There's an undeniable fact that the relationships between recruiters and candidates are getting fractious... But why? Well, the answer might be simpler than we think.
Let's face it, there are a ton of recruiters out there to choose from or who contact potential candidates on a daily basis - either because they've seen a profile on LinkedIn or found a CV on a job site like Indeed - but they come across a little too "bull in a China shop" when getting in touch.
The amount of times I've had a recruiter call or email me with a borderline sales attitude is beyond countable, and it's this very attitude that lacks a personal touch and comes across as though they don't care. It's nerve-wracking enough trying to find a job, especially if you're desperate to find one!
It can even be insulting when they talk to you about an "opportunity" in, say, a Sales role when your main expertise is within Accountancy positions. Even worse when the pay for the role they are trying to fill is clearly significantly lower than what you're currently earning.
Of course, there are some who genuinely care and enjoy their jobs, and they are the ones you want to keep the name and number for if you end up looking for work again in the future.
The problem with Candidates
On the other hand, candidates can be just as bad but in a different way entirely.
Despite how salesy a recruiter may be, it's still a hard job to do. So, when they get a potential candidate that have an initial discussion with, find an opportunity for and arrange an interview on their behalf, it's understandably frustrating when said candidate simply doesn't show up for the interview and is never to be heard from again.
Even if you have found another job, it's not cool to just ignore the very person/company who has gone out of their way to get you an interview with an organisation who trusted that very recruiter to fill the position. In fact, it may even result in the recruiter losing out on business completely with the organisation which ultimately means a loss in money.
Whether you agree that most recruiters get a bonus for placing candidates in a job or not, it's still a form of income for that person, and you never know what's going on in their lives where they could be relying on that bonus just to eat!
In other words, don't ghost them - no matter what stage you are at with them - because it takes only a few minutes for you to let them know you're no longer looking for work, let alone it simply being polite too.
In summary
On both sides, things are clearly a little stale and have completely valid arguments as to the issues with each other. However, each situation is unique and so there may well be a good reason why a recruiter is extra pushy, as it could be their job on the line, and why a candidate ends up ignoring a recruiter, as they could have suffered ill health etc.
Ultimately, the solution is for both parties to have a bit more consideration for each other and help the other succeed, even if it is to say "it's a no I'm afraid, sorry".
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