Open Letter to Recruiters

This was originally posted on My Linked in Power Forum. So it's taken somewhat out of context but you'll get the gist.

This is more like an open letter to the recruiting industry. Lately I have noticed that more and more recruiters are asking for more and more from me before they will even show my resume to their client. Here is my answer.

1.) No, I will not rewrite my resume to fit the needs of your client. My resume is something that I have been working on for years and is my marketing piece. I will however take your suggestions on improving my resume. I appreciate your insight and experience but I feel no obligation to put my resume in your format or answer extensive questionnaires for the privilege of being submitted to your client. If that makes me loose an interview here or there I’m OK with that. If you lose a quality candidate are you OK with that?
2.) No, you may not have references before you set up an interview. This is just silly. If I gave out references to everyone that ever asked, my references would stop saying nice things about me because their phone would be ringing off the hook! My references are doing me a favor by taking your call. I would be doing a disservice to them if I asked them to take the number of calls your industry is asking me to ask them to take. I prefer if you make reference checks after the first interview. In my line of work it usually takes several interviews before an offer can be made so you can wait till after the first one. I might be persuaded to let you check my references after you setup the first interview but before it takes place. Under no circumstances will I let you bug my colleagues before you even submit my resume to your client!
3.) No, I will not fill out your application prior to the first interview. This is mostly HR departments or internal that do this and not traditional 3rd party recruiters. I understand that your application is important to you. But you would not believe the hours I have spent filling out applications that go into a black hole. I don’t expect to hear back from you. I don’t expect to be told why I was not considered. I don’t expect any feedback that is at all useful to me.

Folks it’s all about return on investment. My time is valuable to me. I know that my time is not nearly as valuable to anyone else as it is to me. But I am responsible to managing my time. No one else is. If you can get less qualified or more desperate candidates to jump through all your hoops more power to you. But I get the sense every time I speak with one of these people that they think they are doing me a favor. I got that sense from some of the responses to my last post too.

Yes you are getting paid by your client to fill a position with an adequate candidate. I understand you don’t work for me. And it’s not your job to get me a job. Frankly no recruiter has ever gotten me a job. I got me every job I’ve ever had. Sometimes recruiters were used as an advertising and screening mechanism by the employer along the way. But the recruiter did not impress the employer in the interview process. I did.

I get the feeling that more and more 6 figure candidates will revolt as time goes on. This will make good old fashion networking more and more important.

-John

You can read this and other controversial minutia on my blog at http://www.disorganizedreligion.us