10 things we hate about Recruiting Companies
10 things we hate about Recruiting Companies – “Shame the Recruiter”
Even It Up! Ever heard of it? I never have, but recently came across a comment posted on the site in some research I 
was conducting. It’s an interesting site that is dedicated to the malpractice of recruiters. It’s interesting because I agree with some of the postings but find others to be a stretch. I wanted to highlight the post I found interesting and I want to get your thoughts.
Understand that this post is not meant to be harmful in anyway. The beauty of this forum is that we are able to have open and uncensored conversation. I felt this article may spark some healthy debate as I know it did with me and I am hoping it will with you.
Here is an excerpt from the Even It Up! About page explaining who and what the Blog is about:
<!–[endif]–>
As I read further down the page I came across this comment at which point I felt the need to respond and invite them to join in on a conversation. Here are a few screen shots of what I am describing, showing Toby’s response to the Blog:
<!–[if !vml]–><!–[endif]–>
And than we have my response to Toby:
The article I’m talking about is titled: “10 things we hate about recruiting companies”. It talks about the process and perceived tricks that recruiting companies and recruiters use to pad their pockets. Now I will be the first to agree that there are some shady recruiters in the industry and that some companies do leverage these tactics to better their talent lines and connections, but I will also be the first to say that I truly believe the majority of recruiters that I would consider “Career Recruiters” simply represent the opposite.
I’m not blind to the fact that recruiters have somewhat of a bad name. In fact when I became a recruiter, my family said “What the F&%K?” That’s not a career. But times have changed. I’ve been recruiting a good amount of time and have made a good career out of it, and it’s only going to get better. It erks the heck out of me when people talk down about my profession, but it always seems that those same people, including my family ask me to help find them a job when they are in need.
The posting states: “However, all the evidence seems to point to the fact that they notoriously over-promise and under-deliver. So, given that many jobseekers are forced into using them (and we place the blame firmly with business who outsource when they really should be managing their recruitment in house as a crucial brand issue) we’ve put together a list of what to expect when you deal with them, and why we don’t like dealing with them at all!
So I’m not posting the full article here but take a look at for yourself: HERE and feel free to post your thoughts as well
Don’t forget to leave your thoughts on here as well!
Here’s what Even It Up! Wants to know:
Even It Up! wants to know who died and made recruitment companies the gatekeepers? Why do they have this status, and why do they retain it? Every one (jobseekers and employers alike) hates dealing with them, so why are they still around? Why do they hold all the cards? If a fast food chain was this bad at customer service and product delivery, they would be out of business in a flash!
If anyone has some other pearls of wisdom they would like to share, Even It Up! would love to hear from you.
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Ryan – it’s a classic case of “a few bad apples spoiling the bunch.” Seriously, I cannot express how many times I have heard an off-handed comment from a candidate about how I was “different than other recruiters”. What does that mean? I feel that there are many many many more GREAT recruiters than there are poor ones. I do think that some recruiters treat candidates like a commodity, but again, those that do do not survive for long. Another thought is that the perceived value of what we offer is not truly expressed.
There are some “scum” in our profession, but there are in any profession. I have dealt with many candidates and clients myself that some would lump into that category as well.
We are doing a needed and welcome service, but most people don’t want someone to make money “off” of them, and that is where there may be a disconnect.
I welcome the day when I don’t have to feel like I am Sisyphus, constantly rolling the stone up the hill!
There are “bad” bank tellers, cashiers, loan officers, police, doctors, lawyers…I try to remember that when I hear people bashing my chosen profession. Being out of work is SO personal and having been there and worked with recruiters who did a great job and others who didn’t, I understand the criticism. It only makes me work harder.
Something tells me that you are not Scum….are you?
Hi Steph – Thanks for the reply. I agree. There is bad in all professions and of course I get the criticism, but for some reason it give me a jolt last night…maybe because I couldn’t find anything good on TV? Thanks and please forward on….
Previous comments cover it all. During my recruiting life I have used the following sentence to break the ice: Sometimes people use the words lawyer, used car salesman and headhunter in the same sentence, and it’s not in a nice way”.
A few make us all bad. I recently read a blog about recruiters b&$%#$*! about how bad candidates are.
Everyone should simply learn a little about customer service and treat everyone nice!!!
Sounds like we need a little Rodney King here…
“Why can’t we all just get along?”
By getting along, I mean respect each other….
Ryan.. it looks like your comment either got delted or hasn’t been moderated through to post yet.
anyway, i find the article to be skewed, totally bashing recruiters. the site is said to be user generated – by disgruntled candidates it seems. not every candidate IS qualified so i guess they need to beat their chests about how unfair it all is. i’m sure there are some scummy recruiting practices, but i haven’t run into any of them since working here.
we don’t use the tactics mentioned on the ‘even it up’ blog. candidates complain that their resumes get sent around namby pampy. from where i sit, they need to stop applying to jobs namby pamby. i send the unqualified people on to another recruiting website where they may find another office better suited to helping them out (and by unqualified i mean totally out of our niche which is pretty specific.) but i sometimes just delete them.
we are not paid by candidates, we are paid by the client and then ONLY if they choose to hire someone we’ve presented to them. so we don’t hold all the cards, the client has a fist full, and we need to deliver for them.
I see that…. interesting… Thanks for the comment and I’ll send an update when it gets approved…
Hi Ryan, I think you have me confused with someone who made contact with me! If you read the post again, you will find that Toby Marshall is someone who reads my blog and posted some questions! FYI the purpose of the Even It Up! site is to ensure that jobseekers are treated fairly and respectfully. I have consistently urged jobseekers to submit assessments on those recruiters and direct employers who get it right, as well as those that get it so, so wrong. It is only by directing jobseekers to the great performers that the dodgy ones will be weeded out. Hopefully this clarifies things for you. Diane
Disappointed that despite your rhetoric on the Even It Up! blog, my post here (as Diane Lee) AND the email I sent you, you still haven’t bothered to contact me
Why issue invitations/challenges if you aren’t serious? Oh wait, I forgot, you’re a recruiter! That’s par for the course for you guys!
Diane – First, I’ve got to say that I refuse to host negative comments on my Blog, so this will be the last communication on this topic. Second, I followed up your email with an email response saying that I appreciated your comments and thanked you for sharing your views. To avoid a conversation in this forum.
If you take notice in the first part of the posting I clearly state: “It’s interesting because I agree with some of the postings but find others to be a stretch. I wanted to highlight the post I found interesting and I want to get your thoughts.” Which was followed up by: “Understand that this post is not meant to be harmful in anyway.” – Clearly I agree with some of your information.
I’m confused as to what you mean when you say “Why issue invitations/challenges if you aren’t serious?” Serious about what? Argue with you? I wouldn’t flatter yourself.
“Oh wait, I forgot, you’re a recruiter! That’s par for the course for you guys!” – Sounds like you have the same feelings as Toby.
My response on EvenItUp! (first comment)
Generally speaking (which I will consistently do in this response, as it seems to be the underlying theme of this website), what I am reading are the complaints of job seekers that are unable to retain gainful employment. Most people who conduct a job search will apply to any and all job board ads with complete disregard for the job duties; then they express frustration when they are not contacted and offered jobs. “As long as the salary and location are a match, who cares about the job description? I am sure I can do the job with enough training.” If you are a candidate, your information is all you have, protecting and controlling who has access to it is your responsibility. Most people completely disregard how damaging it is to their job search to “bird shot” there resume across their market.
My point is, if you are a qualified candidate in your market, you will never need to use a recruiter. It will be entirely your choice if you want to or not. If you are “forced” to deal with the “gate-keepers”; you have made poor career choices and cannot market yourself successfully without the assistance of a flashy, snake-tongued recruiter.
As a candidate , you should beware of any recruiter that tells you that you are a “fit” for any position, and that they are going to present you to their client based upon a phone conversation. Also, beware of any recruiter that tells you they will get back in touch with you. An honest recruiter will tell you to follow up with them on a specific date/time, because they are dealing with a massive influx of semi qualified/unqualified candidates.
Maybe if people stop spending so much time “networking”, channeling negativity, and not taking responsibility for their own job search, we wouldn’t have an over-populated recruiting market. These unqualified, unexperienced recruiters you refer to only exist because most people don’t have the energy or intuition to market themselves successfully.
My response on EvenItUp! (second comment)… This was in response to username NoValue, who seemed to pick on one particular person so he could display his knowledge of the medical recruiting market (and basic knowledge of the IT market)
NoValue,
I respect and understand your argument. However, if you have never managed ad responses from Monster, Career Builder, LinkedIN, etc, you really have no leg to stand on. A recruiter is given a highly specified, highly technical position to recruit around by a hiring authority. If a recruiter were not able to understand the technical and cultural qualifications enough to fill the position, every body would be making truckloads of money browsing the job boards. A good recruiter, a truly dedicated recruiter, mostly uses the job boards to contact candidates that know someone better qualified than they (that fits the req). to sum it up, if your on a job board and not experiencing success, there is probably a reason. I have placed people that run the gambit from global operations management to executive assistants. and I use Monster, Careerbuilder, Linkedin… yet I have never placed a candidate that I found on one of these job boards.
and on a more aggressive note, just because someone knows the “technical” aspects of a position, does not mean that they know how to get the job. as a matter of fact, the more technically qualified a person is, the less likely they are to possess interviewing skills whatsoever. This is no fault of there own, they have excelled at there career, but neglected to learn how to express their technical skills in a succinct and eloquent fashion.
I am not generalizing, but the greater percentage of well educated, qualified, and capable professionals need guidance in the interview process.
That is where we come in. That is where we are able to help. and charge ridiculous fee’s for doing so…
Sincerely,
J
Diane Lee/ EvenItUp, do you mind if I ask what profession your in?
I copied this from the evenitup services page.
Even It Up! services
“Yikes! Your organisation or recruitment company has been identified by jobseekers as offering them a less than favourable experience.
No need to panic – Even It Up! is also a consultancy and we can work with you to improve jobseekers' perceptions of your organisation through:
*
Employer branding
*
Advertising strategy
*
Public Relations
*
Value propositions
*
Internal marketing
*
Training
After all, the credibility of your brand as an employer – or recruitment company – is at stake. We can't stress it enough – If you want to attract the best and brightest, then you need to make sure jobseekers are treated fairly and respectfully!
Diane Lee, Founder and Director of Even It Up! is also available to speak at your next function or conference. Contact her here.”
So you encourage negative attention, then try to profit from it?
I think that is called profiteering.
My response on EvenItUp! (first comment)
Generally speaking (which I will consistently do in this response, as it seems to be the underlying theme of this website), what I am reading are the complaints of job seekers that are unable to retain gainful employment. Most people who conduct a job search will apply to any and all job board ads with complete disregard for the job duties; then they express frustration when they are not contacted and offered jobs. “As long as the salary and location are a match, who cares about the job description? I am sure I can do the job with enough training.” If you are a candidate, your information is all you have, protecting and controlling who has access to it is your responsibility. Most people completely disregard how damaging it is to their job search to “bird shot” there resume across their market.
My point is, if you are a qualified candidate in your market, you will never need to use a recruiter. It will be entirely your choice if you want to or not. If you are “forced” to deal with the “gate-keepers”; you have made poor career choices and cannot market yourself successfully without the assistance of a flashy, snake-tongued recruiter.
As a candidate , you should beware of any recruiter that tells you that you are a “fit” for any position, and that they are going to present you to their client based upon a phone conversation. Also, beware of any recruiter that tells you they will get back in touch with you. An honest recruiter will tell you to follow up with them on a specific date/time, because they are dealing with a massive influx of semi qualified/unqualified candidates.
Maybe if people stop spending so much time “networking”, channeling negativity, and not taking responsibility for their own job search, we wouldn’t have an over-populated recruiting market. These unqualified, unexperienced recruiters you refer to only exist because most people don’t have the energy or intuition to market themselves successfully.
My response on EvenItUp! (second comment)… This was in response to username NoValue, who seemed to pick on one particular person so he could display his knowledge of the medical recruiting market (and basic knowledge of the IT market)
NoValue,
I respect and understand your argument. However, if you have never managed ad responses from Monster, Career Builder, LinkedIN, etc, you really have no leg to stand on. A recruiter is given a highly specified, highly technical position to recruit around by a hiring authority. If a recruiter were not able to understand the technical and cultural qualifications enough to fill the position, every body would be making truckloads of money browsing the job boards. A good recruiter, a truly dedicated recruiter, mostly uses the job boards to contact candidates that know someone better qualified than they (that fits the req). to sum it up, if your on a job board and not experiencing success, there is probably a reason. I have placed people that run the gambit from global operations management to executive assistants. and I use Monster, Careerbuilder, Linkedin… yet I have never placed a candidate that I found on one of these job boards.
and on a more aggressive note, just because someone knows the “technical” aspects of a position, does not mean that they know how to get the job. as a matter of fact, the more technically qualified a person is, the less likely they are to possess interviewing skills whatsoever. This is no fault of there own, they have excelled at there career, but neglected to learn how to express their technical skills in a succinct and eloquent fashion.
I am not generalizing, but the greater percentage of well educated, qualified, and capable professionals need guidance in the interview process.
That is where we come in. That is where we are able to help. and charge ridiculous fee’s for doing so…
Sincerely,
J
Diane Lee/ EvenItUp, do you mind if I ask what profession your in?
I copied this from the evenitup services page.
Even It Up! services
“Yikes! Your organisation or recruitment company has been identified by jobseekers as offering them a less than favourable experience.
No need to panic – Even It Up! is also a consultancy and we can work with you to improve jobseekers' perceptions of your organisation through:
*
Employer branding
*
Advertising strategy
*
Public Relations
*
Value propositions
*
Internal marketing
*
Training
After all, the credibility of your brand as an employer – or recruitment company – is at stake. We can't stress it enough – If you want to attract the best and brightest, then you need to make sure jobseekers are treated fairly and respectfully!
Diane Lee, Founder and Director of Even It Up! is also available to speak at your next function or conference. Contact her here.”
So you encourage negative attention, then try to profit from it?
I think that is called profiteering.