Most normal people don't know what recruiters do. Sadly, I have also encountered a disturbing number of recruiters that don't know what they themselves are doing, which is not helpful. However, it does provide grist for the storytelling mill.

Most hiring managers seem to think that we have lists of people with a variety of characteristics at our fingertips, ready to be packaged and shipped at a moments notice. Some candidates have a tendency to ring us up after an extended absence and say "What do you have for me today?" as if we have hot fresh positions baking in the oven. "Hi Frank, just let me grab my mitt, and I'll serve you up a plate of tasty jobs with a nice cold glass of milk."

This is not how our business works.

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