Only 10% - 20% of us are at the top, doing our job better than it can be done by anyone else. Some would argue for a figure closer to 1%.
For recruiters in general (I have a lot of experience ;~), they are overall at a much higher level than most commissioned sales people in other lines of business. For example, I much prefer a recruiter to a telemarketer, insurance or used car salesperson as companion on the proverbial desert island.
We can all be better. Improvement is the process some people refer to as life.
William W. (Woody) Williams
Senior Project Manager
Software & IT Governance
You are correct that we can
You are correct that we can (and should) all strive for improvement. Part of the problem is that perception is often reality, and different people see who the top 10-20% are, and what puts them there differently. I've said before that one of the biggest problems facing the tech job market over the past few years is that there is a problem with how management, hr and recruiters judge talent in candidates and pursue the proper candidate for given opportunities. There are a lot of complicated reasons many of which have been discussed around here, unfortunately the bottom line is that there does not appear to be a simple path to enlightenment for anyone involved.
You are so correct. If
You are so correct. If everyone focused more on improving quality over quantity, and put we before me. A lot of useless effort would be saved. Its just staggering.
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Great post Robin! sometimes
Great post Robin! sometimes 1 or 2 bad apples can spoil the whole bunch. In this case though there are far more than just 1 or 2. 90 out 100 really puts a lot of pressure on the 10 good recruiters. With an industry that is so saturated right now, competition is fierce. In any case those truly remarkable recruiters are MEMORABLE and will get results from referrals and great networking. Those not-so remarkable will get left in the dust.
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I just wanted to extend a
I just wanted to extend a "Thank you" to the writer here and a bit from my own experience.
I've had the soft, the busy and the lazy recruiters, from several companies contact me. They usually hit me for about a week and a half after updating my monster dot com resume, (yeah, I still have one of those).
I try to keep all of my online resumes up to date, as well as my offline version. From time to time, adding a skill set and so on. I'm always keeping my eyes open to see what's out there, even when I'm not really looking for a new position. Who knows, I may interview and someone may offer me an opportunity that I couldn't refuse.
The problem is, I never get to the interview stage.
I usually get to the stage where I've jumped through the hoops though.
Tailored 6 new versions of my resume in .doc format for each of the agencies that called.
By this time 3 don't speak to me again, but the other 3 ask me to redo my resume, putting more emphasis on something or other. So, I spend another night or two doing that.
That's when they no longer contact me.
I do interview well, but I rarely get a chance to prove that.
I will certainly take the above suggestions to heart though and try to put them into practice. Hopefully, they will help.
Thanks again for this info.
Mike
A few things you might not
A few things you might not realize about the recruiting industry:
1. There is virtually no barrier to entry. There are literally people sitting at home with little to no experience, just trying to make it happen. Some of the very best and very worst people in the business work like this.
2. There is a lot of turnover. A LOT. Not only that, but many recruiters are under the gun to produce NOW so they have a job tomorrow. They often get so focused on "chasing money" that they leave a constant wake of unhappy people behind them.
3. Contact control is essential. You should interview the recruiters you work with. Ask them where they are based, how long they have been in the business - engage them. If they don't engage you on your level, consider not working with them. If a recruiter cannot engage you, he cannot engage a hiring manager and is not making things happen as much as acting like an order taker. A good recruiter will control your level of interaction with them. They are busy and have to stay focused on the deals that are in play.
4. The so called 90/10 rule applies to candidates as well. A good recruiter will try to only work with the top 10% of candidates in their industry. Many candidates are desperate, unrealistic and flaky. I cannot tell you how many times people call me 2-3 months after I sent them an email or left them a voicemail to ask me "is that job from way back still open?". And yes, 100% of candidates think they are in the top 10% as well.
Interesting thread.
David Rees
-David I think you hit the
-David
I think you hit the nail on the head. I was just about to mention point #4. In the end, competition rules still apply. Only the "best" will be hired. unfortunately leaving the rest of the candidates thinking the process of going through a recruiter was useless. Hopefully they understand that an effort was made to sway the 90/10 rule in their favor.
Also, while I could have gone the alternate route and played the whole "your recruiters were lazy buy I'm different" angle; Hopefully you guys respect the fact that I'm not kissing up just to build up my candidate pool. I just want to setup realistic expectations. If a recruiter guarantees you a job, then be careful of them. Setting up false expectations is the worst thing you can do to your candidates.
http://RecruitingAngel.com -"We're looking after you"
While their are advantages
While their are advantages to having a recruiter with years and years of experience, I don't necessarily think that they provide a better service to candidates or companies. From what I've observed on this thread and other forums, recruiters have obviously been doing something wrong to gain this type of reputations. I guess what I'm trying to say is that those new to the industry don't have too many bad habits to shake off.
regarding point #3
Contact control is definitely important, but as someone here noted earlier it can often be mistaken as gabbing. Following "tradition" contact control was taught in the larger agencies as a means to seem impressive and knowledgeable. This definitely helps impressing companies, but I don't necessarily believe that we need to control the conversations with the candidates. This is why some candidates believe that recruiters are pushy or talk too much. We don't need to flex our muscles all the time. A normal conversation (maybe an IM chat) will usually work out best.
RecruitingAngel.com -"We're looking after you"