From car salespeople and real estate agents to debt collectors and parking enforcement officers, there are plenty of professions that people love to hate. People have a difficult time workers associated with many of these professions based on poor experiences that they had with them in the past. Rest assured that not all recruiters are lackadaisical when it comes to their profession. Yet, here are some reasons people love to hate recruiting (and what type of recruiters you should work with instead).

  1. Treating Candidates Like a Commission

    Unfortunately, some people working in the recruiting industry have been guilty of mistreating their candidates. They fail at the human practices in recruiting and only view their candidates as commissions. These recruiters give the industry a bad reputation by lacking flexibility during the interview process. Under no circumstances should a candidate be expected to reserve an entire day to receive a phone interview. A recruiter that values their candidates will offer them a more reasonable solution, such as a two-hour window for an interview.

  2. Not Doing the Work

    Some recruiters out there are doing the bare minimum when it comes to finding the best candidates. Instead of reading cover letters, resumes, profiles, etc., to learn about your credentials, they would rather screen you out over the phone using a random questionnaire.

  3. Poor Communication

    But, one of the biggest reasons why people hate recruiters is the practice of ghosting. Lack of communication is just a clear indicator of an unprofessional recruiter. Nothing is more frustrating to a candidate than not knowing their status and being left in the dark. This can be fixed by sending a simple email stating that the job is on hold and they’ll be contacted if it changes, yet some recruiters don’t take the initiative to let their candidates know.

What to Look for Instead

It’s important to remember that not all recruiters are cut from the same cloth. There are still plenty of dedicated, human-focused recruiters in the business that care about their candidates. Great recruiters aren’t afraid to tell their clients when they are being unreasonable. Skilled recruiters keep the hiring process on schedule because they know that talent gets lost when a company drags out the hiring process. They also listen closely to their candidates and have a clear understanding of what they want in their career.

If a recruiter calls you, take the time to ask some questions about the role and the recruiters. Vet them as much as they are vetting you. A great recruiter won’t mind; they’ll be happy to prove themselves to you.

Are you looking for top talent in the Specialty Chemical, Plastics, or Animal Health industry?

Contact us to discuss how we can bring top leadership talent to your team. Boaz Partners is a premier executive search firm focused on the direct recruitment of executives and professionals for the specialty chemicals and plastics space. We are your partner, and our focus is on custom recruiting solutions.

photo credit: Marten Bjork