I have been using recruiters for a long time to help me find a new opportunity. For the ones I don't have a relationship with... please stop playing games when sending us an email about a "great opportunity".
Almost daily, I receive emails like this,
I am recruiting for an exciting contract opportunity with one of our clients.
Would you be interested/available for a new contract assignment? If yes, please review the details below, send me your updated resume and let me know the best time for us to talk. Thank you and I look forward to speaking with you soon.
I DO NOT play the "Guess that Company" game, nor do I play the "Guess the Salary/ Contract Rate" game! When I receive emails like this, I reply and ask for the following,
- The company name and location
- Salary range or contract rate
- The original job description that was written by the hiring manager. Including if it is full-time or a contract position.
I think I know why recruiters do this and that is they don't want the candidate to go around them and just apply to the company directly. I'm sure this happens but what recruiters don't understand is that we want them representing us in negotiations for a new job. Most of the time when I find a job I'm interested in, I contact recruiters to see if they work with that company and I have them submit my resume, and you should do this too.
Sadly, most recruiters do not provide me these things, even after asking. When they do this I immediately block their email address forever.
With that said, the good recruiters are there to match us with the best position for us. The good recruiters are there to get us the max salary they can (since they make more commission). The good recruiters are there to negotiate the best employment contract for us. So why wouldn't we want to use recruiters especially when most engineers are not very good at these things, not even me.
The experienced recruiter will not only share information about the company but also the hiring manager, team, product group etc. The more they know the better they are! Try to find a recruiter that has been doing this as a career for over two years.
So recruiters, please stop playing games with us. Contacting us like in the example above just starts off our relationship with you not trusting us. Trust is important in any relationship.
Do you have stories to share about recruiters? Please share in a comment. This tip and a lot more can be found in my Rock Your Technical Interview.
will yangPosted Nov 12, 2018, 10:09 AM
In my case, recruiters are only valuable if they can get you jobs you want when a public job site fails. Case in point, a recruiter called me about a position that I'm interested. I did a search for that position online and I didn't find any lead. The recruiter had been working with the head of that IT department for a long time and he had got numerous people into that company. At that point, the recruiter is a valuable resource to me. Sometimes, you will be contacted from different recruiters about the same position, make sure you pick one who shows caring and enthusiasm.
Mahesh ChandPosted Nov 12, 2018, 8:29 AM
Based on my experience, a company usually has a fixed rate for a contractor/employee unless you've skills that are no where to be found. The rate sheet is sent to recruiters and company asks them to submit available candidates. If its a permanent position, the recruiters get a fee for finding the employee. In case of contractors, if you work though a recruiting company, the company will offer you a rate. There is a little bit of negotiation. You can ask your rate but the company is not going to increase rate just for you. Also, recruiters won't disclose the client. There is competition and sometimes you may go direct to the client. Recruiters will go on and find someone that fits in the budget. I've been both sides of the table and It's not easy to find candidates that good and available in the budget. This is always a challenge. The best way for contractors is to be friend with a few recruiters or find job their own. Being a friend with recruiters gives you inside details on rates etc. Obviously, a recruiter will need some kind of % from the rate. However, I don't think a recruiter will go and negotiate a rate for you :) unless you're someone that is not easy to find. Over the years, I've worked as a contractor and have become good friend of several local recruiters. I do not place my resume on public websites otherwise you get call from young recruiters who do not understand technical skills and they will offer you anything and any rate. Cheers!
prideaux90Posted Nov 9, 2018, 5:58 AM
OMG what a load of bollocks... and a bit naive if you excuse me for saying so #1 as a contractor i don't need them getting a cut from my pay on every pay.. that money is better in my pocket. #2 some of those positions don't exist, they are just casting the net to fish for your resume.. why? because it gives them sales leads onto your previous employers #3. the ones that are forthcoming with more details probably have an exclusive agreement with the client .. that is, there are no other recruiters competing to fill the same role. #4 recruiters care about closing the deal, not what YOU want, you are just a number / body to them. Example: client says the role has a $700 / per day budget; if your rate is 900/ per day, recruiter is not going to fight for you to get the 900 / per day, he is going to look for someone willing to get whats on offer. close the deal, get his commission, and profit.