The Nine Things That Recruiters Do That Irritate Me

I’d been reading recently about how infuriated candidates were getting after having multiple interviews and coming away with little to no true value adds. Several technical developers write on the subject; and those individual posts take off like wild fire. It's easy for someone on the other side of the table to say what they dislike about this industry, but have you ever done so? I have.

The Nine Irritating Things Recruiters Do

1. Assuming that you are more important than your client—the person sitting across the table from you. We both need each other, so drop the 'tude.
2. Showing up late for the interview you scheduled, but holding it against the job seeker when he or she is late—even if there's a valid excuse (i.e.: kids, traffic, car trouble).
3. Answering your cell phone or replying to e-mails during an interview—that you, the recruiter, scheduled.
4. Requiring the job seeker to sign an agreement (not called a "contract" until later) before agreeing to the "privilege" of being interviewed by you.
5. Submitting candidates to multiple clients without the permission of the job seeker, only to "mark your territory."
6. Not providing feedback if your candidate doesn't do well on an interview. No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, but grow up and do your job.
7. Scheduling an interview late in the afternoon on Friday but rescheduling because you want to leave the office early. Lame! If you can't keep your schedule, don't make the appointment. We all want to go home early on Friday. It's not easy for people to move their schedules around, and it's very disrespectful to cancel.
8. Not providing all the information for a job seeker to make an informed decision. (Ohhhh...yeahhh...I forgot to tell you that you have to clean out the refrigerator once a week...sorry 'bout that!)
9. Being dishonest. There's no excuse for this.