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Do You Know Why Candidates Think Recruiters are Idiots?
Below is a conversation i just received from a Sr. CFO candidate. This is what happens when inexperienced little girls do key word searches and can't read a resume.
Sandra,
I just got a call from (company name removed to protect the mentally deficient) in Irvine, California. Doing a search for a Manager of Financial Reporting. I told the recruiter that this really wasn't in my "strike zone," even though I believe I have the ability to do the job, but I'm a CFO.
She kept talking.
She disclosed that the job was in (city removed) I asked, "Is this XYZ Company?"
Long pause.
Yes.
I used to be the CFO of XYZ Company. In fact, I was the first CFO of XYZ Company and took the company public.
Oh. I guess I missed that on your resume. Does that mean you're not interested?
Weird phone call.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on -
@Kyle, so true. I am beginning to think that common sense is an uncommon commodity. I tell newbies to curb their excitemment. Read it three times then take the audit approach, take a step back and ask yourself, do i really know what this job req means, do i really know what this candidate does and wants to do. Then go ask somebody else and bounce it off of somebody else before you jump on the phone and get your ears pinned back. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
But read the thing, just read it.
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Permalink Reply by Kelly Blokdijk on -
Outrageous!
When I saw the title of this post in my RBC email, I was SOOOO hoping it was written by you, Sandra! Seriously, the level of stupidity is just mind-boggling.
One time I received a call from a company that I had applied to a few days earlier. It was for a "professional" level position in the HR realm in which a certain amount of scrutiny and evaluation is typically required to determine an initial match between job requirements and candidate qualifications. Not exactly something that either party can adequately assess without delving beyond what is written on the job posting and resume.
Here's how the call went:
Caller: Hello, this is so&so from such&such calling about the XYZ position. Would you like to come in for an interview?
Me: brief awkward uncertain pause... sshhhuurre???
Caller: Well you DID apply for this job!?!
Me: Yes, just wondering if you might want to set up a phone screen to discuss this a bit first...
Caller: Well, WE like to meet people in person
Me: ((( NO $#!+ ))) Oh, ok, that's great. I'm just accustomed to employers conducting a pre screen before the onsite phase.
Caller: I guess we could talk first, do you have time now?
Me: Actually, I'm just heading to an appointment, but I'm free anytime after 2pm today.
Caller: Alright, I'll call you back then.
Never heard back... thought about calling or emailing the company, but decided it might not be worth it if that was their screening process. It was a youthful sounding female caller BTW.
~KB
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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on
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@KB Sort of makes you wonder what it takes to be a "cultural" fit in that organization doesn't it.
I talked to my candidate for a minute today. He was just sort of shaking his head about the whole thing. He said that he almost told her to call him when she figured out what time the 8:30 bus left but he was afraid she would spend all afternoon looking up bus schedules.
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Permalink Reply by Becky Franzen on -
Two words.. job security =)
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Permalink Reply by Taylor Twedell on -
oh lord. I just cringed reading this - oh LORD!
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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on
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Taylor, that was the way i felt. At least once a week i hear some horror story about some stupid thing a recruiter said or did with a candidate. Some of my clients are putting green recruiters on the phone to do phone screens with upper level candidates. I have to warn my candidates that the person is young and scripted so to bear with them.
The very first and sometimes lasting impression a person has with your recruiting firm or your company is the recruiter who either reaches out to them or does the phone screen. Why are you putting untrained people on the phone? Start them with clerical or warehouse or hourly candidates or make them record mock calls until they can talk to candidates with some level of expertise. We were all green at some point but don't use candidates to train your staff. Recruiting firm owners or managers should know very quickly if they have someone on the phone who is sounding stupid or floundering. Don't let them work higher level positions and make fools of themselves.
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Permalink Reply by Roni Zapin on
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I can add to this. I am an analytics recruiter for the last 17 years but was in analytics for 14 years prior to that. You have no idea how many emails I get a week from recruiters (third party and internal), treating me as a potential analytics candidate.
They "found me on Linkedin". My Linkedin in screams Recruiter. Talk about not taking time to even skim!!! Must be using autobots to send email blasts!!! Of course when I look at their profiles, most of these have been "recruiting" for less than 3 years.....
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Permalink Reply by Dan Nuroo on -
Cmon people we all started somewhere, and have probably all made stupid rookie mistakes, when we were stupid rookies. Or is was it just me? Not excusing it, but the only way to learn this job is really with experience and training. They can't all be old crusty grumpy "recruiters"like me right off the bat!! You earn this grumpiness!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on
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Roni,
Is it amazing or what. Keyword bingo and they think it's recruiting. We used to call that kind of stuff throwing it against the wall, now it's peeling it off the wall. Technology abuse should be right up there with animal abuse.
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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on
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I agree Dan and we all did dumb things but i dont know too may of us in the "grump" stage who ever failed to notice that someone had been the CFO of the company we were recruiting for and called them and then were dumb enough to not fall on our sword rather than make a dumb, dumb statement like, "Does that mean you are not interested".
If you are green you are growing but if you are that dumb somebody needs to drop a bell jar over it and call it a failed experiment.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Alfred on -
Yep ... It's Scary Sandra ...
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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on
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Sometimes i think we are standing on the corner where dopey street and weird avenue intersect. Watching the traffic when the light changes is an execise in abnormal psyche.
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