Recruiters & Referrals - the norm?

[PierreBear]

Hi PSers,

I am thankful to be employed and to provide for my family but a recruiter reached out the other day with an opportunity that I felt called to at least give it a try. She was responsive in the beginning but I believe after things didn't progress further than a phone interview, I started to have a less than ideal interaction with the recruiter. I had to email and ask what else did the company need from me, which I thought was the recruiter's job. It's been two weeks since the phone interview and I assume the company is not interested but I've been trying to ask for a quick 10 min phone call and can't get a response from the recruiter to at least sync up and get closure/feedback. I'm assuming the recruiter is busy but I feel so much like a transaction. I got my hopes up for a role that I wasn't even looking for and there was no professional courtesy to at least be told that they are pursuing other candidates. Is this the norm with recruiters and I need to toughen up?

Also, I provided referrals to the recruiter as I was asking what else I could do to at least make it to a face to face interview. The recruiter called them directly without giving me notice. I didn't mind the recruiter talking to them but wish I knew the process to be able to give them a heads up I had wrongly assumed that these names were going to be provided to the company I was applying for. Were my expectations wrong or is this how it's done these days?

Anyhow, would just appreciate some thoughts and am curious for those who are working, how you got the job? Applied by yourself, someone referred you in, or you used a recruiter?

Thanks in advance!

 

[sonnyjane]

I can't speak to the recruiter side, but as far as references go, as soon as you submit your references, assume they will be called, so give them notice before you even submit. My company calls references often BEFORE we talk to the candidate.

 

[Rod]

Hi There,

I'm a recruiter for Information Technology and sadly, your experience is all to common with recruiters. I hear over and over from candidates their experiences have been you're loved up to the interview and dropped the moment it doesn't turn into an offer. Shame on them.

Being a recruiter can be a very fulfilling job. We get to meet wonderful people and hopefully, enrich their careers by helping them into something new and better. As a recruiter, I take the trust a candidate has put in me very seriously and even if I don't have good news, I deliver it personally. It's the right thing to do, which is why I have candidates I've worked with multiple times in their careers. I may not always get them the job they interviewed for, but I always make sure they felt I was responsive to their needs and feelings.

From what you've written, you've done everything right. Your recruiter however has not. For example, your recruiter should have told you they would be contacting your references, not the prospective employer. Employers often expect us to check references as part of our due diligence. You should have been told that up front.

To be honest, there's never an acceptable reason for a recruiter to ignore you. But since this one is, the best advice I can offer is to advise you to put this one out of your mind. If the company was interested, the recruiter would have absolutely let you know.

There is one piece of advise I would offer. Since your recruiter is no longer responding to you, call the company and get the email address of the manager you interviewed with. There's nothing wrong with you sending a nice thank you note post interview to let him or her know you appreciated their time speaking with you. Make sure you let them know you are interested in the position and if possible, personalize the letter to include something you discussed with the manager that you might want to expand on post interview. For example, you might want to add something to one of discussion points to add something you may not have thought about when you were speaking. This is an often missed step in thank you notes and shows that you were paying attention during the interview and have something additional to add.

On a final note, in answer to your question on how people got their jobs, being referred in by someone who knows you, or by a recruiter are often the most successful paths to a new job offer. Applying directly from a job posting is the least successful and often goes into a black hole. If you do decide to apply to jobs on your own, make sure to customize your resume to the position you're applying to. I can't tell you how many people apply to a job with qualifications not reflected in their resume, which will lead to an automatic rejection.

I hope this experience has not soured you from all recruiters. As in all professions, from car sales people, to doctors, some just don't always do a good job. Don't let this leave a permanent bad taste in your mouth.

Best wishes to you.