4 Tips for Working with Recruiters
It's long past Halloween but I have two recruiting horror stories for you. The lesson? Tread carefully and lower your expectations when it comes to working with external recruiters.
The word "recruiter” can describe both internal and external recruiters. Sometimes external recruiters are referred to as agency recruiters, third-party recruiters, or headhunters.
I know a lot of amazing external recruiters. They take the time to understand not only a candidate’s background, but also what the candidate wants in a position. They keep in touch with candidates and update them. However, there are a lot of external recruiters who do not communicate well and it can lead to unfortunate situations. Here are two rare but precautionary experiences, followed by tips for how to avoid difficulties with recruiters.
The hiring company that tried to back out of a recruiting deal
Almost 15 years ago, I applied for an HR consulting job with a small firm. The search was being conducted by an external company. I had a great interview with the recruiting company followed by one with the president of the hiring company. I thought I would be offered the job.
I waited. And waited. The recruiting company was responsive to my inquiries. But the hiring company took their time. One day I got an email from a different recruiting company, telling me they found my resume online and wanted to know if I was interested in a position. I skimmed the description and realized it was almost the exact same job announcement.
I contacted the recruiting company I’d been working with to alert them. They said, “this happens all the time. The president likely went to the other firm because they charge less to hire you than we charge.” I didn’t feel comfortable with this at all. I told her I would not be interviewing through the other firm and that I didn't trust the president of the hiring company, and withdrew my application. I was not comfortable with the ethics of the company president. Maybe this seems extreme, but I wondered if she was able to do this, how did she treat her employees, clients, partners, and vendors?
The recruiter that took it too far
One of my colleagues recently applied for a job through an external recruiting firm – during the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything was going well. She had four interviews and took two tests. She was given a start date and supplied personal data so HR could get all of the paperwork in order.
She was in touch with the external recruiting firm every few days for two weeks to make sure things were on track. Less than a week before her start date, she received a call from the recruiting agency telling her the job offer was rescinded. They said a recruitment freeze was in place, including on those who had already been offered a job, and she wasn’t the only person to lose an offer.
When I heard this, my immediate reaction was: is this truly a hiring freeze or did the recruiting company get dropped by the hiring company like in my experience almost 15 years ago?
While there’s not anything she or I could have done to change these situations, these are best practices for working with external recruiters.
1. Ask questions. Gather as much information as possible about the company, the role, who you’ll be interviewing and working with, and why this position is open.
2. Understand the timeline. Know when the company is interviewing candidates and expects a decision to be made.
3. Communicate often and follow up. Once you know the timeline, contact the recruiter if you don’t hear from them when expected.
4. Provide requested information within 24 hours. If you’re responsive and helpful, it’s more likely the recruiter will treat you with the same respect.
These cases above my colleague and I encountered are rare but precautionary. The four practices listed above should help you avoid difficult situations with companies and the recruiting firms they hire.