February 27, 2016 at 7:15 am
Sean Lange (2/26/2016)
Alan.B (2/26/2016)
Sean Lange (2/26/2016)
Lynn Pettis (2/26/2016)
Alan.B (2/26/2016)
Lynn Pettis (2/26/2016)
I know this should go elsewhere but I feel that I'll get more responses here.Why do organizations believe that they will get more candidates for a position when they use multiple agencies to seek out candidates? I know of a position with a school district in Colorado that is using between 6 and 12 local/national recruiting agencies to fill a position. This position has been open for several months. If they didn't specify no telecommute on the postings I might have considered applying. I really don't want to move at the moment.
I see this all the time in Chicago. I don't think organizations always do it because they are searching for more candidates, they are testing out the agencies to see who does a better job at finding them a candidate. I have worked at a couple places that do that.
Well, I got hit by it once. The agency (a national agency that was more interested in patting themselves on the back for providing top talent to Fortune 500 companies) I went with made me a contractor for a contractor for the host company. Had I gone with a local agency I would have been a direct contractor with the company and the agency would have done more for me or guided me away from the company.
Since then I have looked very closely at the multiple job postings so that I don't apply (if I were to apply) for the same position through multiple agencies. I know that can cost a job offer in the government contracting arena. For those who are not as diligent it could cause problems for them during a job search.
The really challenging part of it is that all these agencies like to keep the company name a secret unless you are going for an interview.
Which is a good idea. Otherwise the candidate could just say they're not interested and go directly to the company. Companies always prefer the candidates they find directly because they don't have to pay commission to anyone. Recruiters/headhunters commission can be pretty high.
I get it and it makes sense for the recruiter. It is challenging for the job seeker when multiple agencies all try to fill the same position. That happened once and my resume was submitted twice. In the interview I was asked why my experience was different on each resume. I was really glad I had a couple hard copies of my resume because neither of the ones received had the same information as the one I wrote.
Now that's just flat-out wrong on the part of the recruiter. Them changing your experience to suit the position is nothing more than putting lies on resumes, which I would think makes them untrustworthy to both you and the employer. Of course, you're the one who shows up for an interview and looks like a liar because someone else lied on your behalf. Good job having printed copies on hand.
I'm not in a position where I'm looking, and I've never used a headhunter agency before. If it ever does happen, this is really good stuff to know. It let's me know the environment I'd be entering, so I appreciate learning this stuff from those of you with experience.
February 27, 2016 at 1:37 pm
Ed Wagner (2/27/2016)
I get it and it makes sense for the recruiter. It is challenging for the job seeker when multiple agencies all try to fill the same position. That happened once and my resume was submitted twice. In the interview I was asked why my experience was different on each resume. I was really glad I had a couple hard copies of my resume because neither of the ones received had the same information as the one I wrote.
Now that's just flat-out wrong on the part of the recruiter. Them changing your experience to suit the position is nothing more than putting lies on resumes, which I would think makes them untrustworthy to both you and the employer. Of course, you're the one who shows up for an interview and looks like a liar because someone else lied on your behalf. Good job having printed copies on hand.
I'm not in a position where I'm looking, and I've never used a headhunter agency before. If it ever does happen, this is really good stuff to know. It let's me know the environment I'd be entering, so I appreciate learning this stuff from those of you with experience.
Having recently been on the interviewing end of dealing with recruiters I can say that modifying a resume is a common practice. We were looking for SSIS developers and I reviewed 20+ resumes and it was virtually impossible to eliminate anyone based on the resume because they all looked similar because either the recruiter modified them to hit the keywords or coached the candidates to modify their resumes to use the keywords. Just my standard SSIS questions, which aren't hard, eliminated most of them, and some of them couldn't even answer questions about specific tasks they had done in the last year or so that was on their resume. You have to take the good with the bad, and you learn pretty quickly which recruiters in your area are more interested in the placement than they are in helping either the candidate or the employer.
Jack Corbett
Consultant - Straight Path Solutions
Check out these links on how to get faster and more accurate answers:
Forum Etiquette: How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help
Need an Answer? Actually, No ... You Need a Question
February 27, 2016 at 2:21 pm
Lynn Pettis (2/26/2016)
I know this should go elsewhere but I feel that I'll get more responses here.Why do organizations believe that they will get more candidates for a position when they use multiple agencies to seek out candidates? I know of a position with a school district in Colorado that is using between 6 and 12 local/national recruiting agencies to fill a position. This position has been open for several months. If they didn't specify no telecommute on the postings I might have considered applying. I really don't want to move at the moment.
They will. Many candidates might use one recruiter, so if you use one agency, you get a small subset of people looking for jobs. Using multiples means that you have a larger pool to get candidates from.
I'm not sure what telecommuting has to do with the number of agencies. I guess that's your position, but it isn't related to the number of agencies, is it?
February 27, 2016 at 2:22 pm
Alan.B (2/26/2016)
A good agency will tell you who the company is if they decide to submit you then ask if you've already been submitted before submitting you.
I insist on this or I won't work with any recruiter.
As a manager, if I see your resume 3 times, I usually toss it and I'm annoyed.
February 27, 2016 at 3:02 pm
Jack Corbett (2/27/2016)
Ed Wagner (2/27/2016)
Having recently been on the interviewing end of dealing with recruiters I can say that modifying a resume is a common practice. We were looking for SSIS developers and I reviewed 20+ resumes and it was virtually impossible to eliminate anyone based on the resume because they all looked similar because either the recruiter modified them to hit the keywords or coached the candidates to modify their resumes to use the keywords. Just my standard SSIS questions, which aren't hard, eliminated most of them, and some of them couldn't even answer questions about specific tasks they had done in the last year or so that was on their resume. You have to take the good with the bad, and you learn pretty quickly which recruiters in your area are more interested in the placement than they are in helping either the candidate or the employer.
True. But generally it turns out that almost all recruitment agents are rotten cheats, only a very small proportion are honest.
Tom
February 29, 2016 at 8:06 am
TomThomson (2/27/2016)
Jack Corbett (2/27/2016)
Ed Wagner (2/27/2016)
Having recently been on the interviewing end of dealing with recruiters I can say that modifying a resume is a common practice. We were looking for SSIS developers and I reviewed 20+ resumes and it was virtually impossible to eliminate anyone based on the resume because they all looked similar because either the recruiter modified them to hit the keywords or coached the candidates to modify their resumes to use the keywords. Just my standard SSIS questions, which aren't hard, eliminated most of them, and some of them couldn't even answer questions about specific tasks they had done in the last year or so that was on their resume. You have to take the good with the bad, and you learn pretty quickly which recruiters in your area are more interested in the placement than they are in helping either the candidate or the employer.
True. But generally it turns out that almost all recruitment agents are rotten cheats, only a very small proportion are honest.
Certainly can't disagree and I'd say that from working with agencies as a candidate and an employer.
Jack Corbett
Consultant - Straight Path Solutions
Check out these links on how to get faster and more accurate answers:
Forum Etiquette: How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help
Need an Answer? Actually, No ... You Need a Question
February 29, 2016 at 8:33 am
Jack Corbett (2/26/2016)
For those who wish to submit sessions for the 2016 PASS Summit the deadline for submission is Wednesday, March 2. I have started working on my abstracts and I see that at least Gail and Grant have submitted several.
Yup. First time in years that I've submitted before the day of the deadline.
Just need to decide whether to submit a couple lightning talks and, if so, on what topics.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability
February 29, 2016 at 8:50 am
Jack Corbett (2/29/2016)
TomThomson (2/27/2016)
Jack Corbett (2/27/2016)
Ed Wagner (2/27/2016)
Having recently been on the interviewing end of dealing with recruiters I can say that modifying a resume is a common practice. We were looking for SSIS developers and I reviewed 20+ resumes and it was virtually impossible to eliminate anyone based on the resume because they all looked similar because either the recruiter modified them to hit the keywords or coached the candidates to modify their resumes to use the keywords. Just my standard SSIS questions, which aren't hard, eliminated most of them, and some of them couldn't even answer questions about specific tasks they had done in the last year or so that was on their resume. You have to take the good with the bad, and you learn pretty quickly which recruiters in your area are more interested in the placement than they are in helping either the candidate or the employer.
True. But generally it turns out that almost all recruitment agents are rotten cheats, only a very small proportion are honest.
Certainly can't disagree and I'd say that from working with agencies as a candidate and an employer.
From the way it sounds, I guess I should be glad I don't have any experience with them.
February 29, 2016 at 9:29 am
Ed Wagner (2/27/2016)
Sean Lange (2/26/2016)
Alan.B (2/26/2016)
Sean Lange (2/26/2016)
Lynn Pettis (2/26/2016)
Alan.B (2/26/2016)
Lynn Pettis (2/26/2016)
I know this should go elsewhere but I feel that I'll get more responses here.Why do organizations believe that they will get more candidates for a position when they use multiple agencies to seek out candidates? I know of a position with a school district in Colorado that is using between 6 and 12 local/national recruiting agencies to fill a position. This position has been open for several months. If they didn't specify no telecommute on the postings I might have considered applying. I really don't want to move at the moment.
I see this all the time in Chicago. I don't think organizations always do it because they are searching for more candidates, they are testing out the agencies to see who does a better job at finding them a candidate. I have worked at a couple places that do that.
Well, I got hit by it once. The agency (a national agency that was more interested in patting themselves on the back for providing top talent to Fortune 500 companies) I went with made me a contractor for a contractor for the host company. Had I gone with a local agency I would have been a direct contractor with the company and the agency would have done more for me or guided me away from the company.
Since then I have looked very closely at the multiple job postings so that I don't apply (if I were to apply) for the same position through multiple agencies. I know that can cost a job offer in the government contracting arena. For those who are not as diligent it could cause problems for them during a job search.
The really challenging part of it is that all these agencies like to keep the company name a secret unless you are going for an interview.
Which is a good idea. Otherwise the candidate could just say they're not interested and go directly to the company. Companies always prefer the candidates they find directly because they don't have to pay commission to anyone. Recruiters/headhunters commission can be pretty high.
I get it and it makes sense for the recruiter. It is challenging for the job seeker when multiple agencies all try to fill the same position. That happened once and my resume was submitted twice. In the interview I was asked why my experience was different on each resume. I was really glad I had a couple hard copies of my resume because neither of the ones received had the same information as the one I wrote.
Now that's just flat-out wrong on the part of the recruiter. Them changing your experience to suit the position is nothing more than putting lies on resumes, which I would think makes them untrustworthy to both you and the employer. Of course, you're the one who shows up for an interview and looks like a liar because someone else lied on your behalf. Good job having printed copies on hand.
I'm not in a position where I'm looking, and I've never used a headhunter agency before. If it ever does happen, this is really good stuff to know. It let's me know the environment I'd be entering, so I appreciate learning this stuff from those of you with experience.
It's not a bad thing for a recruiter to work with the candidate to modify the resume for a position provided everyone is being honest. It's awful when they do it without you knowing and you show up to an interview.
My IT career started in the networking world (e.g hubs, switches, routers). I was a novice eager to learn and presented myself as such. A recruiter changed my resume to look like a Cisco super stud. In the interview I was actually answering questions by saying. "I don't even know what that is let alone how to do what you described..." I was himiliated, almost in tears and then visably furious when they showed me what was supposed to by my resume. I had a copy with me, showed to them my real resume and asked if it would be okay to end the interview. We had a few laughs about it. They were super cool and offered to take me lunch. Neither of us ever used that firm again.
-- Itzik Ben-Gan 2001
February 29, 2016 at 9:54 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (2/27/2016)
Lynn Pettis (2/26/2016)
I know this should go elsewhere but I feel that I'll get more responses here.Why do organizations believe that they will get more candidates for a position when they use multiple agencies to seek out candidates? I know of a position with a school district in Colorado that is using between 6 and 12 local/national recruiting agencies to fill a position. This position has been open for several months. If they didn't specify no telecommute on the postings I might have considered applying. I really don't want to move at the moment.
They will. Many candidates might use one recruiter, so if you use one agency, you get a small subset of people looking for jobs. Using multiples means that you have a larger pool to get candidates from.
I'm not sure what telecommuting has to do with the number of agencies. I guess that's your position, but it isn't related to the number of agencies, is it?
The option to telecommute is important to me. If it is off the table before I even apply, then it is a non starter for me at the moment. I have a good job at the moment and for me to leave there needs to be some incentive.
Of course at the moment I am trying to get the training so I can go back to Afghanistan as a System Administration.
February 29, 2016 at 11:42 am
Lynn Pettis (2/29/2016)
The option to telecommute is important to me. If it is off the table before I even apply, then it is a non starter for me at the moment. I have a good job at the moment and for me to leave there needs to be some incentive.
I know it is, but not sure why you embedded it in the complaint about recruiters. That's all.
It's a valid requirement, or desired option, for any person.
February 29, 2016 at 11:46 am
Alan.B (2/29/2016)
It's not a bad thing for a recruiter to work with the candidate to modify the resume for a position provided everyone is being honest. It's awful when they do it without you knowing and you show up to an interview.
My IT career started in the networking world (e.g hubs, switches, routers). I was a novice eager to learn and presented myself as such. A recruiter changed my resume to look like a Cisco super stud. In the interview I was actually answering questions by saying. "I don't even know what that is let alone how to do what you described..." I was himiliated, almost in tears and then visably furious when they showed me what was supposed to by my resume. I had a copy with me, showed to them my real resume and asked if it would be okay to end the interview. We had a few laughs about it. They were super cool and offered to take me lunch. Neither of us ever used that firm again.
I was going to note this hasn't been an issue for me, but then the more I thought about it, the more I had no idea if it was. My resume/experience has been strong, and I've gotten lots of responses, but I've never looked to see if what the company had for my resume was what I sent.
I have met with a number of recruiters and talked about what I want and what I'll do. I will need to be sure I keep a copy with me and check on the next interview.
Or just hope I'm forever wondering if this is the case 😛
I do think most recruiters are decent. However, they're essentially car salesman. And we're the cars. The fewer they place, the more they have to gain from a placement, the more they might alter the truth and hope it goes through.
As a manager, I've usually let recruiters know that I will ask about the resume, so I doubt I've gotten any that were too altered, as this forms the basis for things I'll use to start questioning people.
February 29, 2016 at 11:47 am
TomThomson (2/27/2016)
Jack Corbett (2/27/2016)
Ed Wagner (2/27/2016)
Having recently been on the interviewing end of dealing with recruiters I can say that modifying a resume is a common practice. We were looking for SSIS developers and I reviewed 20+ resumes and it was virtually impossible to eliminate anyone based on the resume because they all looked similar because either the recruiter modified them to hit the keywords or coached the candidates to modify their resumes to use the keywords. Just my standard SSIS questions, which aren't hard, eliminated most of them, and some of them couldn't even answer questions about specific tasks they had done in the last year or so that was on their resume. You have to take the good with the bad, and you learn pretty quickly which recruiters in your area are more interested in the placement than they are in helping either the candidate or the employer.
True. But generally it turns out that almost all recruitment agents are rotten cheats, only a very small proportion are honest.
One of the things that I saw a lot of the last time that I was actively searching was recruiters advertising a location that was markedly different from the actual location (which they then specified in the text of the job description). For example, one such position advertised as being in Philadelphia, but the actual location was Nashville. I started reporting job postings where the city advertised was not within a reasonable commute from the actual job location.
Drew
J. Drew Allen
Business Intelligence Analyst
Philadelphia, PA
February 29, 2016 at 11:57 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (2/29/2016)
Alan.B (2/29/2016)
It's not a bad thing for a recruiter to work with the candidate to modify the resume for a position provided everyone is being honest. It's awful when they do it without you knowing and you show up to an interview.
My IT career started in the networking world (e.g hubs, switches, routers). I was a novice eager to learn and presented myself as such. A recruiter changed my resume to look like a Cisco super stud. In the interview I was actually answering questions by saying. "I don't even know what that is let alone how to do what you described..." I was himiliated, almost in tears and then visably furious when they showed me what was supposed to by my resume. I had a copy with me, showed to them my real resume and asked if it would be okay to end the interview. We had a few laughs about it. They were super cool and offered to take me lunch. Neither of us ever used that firm again.
I was going to note this hasn't been an issue for me, but then the more I thought about it, the more I had no idea if it was. My resume/experience has been strong, and I've gotten lots of responses, but I've never looked to see if what the company had for my resume was what I sent.
I have met with a number of recruiters and talked about what I want and what I'll do. I will need to be sure I keep a copy with me and check on the next interview.
Or just hope I'm forever wondering if this is the case 😛
I do think most recruiters are decent. However, they're essentially car salesman. And we're the cars. The fewer they place, the more they have to gain from a placement, the more they might alter the truth and hope it goes through.
As a manager, I've usually let recruiters know that I will ask about the resume, so I doubt I've gotten any that were too altered, as this forms the basis for things I'll use to start questioning people.
I've had my resume altered a few times, but in all instances (that I'm aware of), the recruiter showed me a copy of the alteration to ensure it met with my approval. Most of it was formatting and rewording things to hit keywords without being untrue to my actual skill set.
I was okay with those changes, so I let it fly. Especially the formatting. The recruiters I worked with had a thing about wanting all resumes for their contractors to use the same font, font size, etc. At the time, I didn't think it was a big deal.
February 29, 2016 at 12:00 pm
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (2/29/2016)
Alan.B (2/29/2016)
It's not a bad thing for a recruiter to work with the candidate to modify the resume for a position provided everyone is being honest. It's awful when they do it without you knowing and you show up to an interview.
My IT career started in the networking world (e.g hubs, switches, routers). I was a novice eager to learn and presented myself as such. A recruiter changed my resume to look like a Cisco super stud. In the interview I was actually answering questions by saying. "I don't even know what that is let alone how to do what you described..." I was himiliated, almost in tears and then visably furious when they showed me what was supposed to by my resume. I had a copy with me, showed to them my real resume and asked if it would be okay to end the interview. We had a few laughs about it. They were super cool and offered to take me lunch. Neither of us ever used that firm again.
I was going to note this hasn't been an issue for me, but then the more I thought about it, the more I had no idea if it was. My resume/experience has been strong, and I've gotten lots of responses, but I've never looked to see if what the company had for my resume was what I sent.
I have met with a number of recruiters and talked about what I want and what I'll do. I will need to be sure I keep a copy with me and check on the next interview.
Or just hope I'm forever wondering if this is the case 😛
I do think most recruiters are decent. However, they're essentially car salesman. And we're the cars. The fewer they place, the more they have to gain from a placement, the more they might alter the truth and hope it goes through.
As a manager, I've usually let recruiters know that I will ask about the resume, so I doubt I've gotten any that were too altered, as this forms the basis for things I'll use to start questioning people.
The problem as I understand is that these "car salesmen" assure you that the car has only 10,000 miles and when you make the trip to see the car you can easily check the odometer showing 750,000. It's just a waste of everybody's time as there won't be a sale.
Viewing 15 posts - 52,951 through 52,965 (of 66,712 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply