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• Only unsuccessful recruiters treat candidates badly. A good recruiter simply treats other people the way he or she likes to be treated him(or her)self. People are looking for respect and truth. If someone sends a CV, you should respond in days, not weeks. And if someone attends an interview you should give feedback in hours - no more than 48 of them.

  Shaun 24 Jan 2007

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• Having experienced inept and rudeness myself from the Recruitment industry it does beggar belief that these so-called Professionals are still doing business.
  
  In a recent experience, I was supposed to meet a recruiter twice and was then advised on the morning of the 3rd meeting (on Voicemail), that he would not able to make it - 'Because something has come up.' He then never, out of courtesy returned my voice message … It is not only Rude but very Un-professional. Not the treatment I would expect from a "Reputable" ??? Company.
  
  Given that these recruiters are Salesmen/Saleswoman, and thus reflecting poorly on the Sales Industry, as a Manager/Director I would have to dismiss this type of type of salesperson as not attaining the minimum standard required. 
  
  The recruitment industry now needs to be regulated in the way the Finance sector is, under the FSA.
  
  If the customer is King….. I cannot help feeling that recruiters are missing an opportunity….

  Ian 02 Feb 2007

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• Having recently submitted my CV online within a few recruitment websites, I have been approached by a number of recruiters. They are very kind and talkative during first contact, but after this I have never heard from them again. I have sent e-mails to some of them asking about the progress of my application, but never got a replay. I have my MS Outlook set up, so I can see if my e-mails were read. They always were, but no feedback. I find it very rude and I am thinking of contacting employers directly from now on. If recruiters don't bother, why should I?

  Emma 02 Feb 2007

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• Recruiters only call you back if it is in their interest - if they do
  not see the fit you do there is silence. If the client says no, no
  matter how much they may think the client to be wrong, the roll over and
  look for someone else and rarely call to say that things are not moving
  forward.
  
  Jobs advertised that do not exist? Probably a significant minority of
  placements on this web site. The industry seems to be getting sleezier
  rather than more professional.
  
  There are exceptions.

  Anthony 02 Feb 2007

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• I am amazed at how few recruiters even have the courtesy to send out an acknowledgement email - and its is so much easier now that it was in the past ... how long does it take to send an email??  A great deal less time than writing a letter, printing if off and putting it in an envelope!  What ever happened to servicing the client - which we all in the investment industry consider paramount?  Without us, they wouldn't have a business!  There are of course exceptions to the rule!  However, I don't think  that regulation of the sector is the answer

  Rud 02 Feb 2007

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• Not rocket science really but perhaps worth reflecting that today’s Candidate is potentially tomorrow’s Client.
  
  Professional service is often remembered but bad service is never forgotten; no clients means no business.
  
  As a business owner, it’s my livelihood. Available options therefore?
  
  Courtesy, honesty and professionalism shown to all, and whilst we’re at it… regulation please.

  Robert 02 Feb 2007

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• Interesting article. It is exactly this kind of behaviour that got me into recruitment!
  
  As a qualified accountant on the contract market I encountered both good and bad recruiters. My most common annoyance was when the consultants didn't listen. I had registered with one of the leading recruitment firms wishing to continue my career in the banking market. I expressly told them that I didn't want positions in practice and every day for the next few weeks I was called by a different consultant from the firm wishing to run Big 4 ideas by me. Despite numerous requests to update my details they never did. It was only when I went to their offices to watch them remove my details from their database did they stop calling me!
  
  It is such a shame that recruiters get a bad name. There are a lot of us out there who do genuinely care about both clients and candidates. Unfortunately with some firms applying so much pressure on consultants, candidate care is often the last thing people think about with monthly targets being the first.

  Sam 02 Feb 2007

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• I have found that standards in the recruitment industry have dropped over the last five years along with many others professions.
  
  
  
  I have found in my dealings with many recruiters in the UK ,some of which recruit on this site, that many lack basic professionalism, manners, and ethical standards and some are merely like the cowboy builders of old.
  
  
  
  Good service is the exception rather than the norm and I would not be surprised if surveys showed that recruitment consultants ranked in line with lawyers and politicians for poor reputations.
  
  
  
  I personally think recruitment consultants make it harder rather than easier to find the right role and think it was more beneficial to both parties when companies advertised directly.
  
  
  
  However many companies do prefer to use recruitment consultants as then they can be as rude and unprofessional as they like and if the candidate complains they can lock them out.

  Remo 06 Feb 2007

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• Some of the industry tricks are:
  
  
  
  Bogus jobs – used to fill a database with CVs in order to impress clients with the number of candidates they have.  Does happen on some sites, though after a while you get to spot them (very generic).  Recruiter will never confirm if the job is live and will try to divert candidate to other roles they have.
  
  
  
  Lying as to whether candidate has been submitted for a role – used to reduce the number of candidates going through rival agencies.  They will tell the candidate that they have been submitted for a role and may be given a reference number.  The candidate then doesn’t pursue this with other agencies out of respect for agent / to avoid multiple submissions.  He belatedly finds out (usually from another agency interested in submitting him) that he was never submitted.
  
  
  
  Asking for referees to “pre-vet” the candidate – a tactic method of illiciting names of management in previous employers who can be cold-called by the agent.  Reasonably prevalent in my experience, though so subtly done that many candidates are unaware.
  
  
  
  Solution – In my opinion, avoiding small, newcomer agencies and sticking with those that you know value professionalism.  Checking their website also to see if these values are championed and whether they mention clients they are preferred suppliers for, since if you are not with a preferred supplier agency you will not hear about those client’s roles.  Alternatively keeping garlic and a crucifix handy...

  Ardjan 06 Feb 2007

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• Having gone through the comments above, I can relate to many of the experiences that job seekers have gone through. The only time that they are polite is possibly when they are calling for the first time. I also feel there is a possibility that recruiting companies might be promising that the candidate's CV has been forwarded to the prospective employer, without actually doing so. But then what is the solution to this? If another recruitment agency approaches the candidate with the same job, can the candidate ask this agency to check with the prospective employer if his CV has reached them?

  Anil 06 Feb 2007

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