What's wrong with recruiters?

The typical e-mail or phone call I get these days from recruiters go something like this:

“I have an opportunity I'd like to discuss. Please give me a call at...”

Apparently .NET jobs are difficult to fill here in the Greater Cleveland area, because I get these messages about four or five times a week. While I'm not looking for work until the book is done, I still don't get the “sell” of messages like this.

So last Friday I called a guy on it. I replied and asked him why I would consider his position without the slightest indication of what it is. I was nice about it, but he was offended. His reply was something along the lines of, “Well if that's your attitude.” I continued to play nice and replied, telling him that if people were to take his inquiry seriously, it would be great if he'd explain what it is. I think that's reasonable. I think we've all had calls like that and you end up finding that 90% of them aren't things you're even remotely interested in. Help me avoid wasting time for you and me!

2 Comments

  • I get the same thing all the time, and not only via phone calls. I regularly get them via email. My other issue is that even though I explicitly say that I am not looking for work outside Northern Jersey, I get calls and emails for spots all over the US (and even India).

  • If the job isn't terribly enticing, they have a better chance of getting you to call back by not saying much about the job at all. Couple that with the fact that they are probably calling a large number of people (that's not to say that you weren't at the top of their list) and you get a short message. Few people call back either way.



    And despite the fact that some people say they won't relocate, many will change their mind for the right company or position and the recruiter isn't losing anything by giving it a shot.



    Generally, they are just trying to start a dialogue and apply the "sell" after they understand a little more about you and what you are looking for.



    I'm not saying that it's the most effective way, but it's how the recruiters think about it. I have to admit that I have left some vague messages when I recruited for other companies, but now that I recruit for Microsoft, I get more returned calls.



    Good luck with your book!

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