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Subject:RE: Hiring, but it's a secret? From:"Lauren" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net> Date:Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:50:53 -0800
> From: Deborah Hemstreet
> To date, I have received over 30 or so phone calls
> from all over the US, all trying to reach me for the same position
> (my resume is on Monster.com) I contacted the original agency that
> I went with, had to sign a document stating I would not go with
> a different agency for that position.
I have had to sign those documents for jobs with Intel and I think one state
agency. When I can avoid working with a recruiter who has those agreements,
then I do. I think the recruiters that ask for those agreements may have
submitted people when they shouldn't and now they want agreements to keep
from getting burned. The agreements make me question the ethics of the
recruiters.
> So I have heard nothing, except phone calls, a commitment, they
> called the company that put out the ad and were told, we'll get to
> you when we get to you, and I have basically given up on that
> position.
Sometimes, they pop up three months later. I usually don't remember the
jobs, but I've had calls, "remember when we spoke three months ago about
such-and-such position?" "No. What did I say about the position then?"
> The whole head-hunting thing is quite frustrating. I truthfully
> don't understand why on earth a company in State X would be open
> to candidates offered by head hunters in States Z, A, and Q - it
> is insane to me.
Companies want to reduce their own overhead by working with recruiters, plus
recruiters can usually find people faster and do all of the pre-screening
for candidates. When a company develops a good relationship with a
recruiter and the recruiter has a reliable pool of candidates, then the
system becomes very cost effective.
> It seems to me that finding a job these days is more based on
> skill in getting through the recruiting process rather than a
> person's actual capabilities. Or perhaps this is the case only for
> people who have not been in the job market for a very long time
> and the rules have all changed?
It's a combination of skill, references, marketing, having the right
personality for the job, timing, and luck.
Right now, there are far more candidates than there are jobs. There is also
a larger pool of people and employers can have an opportunity to get an
employee that they may not get when the job market is strong, so I think
employers are shopping.
I went the shopping mall and there were shoppers everywhere, but I heard on
the news that sales are down. People are shopping and they are waiting for
prices to go down before they buy, but they are not buying. I think
employers are doing the same thing. They are looking at candidates, but
they are waiting for rates and salaries to go down before they hire.
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