For the record I hate recruiters but this isn’t about that. Two weeks ago, a senior HR person from a potential employer talked to me about opportunities. I found her through a recruiter. She sounded very encouraging and said that ‘your quals are exactly what we are looking for. she then told me she would forward me a number of open positions to see which one I liked. I was very happy. at the end of the call she said, you have my email so let me know when you have seen the opportunities. I said, do you want to go through the recruiter? She said, umm sure you can CC him. So I did exactly that. Trouble is I haven’t heard back from her. I asked my recruiter to follow up with her, which he says he is doing. But I am cynical. My recruiter sent me to interview at another place. Thing is working with recruiter is like buying a used car. Maybe he isn’t looking out for my best interest. Lets say that the first company offered to pay the recruiter 10% pf my base and the second one offered 15%. My recruiter would likely try and push me to the second job. I liked the first company’s jobs (multiple). I am thinking maybe they backed off because they don’t want to deal with the recruiter. Maybe I should contact her directly. But this is surely unprofessional, no? P.S. I am in a high earning bracket and the recruiter’s cut would be pretty substantial - a fact that makes me feel that companies wouldnt want to deal with recruiter.
Recruiter=gate keeper=pimp. They always think about how much cut they will make by placing you:)
cfaboston is correct – the recruiter works for him/herself… not you, not the company. They will try to push you into whatever is good for them. I have totally sworn off recruiters now because they are 1) not that helpful and 2) have limited knowledge of the industry / kept pushing me toward jobs that weren’t a fit. I don’t think it would be unprofessional to contact the woman directly. Don’t mention the recruiter at all, just say that you are interested in the position(s) and are inquiring about the status. A phone call would be better for this than an email. And cut contact with the recruiter, or they will probably foul the whole thing up if they hear you are trying to pull an end around. In the future, stay away from recruiters altogether. Just my 2 cents.
my epx has been mixed, like most people. I agree that they are very hungry to place you for thier benefit sometimes, and sometimes they are not good at following up. however, i have been working with a cool guy as of late, and he seems to be genuine.
Hey daj224 how is going with your preparation for the interview? I have just done my first round, i think it went well as the head of the department said that he liked me…now lets wait for their feedback…
good, thanks. setting up for later this week and some stuff for next week. good luck with yours
“Maybe I should contact her directly. But this is surely unprofessional, no?” I don’t think there’s a problem with following up on your own behalf - you have nothing keeping you from securing an offer on your own. If your recruiter isn’t getting you what you want and you can do it yourself, why should he get paid? Good luck
Recruiters are a resource. Use them as they use you. If you find a good one, it can be helpful. At the same time, don’t expect to entrust your fate to them. You’ll need to do due diligence on them. If they genuinely seem to be interested in finding you a good fit, that’s a good sign. If they just throw you at the wall a few times to see if you stick anywhere, that’s bad. So, it’s a mixed bag. It’s not a bad idea to meet with recruiters now and then; just don’t expect them to hand you the keys to the kingdom (they might, but it’s by no means guaranteed). Also, don’t expect much of recruiters if you are changing careers or changing job functions substantially. Recruiters are most useful for finding you your next position that does more or less the exact same thing that you’re doing now (hopefully for more money).
If you do not trust or get along with your recruiter, then move on. My experience with recruiters has been neutral to negative. Often they get involved in “auction” type situations anyway, which are not the best use of your time.
I’ve [long] argued that they were about as useful as tits on a…well you clowns get the idea. If you want a job YOU have to go out and get it. Willy
Recruiters aren’t professionials, so you do not have to worry about being professional with them. They may guilt you or threaten you, but that should not concern you unless you have a thin skin. If you look at it another way, you do not pay them, so there is no relationship. If they make a placement, the firm typically pays. So, if the recruiter felt that they were unfairly cut out of a transaction, they would have to take that up with the company and not you. In other words, it is either the recruiter’s or the firm’s problem, and not yours.
If you are in a high income bracket then I assume the role you will be filling is an important one. I think the company will be more worried about filling the position with the right candidate than the recruiter’s commission. Plus you have to stay with the company for a certain amount of time before the recruiter can collect so there is limited downside for the company in case you dont pan out.
Dapper, Exactly my point…the avg. Analystforum user ~ $75,000 to $200,000/year has NO use. ZERO. For these losers. Willy