Dear Reader,
I could create a whole separate post about the stigmas, assumptions, bad experiences, and myths surrounding recruiters. Maybe when I have 53 hours to set aside.
But what I want to discuss today are our intentions. And perspective. From the recruiter seat.
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If you break a recruiter down on a fundamental level, our job is matchmaking. Finding candidates that best fit the needs of a company and doing all of the work in between to make that relationship happen. Typically, the account manager is the communication link to the company and us recruiters are on the candidate side; building a relationship and helping you navigate through the experience. While I can’t speak on how other firms operate or comment on their practices, there’s some things we wanted to get off our chest and make sure you guys knew:
“Be honest with us”
There seems to be a looming energy that people need to hold back information, concerns, or questions from us. Don’t! You have to think of us as your advocate, almost a friend.
If you’re not interested in the opportunity anymore, tell us! Don’t be shy. Don’t worry about hurting our feelings. Open line of communication, friends.
Is the salary not going to make you happy, tell us! We can go to bat with the hiring team and do our best to figure out something that works.
We want to be your sounding board. Good. Bad. Confused. Concerned. Let us hear it.
“We want you to get the job”
Our job is to get people hired, right? It baffles us sometimes when people think we have a negative agenda or not trying to help. This goes for feedback, interview advice, and even difficult conversations. If you’re in play with a company and interviewing, just know that behind-the-scenes, we are doing everything we can to make this match happen!
“There’s a LOT we can’t control”
We get frustrated too, guys. We’re the point of contact between multiple parties. Meaning? Trying to coordinate schedules and feedback is a circus act and something we don’t have much say in. If you’re working with a recruiter, go into the process with some patience and an open mind. A lot of the times, our communication to you is simply, “Hey, haven’t heard back from the hiring manager yet but just keeping you in the loop; hang tight!” And trust me, we feel bad. Sometimes hiring managers are out of town or more often than not, just extremely busy. (We have no reason to “string you along” either).
“We aren’t trying to ghost you”
The whole “ghosting” thing with recruiters is bananas. Do recruiters ghost candidates? Yes. ON PURPOSE? No. Again, this is speaking from our team, but intentionally ignoring people is not part of our M.O. Unfortunately, recruiters are oversaturated with several clients, candidates, and jobs all at once. While organization is a huge part of our job, we’re human and it’s difficult to connect with every person we interact with sometimes. Which is also why we love to hear from you guys! Follow up emails & calls are highly welcomed. With all that being said, I know there are people that do intentionally ghost. (Yuck) But you don’t want to work with those people anyways. Rude.
Essentially, I think it’s important to articulate to anyone reading this that recruiters (overall) are not these slimy, heartless sales people. Like EVERY job, there are going to be good and bad representations of the industry. Hopefully these little nuggets have opened you up a bit more to where we’re coming from.
And to end on a positive note, we know there are a lot of advocates in favor of recruiters and we SO appreciate you guys. We try our best to flip the stigma of the industry with every interaction and it’s those moments that keep us doing what we do.
Sincerely,
BW Recruiters💙
