Ten Ways to Piss off your Recruiter

As an Employer:

Saying the job needs to be filled asap when the following week your closing the order (Wait till you call me next time with a really urgent request).
Giving the same job to 5 or more other search firms (Everyones’ going to try so hard).
Not allowing the recruiter to talk to the hiring manager (What are we in kindergarten).
Trying to haggle me down to bottom feeder status (Working for peanuts does not work for me or for you).
Not providing me with a proper job spec, information or the right understanding of the political and internal sensitivities of this search (When I get crapped on so will you. So man up).

As a Candidate:

Not calling me back during the offer process (Do you really want the job or where you lying earlier?)
Fudging your credentials, especially late in the process (Did you think I would’nt find out?)
Not telling me about competing offers while leading me on about this opportunity being exactly what you want (I am here to help you, so why shoot me in the back).
Not taking my advice during an interview (Do you really think I am trying to sabotage you).
Telling your friends you found the job on Twitter (Right as if anyone believes you).

For more on Francois Guay and AttackDefendDisrupt:

Comment by Brian K. Johnston on October 4, 2011 at 3:14pm: Yep, Knowing We Control Our Own Destiny In This Life (Recruiting) You Choose To Qualify Until Your Blue In The Face, And Your Ability To Say... "No Thanks, Perhaps We Can Work In The Future In More Mutually Beneficial Circumstances". Best to ALL, Brian-

Comment by John Comyn on October 5, 2011 at 3:22am: My employer pet hates. They know what the candidate's break point is because they have been told. The offer arrives and it is substantially less.

Missinformation around the interview process - the candidate arrives to find judge & jury waiting to interrogate him/her when intitially they were told (by me) it would be the HR manager & the person they will report to. Oh and there is always 1 in every 4 ball ... trust me!

Comment by Francois Guay on October 5, 2011 at 7:45am: I do hate it when the employer changes who is interviewing the candidate and does not update me. This can throw a pretty good curve ball to the candidate. I try to get them ready for just about anyone but sometimes someone gets invited that is a major surprise.

Comment by New Negotiator on October 6, 2011 at 4:24am: This is all very interesting, and everyone gets to complain and tell war stories. But...there is a problem.

The problem is all of you are placing yourself at the center of the issue at hand. If client service is your priority, if doing the best you can for whomever you're working for is why you get up in the morning, they take yourself out of center, move to the edges, and put the focus where focus belongs. Be professional, do your job, and stuff the rest because it doesn't matter.

Comment by Molly Haefele on October 6, 2011 at 9:54am: Love it! Have experienced several of these situations. Thanks for posting. Made my day and reminded me that I am not the only one!!

Comment by Elizabeth Kaufman on October 6, 2011 at 10:03am: I read the post by New Negotiator and although I agree with his overall sentiment (gotta have thick skin in this biz) sometimes it just plain helps to VENT periodically with your fellow recruiters. Once that's out of the way, then I find it much easier to focus on the task at hand. If I let those things fester, then I'm in trouble with respect to being at my best with both client and candidate.

Comment by New Negotiator on October 6, 2011 at 10:37am: Hi John- How successfully can you argue that to your client? How effectively are you able to open your client's vision concerning what you'll be doing, how difficult it is etc?

I'd argue that once they "see" the problem from some other perspective besides their own, they are more willing to cooperate with you. But first, you need to see it from their perspective. Argue your points in their world, not from in own. It's the difference in perception between professional and self-serving.

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