Should I Give This Recruiter My Resume?
One question I was recently asked is, “How do I know if I should share my resume?” This is a simple question but an important one. If a recruiter reaches out and wants your resume prior to sharing the position or company name with you, they are more than likely just fishing. There are situations with confidential roles, but even then, a recruiter should be able to discuss enough about the position to get you comfortable. Far too often, recruiting firms have a mentality of move the candidate as fast as possible through the process before they even know what’s happening. Finding a new job is exciting, but make sure you are doing your diligence and that starts with qualifying your Recruiter.
I had a situation where I was recruiting for engineers at a tier supplier in auto. I submitted 5 candidates and all seemed like great fits. My client agreed, however they had already been submitted by another recruiter. All 5 candidates reported that they were never approached about this position, but they did give their resumes to a guy in the past few months who said he’d keep his eyes open for them. That guy was a recruiter who submitted all the resumes he could find under false pretense to every client he could convince to sign his contract. The contract stipulated that he would be paid for any candidates he submitted who were subsequently hired, and that each hire would extend his contract by another 12 months. My client said that they had to avoid all candidates that he submitted in order to get away from this guy, but what they hadn’t disclosed is how many resumes he had already submitted. My client had hoped that I’d be able to find candidates that he didn’t so that they could actually get this job filled.
A Recruiter is a great connection to make as we can be very helpful in many ways. I always advise individuals to listen to what a Recruiter has to say as they may have your dream job waiting for you! However, it is important to understand that you need to protect yourself. All the candidates who blindly gave away their resume were now barred from obtaining a position with that company for at least a year. I had to go back to all 5 and inform that the company is very interested in them but that the interview won’t be taking place. It shocked each of them! The most frustrating part for my client, candidates, and myself was that all 3 entities were very excited to move forward together. I started Mier Talent Consulting after hearing stories like this, which I will continue to share. This should be a positive experience, a win-win-win for all involved, but make sure your Recruiter feels the same way.
