CAVEAT EMPTOR

As a result of my knee jerk, fit throwing rant about a recruiter who thinks it's totally neat, fun and wonderful to brag about having 27 profiles on Facebook , 26 of them bogus and phony,so he can get into networks that are restricted to local cities, my email has been a steady stream of people coming out of the woodwork agreeing that they think it's a scummy, lowlife thing to do. But thank you for letting us know what you are all about. It's always nice to know who to stay away from.

I am sure his email steam has been full of adoring fellows who think being bogus is totally wonderful if it gets them into places and connected with people that they would not otherwise be able to reach without a little more effort.

People are reporting that there is a career counselor who is coaching candidates to set up bogus company profiles on Linkedin showing themselves as the CEO or a VP so they will be contacted by recruiters. or companies. May they be contacted by a bogus recruiter, a big dose of kismet and karma for both of you.

Another person has reported that there is a recruiter in the DFW area who prides herself on having set up 50 bogus profiles on Linkedin which she then uses to make recommendations of her services.. oh honey, that is just too pitiful, may you marry another lying narcissist.

And the list goes on and on. Since the coming of age of the internet (and before albeit it was not quite as easy) the ease for sleaze, scams, cons, lies and misrepresentations has become an art form unto it's self. I have spent 35 years in this industry fighting the crappy reputation that recruiters have earned due to the scammers, slammers, cowboys and crooks.. I shall not stop now calling bullshit on scams, what else would you call a bogus profile. A fun time avatar?

We scream to the rafters about being professionals, being respected for what we do, building trust with our candidates and clients. We bitch our heads off about candidates who lie on their resumes, lie about their educational background. We beat the drum loudly about transparency, authenticity. We rail because our clients do not have enough respect for us to give us feedback or return our cold calls. Are we in any position to ask for trust, respect and to be treated as professionals if we think it's fine to set up bogus profiles......for any reason.

Do we then say, well the rules are silly about phony profiles so it's ok and in fact gee that's a cool idea.

I can't control what anybody else does or how they run their business but i can certainly make it known loud and clear that it is my humble opinion if you can't make it as a recruiter whithout setting up bogus profiles to connect with people, if you can't get a real recommendation without setting up bogus profiles then recommending yourself you should really consider selling used cars that don't run or sign up for an email scam to con people into sending you their social security number. or consider credit card fraud. Fraud is fraud. Be it a job that does not exist or a phony profile.

As i said on twitter this morning. "A lie, just like a rose by any other name is still a rose and a lie. So if you need to lie to make a living or be a big shot go for it but be advised, there are a lot of us who think you are scum and the reason our industry has a bad name in a lot of venues..

If your take is that i am being "holier than thou" by calling bogus business practices bogus. Thank you for the compliment. And i wish you 50 bogus resumes in a row by some other bogus recruiter just like you trying to find out where your job is so they can call your client. You deserve each other. I loathe your types, you pollute an industry that deserves better. I wish St. Patrick had done a better job with the snakes. He missed a few it seems.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Pamela deForce on December 15, 2011 at 10:19am

Sandra,

I could not agree with you more!! Since when is it OK to be a phony? Just because you can get away with it?? No matter how skilled you are at Recruiting - if you are not honest and if your candidates/clients cannot trust what you say and do - GO FIND ANOTHER PROFESSION. The good recruiters out there have a hard enough time in this economy without trying to repair reputations that are tarnished by the likes of you.

Never give up waving the integrity flag Sandra! The industry needs more people like you!!!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Kerris Hougardy on December 15, 2011 at 11:27am

Hi Sandra

I usually read the top 3 or 4 blogs on this site every other day or so but have NEVER yet commented. This blog, however, drove me to spend 20 minutes digging out my login details and password!!!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

It makes me so mad to hear about all the lies and deceit far too prevalent in our profession today. You ARE "holier than thou" - and I join you on that bench!

Kerris

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on December 15, 2011 at 12:24pm

@pamela thank you for adding your voice. The problem our industry has always had is that too many of us have been in situations or interacted with other recruiters who play in the gray. Rather than say anything we either move on or shake our heads and think to ourselves, "I wouldn't do that" but we don't say anything. I made the decision to open my own firm because the firm I worked for insisted on running ads for jobs that didn't exist. When someone called about the job we were told to just tell them it had been filled but we had others to get them to come in and register. Bait and Switch. My ole daddy drilled it into our heads that there were only two ways to do business..honest and dishonest..there is no gray. It's always been easier for me to just tell the truth, that way I don't have to try and remember a lie.

@kerris, thank you for digging up that login. I think comments are important particularly when anyone takes a stance on what I feel is an important issue. I heard an employer once make the comment about a recruiter, "he would climb a greased pole to lie when he could stand on the ground and tell the truth and it's too bad because he's really pretty good at what he does".

I office shared with a recruiter who was outstanding. The second month we worked together we billed 100k. I was really impressed and motivated that I would have to up my game to stay up with him. Then I found out he was paying kickbacks to internals and hiring managers. Color me gone. My parting comment was, "if you told me the sun was going to come up tomorrow morning, I would go buy flashlight batteries"

He laughed and told me, I was just being "pearle pureheart". Pearle is still in business and he was gone 2years later.

Is that worse than phony profiles and phony recommendations and phony ads/resumes. That's up to you to decide. his take was he wasn't hurting anybody. Funny thing, I heard that same justification yesterday. Is business integrity defined by whether somebody gets hurt or not? We each have to make our own decisions about what we do. However, I wouldn't recommend bragging about being a phony. There will always be some pearle pureheart around who will call you out. Maybe you don't think it's a lie if you tell the truth about lying. Or maybe the wizard of oz was your hero. He was a sham too.

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Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on December 15, 2011 at 12:41pm

Well said Sandra! I always felt what made me a good recruiter and made me stand out was that I'm simply "me" - not to say that I am better than my colleagues, but we are all unique. As an agency recruiter my customers worked with me because they liked and trusted me to fill their positions. Amy Ala developed those relationships - not my CEO, my agency, my twitter handle or my avatar. I guess I could have done it masquerading as 25 other people but I think that sends the wrong message to candidates and clients alike. I'd rather be dirt poor with my integrity in tact if that's what success means...

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on December 15, 2011 at 1:41pm

@Amy It's pretty obvious that you are comfortable in your own skin and not a game player. It comes out in your writing and i'm sure your work. Credibility takes a lifetime to build and only a few minutes to destroy. We've all seen it with someone we likeed who made a wrong choice and spent years trying to get over it.

I don't make moral judgements for anyone else. I have enough to do with keeping myself between the hedgerows. I had to laugh at some of the twitter comments yesterday. One was " is this savvy or shadey". My thought was, If you have to ask you already know. Another was, "THis is questionable" My thought was, so what's the question? We all have to make those calls for ourselves. My template may not fit on your life but i sure like to know who i am really talking to.

The 26 profile guy trains recruiters and is proud that they have now trained 500. That's great. I wonder if all 500 of them have 25 bogus profiles because that was the way they were trained. Do the math on that one and you might understand why you don't hear back from some of those folks you try to contact on social media and depending on how rampant it is..i think a lot...let's not get too excited about those big numbers of members on social sites.

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Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on December 15, 2011 at 1:59pm

Thanks Sandra. :) I learned the hard way that being "me" doesn't always mean everybody likes me and is dying to work with me, but that's ok I've managed to get by and as my grandma would say, "there's a lid for every pot."

She also said "those that can't DO, TEACH". (or train...?)

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on December 15, 2011 at 2:53pm

My attitude Amy is , that is why they make ice cream in at least 31 flavors. If you don't like my flavor just say so and then get the "f" off my front porch and we'll all be happy, There is a theory that by only associating with people we like we create an echo chamber of our own ideas or the things we like and agree with. I read that and thought, why the hell would i want to be in a chamber echo or owtherwise with people whom i didn't like, don't agree with and/or enjoy being around. That's why God made divorces, employment at will and streets that run both directions.

As to trainers and those who teach but don't do. I suppose that is the reason that seminars, training sessions and even school semesters have limited time frames and you never have to see those folks again. But damn you got a t-shirt and a certificate.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Schultz on December 15, 2011 at 7:07pm

My Grandma said the same thing! I think she was assuring me I'd find a woman some day. = l

Amy Ala said:

, but that's ok I've managed to get by and as my grandma would say, "there's a lid for every pot."

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Permalink Reply by Cora Mae Lengeman on December 15, 2011 at 9:25pm

AMEN SANDRA!

A lie is a lie. Period.

Being honest in all your business and personal dealings and relationships is the only way to act. Anything less is totally unacceptable!

I only have 22+ years as a recruiter, but have found that those that lie, cheat, 'not quite tell the truth', post false jobs, etc. don't last long in our business. Honest hard work and truth wins in the end

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on December 15, 2011 at 9:47pm

@ Schultz Well old pot, see grandma was right you found a lid.

@Cora Mae Agree and dishonesty can also be expensive. Ask the children's father. :) He said that what makes me a good recruiter is that i can track a knat across a steel ball at midnight..in a rainstorm. and it doesn't take me long to handle a hot horseshoe. It ruly doesn't take much effort to be honest. Maybe it's more exciting for some people to trick others or maybe they were just born twisted and like it. I have seen some that when they die they will have to be screwed into the ground but you are correct. They move around a lot.

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie on December 16, 2011 at 2:38am

To all phony, lying and "not hurting anyone" recruiters out there: Your property, business, job, money, belongings, family, friends, health etc. can be lost, stolen, destroyed, or repossessed by other people or institutions without your consent or you having any choice in the matter.

The ONLY thing you have in life that nobody can take away from you is your NAME. You were given your name even before you were born and it will last long after you have left this earth, engraved on a headstone somewhere. Only YOU can throw away, loose or destroy your name!! And once you have done so, it's gone forever

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on December 16, 2011 at 4:04am

@stephanie, WORD! That just might be why they set up phony profiles with phony names then talk about how great they are when they use their real name.