Do You Know Why Candidates Think Recruiters are Idiots?

Below is a conversation i just received from a Sr. CFO candidate. This is what happens when inexperienced little girls do key word searches and can't read a resume.

Sandra,

I just got a call from (company name removed to protect the mentally deficient) in Irvine, California. Doing a search for a Manager of Financial Reporting. I told the recruiter that this really wasn't in my "strike zone," even though I believe I have the ability to do the job, but I'm a CFO.

She kept talking.

She disclosed that the job was in (city removed) I asked, "Is this XYZ Company?"

Long pause.

Yes.

I used to be the CFO of XYZ Company. In fact, I was the first CFO of XYZ Company and took the company public.

Oh. I guess I missed that on your resume. Does that mean you're not interested?

Weird phone call.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rich Rosen on June 29, 2012 at 9:31am

The first thing I do when hiring a new recruiter is put them on a public conf call about various topics on recruiting run by Barb Bruno. part for the content part to hear just how ignorant the typical recruiter is.. ( surely who ever made the statement there are know a stupid question, has not been on during the Q&A period of one of these calls.) After the call i tell the new recruiter the people you just listened to ask these question are earning $50k to over 100k and have little clue on how to function in this job. You were hired because you are smart, driven etc... If these people can make decent money then you certainly should w2 no less then $200k once you learn the system. and treat this like a career not a part time job... and everyone that has lasted more then year has w2 over $200k over the past 17 years - with each person reminding me of there conversation......

FYI

one question from the conf the call that stands out --- "What do i do when a candidate or client hangs up me?"

Just think if, it were not for these people in one aspect making our jobs more difficult, then our clients would never know how truly good a job we actually do.

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Permalink Reply by Greg Savage on June 29, 2012 at 5:05pm

.. and THAT is why we have such a bad rep!

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on June 29, 2012 at 7:17pm

@josh. Correct and there are a lot of monkey butts with a computer calling themselves recruiters.

@rich, good for you for trying to up the game of your trainees. This is where it has to start. This kind if trash recruiting may make a lot of us look better because these punks make fools of themselves but it sure makes me wish I could nail their ears to a fence post and collect a bounty.

@ Greg, says it all and unfortunately even a blind pig finds a truffle once in a while.

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Permalink Reply by David Jaramillo on July 2, 2012 at 3:20pm

And the idiocy continues....

I just had to include this gem as I just got this yesterday from some sort of a "recruiter."

The email below is verbatim--and I haven't been in financial analysis for over seven years.

"Hi,
I would like to discuss your resume and a potential position. Can you attach
your updated resume? We specialize in permanent Accounting/Finance and Tax
positions in Houston alhtough I a recrutiing position your background looks really good for. Your resume won't be sent anywhere without your permission.

Thanks,"

Getting this from a recruiter just continues to reinforce the notion that this industry is full of know-nothings.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Schultz on July 2, 2012 at 3:31pm

I think s/he was saying s/he had a recruiter position for you. not that it excuses the boiler plate (ness) of the pitch.

David Jaramillo said:

And the idiocy continues....

I just had to include this gem as I just got this yesterday from some sort of a "recruiter."

The email below is verbatim--and I haven't been in financial analysis for over seven years.

"Hi,
I would like to discuss your resume and a potential position. Can you attach
your updated resume? We specialize in permanent Accounting/Finance and Tax
positions in Houston alhtough I a recrutiing position your background looks really good for. Your resume won't be sent anywhere without your permission.

Thanks,"

Getting this from a recruiter just continues to reinforce the notion that this industry is full of know-nothings.

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Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on July 2, 2012 at 4:28pm

spell check is your friend. :)

Agree with Bill, except I think s/he was thinking if David wasn't interested in any of the permanent Accounting/Finance and Tax positions in Houston... Oh David tell me you at least live in Houston???? :)

Bill Schultz said:

I think s/he was saying s/he had a recruiter position for you. not that it excuses the boiler plate (ness) of the pitch.

David Jaramillo said:

And the idiocy continues....

I just had to include this gem as I just got this yesterday from some sort of a "recruiter."

The email below is verbatim--and I haven't been in financial analysis for over seven years.

"Hi,
I would like to discuss your resume and a potential position. Can you attach
your updated resume? We specialize in permanent Accounting/Finance and Tax
positions in Houston alhtough I a recrutiing position your background looks really good for. Your resume won't be sent anywhere without your permission.

Thanks,"

Getting this from a recruiter just continues to reinforce the notion that this industry is full of know-nothings.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 3, 2012 at 1:32am

There is one out of irvine Ca. That sounds like snyber snoders who are working the Houston area with these goofy emails. It starts out, " the reason you are receiving this email is that you are registered on a job board, a social network or you are in our database. " It goes to everyone who has the word accounting in their profile. The position one of my candidates was contacted about this week was a staff spot. He has not been a staff accountnt since 1981.

The really tragic thing is that they gather up a candidate or two and place ome one once in a while. One can only hope that they insult enough people that eventually they will go the way of the board scrapers of years gone by, but probably not. Multi level marketing schemes have been around forever and a sucker is born very minute. The really ugly thing is they call themselves recruiters instead of email marketers.

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Permalink Reply by Raphael Fang on July 3, 2012 at 7:15pm

I even worked with a few recruiters who will call up managers and offer them with assistant roles. They just randomly call up people and hopefully one of them will be a fit.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah Calverley on July 3, 2012 at 8:36pm

And this leads me back to my tantrum from yesterday about young inexperienced recruiters running around and calling themselves 'headhunters'... This is not doing our industry any favours.

Although this instance seems so obviously stupid - this kind of stuff happens ALL the time.

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Permalink Reply by David Jaramillo on July 5, 2012 at 4:50pm

I'm in Dallas (have been for 10+ years) so I guess they get points for selecting someone from the same state? :p

Amy Ala said:

spell check is your friend. :)

Agree with Bill, except I think s/he was thinking if David wasn't interested in any of the permanent Accounting/Finance and Tax positions in Houston... Oh David tell me you at least live in Houston???? :)

Bill Schultz said:

I think s/he was saying s/he had a recruiter position for you. not that it excuses the boiler plate (ness) of the pitch.

David Jaramillo said:

And the idiocy continues....

I just had to include this gem as I just got this yesterday from some sort of a "recruiter."

The email below is verbatim--and I haven't been in financial analysis for over seven years.

"Hi,
I would like to discuss your resume and a potential position. Can you attach
your updated resume? We specialize in permanent Accounting/Finance and Tax
positions in Houston alhtough I a recrutiing position your background looks really good for. Your resume won't be sent anywhere without your permission.

Thanks,"

Getting this from a recruiter just continues to reinforce the notion that this industry is full of know-nothings.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 5, 2012 at 7:07pm

I think it can be referred to as throwing some keywords against the wall and emailing everything that comes up.

I got one from some idiot calling herself a recruiter trying to recruit me for an accounting job because i was one in 1975. I sent an email back and said, "Sorry not interested, been a recruiter since you were peeing in your pants , i have not been in accounting since before you were born and no i do not want to buy a duck either" When i clicked on the link to her webpage it had little pink hearts on it. God save me from the bimbo queens.

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Permalink Reply by Ankur Choudhary on September 12, 2012 at 2:03pm

What she did, was an exemplary act of being a schmuck and naive. just hope, she might have learnt a thing or two. Also, Question is, how much time recruiters are devoting on a resume in today's fast-paced environment?