For most recruiters, regardless of which industry they work in, LinkedIn is an excellent source of both candidates, and client leads. It’s also, it would seem, an excellent barometer for finding out how bloody awful we all are. Here are a couple of scathing comments I’ve witnessed recently myself…
“Unqualified unregulated telesales folk are masquerading as “specialists”, and lying cheating and scamming to earn a living.”
“What is the point in gaining qualifications and experience only to be pimped out by folk who have neither?”
You see, we are all parasites living off the warm bodies of honest candidates innocently looking for a new challenge – or so some people will have us believe. The Cult of the Recruitment Basher is rearing its ugly head and it’s headed in your direction. Don’t try and reason with the cult. It cannot be reasoned with, even if you agree with some of their more pertinent points on rogue recruiters. NO! We are all the same. All on the same rip-them-off gravy train.
Now, as you can probably see, I sometimes bite and try to take on the cult, and frustration is usually the end result. I have tried every angle I could think of to get them to see things from our side (or the ‘Dark Side’ as they would say)… but it is like trying to convince a candidate that a five grand drop in salary is a good move in the long run – a lesson in futility.
Presumably members of the cult have had a bad experience with a recruiter in their dim and distant past, but lets face it, in all walks of life we have bad experiences daily yet most sane people don’t follow the every move of the kid from McDonalds who served us the cold fries and post comments on how rubbish they were on every social media site there after. However, us recruiters are different… see, we are the lowest of the low, building people up only to dash their hopes and dreams after they fail to get the job they craved. “I don’t care if I only have a GCSE in woodwork I’ve always wanted to fly an airplane and now you have ruined it all”. Okay that might be slightly far-fetched but you can see where I am coming from.
Members of the cult seem to come from the contracting side of things. One of the main gripes seems to be: “you get me £15.00hr then charge £18.00 to the client. I should get all £18.00”. This type of comment always comes regardless of the fact you called them and asked them what hourly rate they charge, which was in fact “£15.00 mate”. See, you are still, in their eyes, ripping them off, even though without your call or coaching, would never have known X company was after a “sprocket noodler”*, let alone got the role! Yes, you are still a damn parasite; damn you for finding me work at the price I asked for recruitment demon!
It’s time to hit back people. Time to let the world know recruiters are not all bad, and that we have feelings too. Recruitment is a damn hard job and I for one am quite sick and tired of hearing how we are the spawn of Satan. Try speaking to the candidate last week who was nearly in tears as I told him the job we had been working on together is now his. Ask his opinion on the guy who got him his dream move and you can bet your last quid he didn’t have a bad word to say about me.
If anyone gives you grief, stand up and tell them that you will not be beaten because we are recruiters and bloody good ones too.
*Sprocket Noodler is a made up job (I know right)
About the author: Paul Murphy has been working for SER Limited in Engineering Recruitment for over 11 years specialising in the intelligent buildings sector – especially BMS (Building Management Systems). He is also it seems a part time keyboard warrior on behalf of recruiters everywhere.
