Cient 'Stealing' Resumes

Has anyone every encountered a corporate hiring authority passing on your candidate only to put them in their ATS system and contact that candidate 3 months later through an e-blast?

This seems to be happening more and more and I wanted to see if anyone else out there was experiencing the same issue.

Besides calling the hiring manager on the carpet and listening to every "i didn't know speech" is anyone doing anything out there to STOP this?

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Permalink Reply by Ryan Leary on October 29, 2012 at 1:22pm

Good luck. I know it's part of the business but not sure how you can avoid it all the way through outside of not working with them.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on October 29, 2012 at 2:27pm

First things first. You're using the term "client" here. Are they a client? Or is this a company who has OK'd you to send some resumes?

If this is a client - I'd be shocked. This sounds like a company who is not interested in becoming a client.

But I'll skip that topic for the moment. I send ONE resume. If it's not the right one - I need to know why. I"ll then take another pass - and introduce ONE more. By this time you'll know if there is cooperation and a building relationshipo on the table or not. If not (and that is what I'm sensing here) - move on.

I can't recall any time I"ve ever forced a company to become an actual client. (By the way - client, to me, means a company that has done business with me resulting in a check made out in my name.)

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Permalink Reply by Robert Krzak on October 29, 2012 at 2:51pm

Jerry,

Thanks for your reply. To answer your question, this is an actual client who we've made money on for several years. Its becoming a practice for the resumes we send, to be sucked up into their ATS system and contacted several months later without the recruiters knowledge.

I guess my questions is there a product that prohibits a resume from being imported into a 'clients' (i know that you don't prefer that word) ATS system. After speaking with over 20+ fellow agency owners and recruiters, we know that a vast majority of clients pad their ATS system with the resumes we send.

Thanks again.

Jerry Albright said:

First things first. You're using the term "client" here. Are they a client? Or is this a company who has OK'd you to send some resumes?

If this is a client - I'd be shocked. This sounds like a company who is not interested in becoming a client.

But I'll skip that topic for the moment. I send ONE resume. If it's not the right one - I need to know why. I"ll then take another pass - and introduce ONE more. By this time you'll know if there is cooperation and a building relationshipo on the table or not. If not (and that is what I'm sensing here) - move on.

I can't recall any time I"ve ever forced a company to become an actual client. (By the way - client, to me, means a company that has done business with me resulting in a check made out in my name.)

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Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on October 29, 2012 at 4:45pm

Huh. As a client who's currently working with an agency to fill a tough position in Chicago - I have not added any of the three candidates to our ATS and won't until we pick one. Then it will only be so I can send an offer letter. He'll be working here and the agency will be paid - we'll "own" the candidate as much as you can in that situation...

Then again I consider my ATS to be a necessary evil and not a place I actually want to put people unless I absolutely have to. It's not a CRM (sadly).

At the very least to echo what Jerry said - It's a client that doesn't seem to be all that interested in staying a client.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on October 29, 2012 at 4:50pm

You're working on a position - in my neighborhood - and I've not been called? Is this really happening? Oh my.

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Permalink Reply by Ryan Leary on October 29, 2012 at 4:53pm

Jerry she only works with trusted and qualified recruiters.

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Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on October 29, 2012 at 4:59pm

LOL Jerry not sure it's in your "wheelhouse" - call me. :)

Ryan, if it was up to me, of course I would have picked Jerry! The agency (gasp!) approached the hiring manager directly. Luckily I'm secure enough to not take offense.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on October 29, 2012 at 5:01pm

For future reference - our wheel house is: anything.

(Our sourcing/recruiting team is quite possibly better than any in the country.....)

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on October 29, 2012 at 5:02pm

P.S. I'm kind of at the stage in my career where I don't call anybody any more. If I'm needed - the call comes to me. :)

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Permalink Reply by Greg White on October 30, 2012 at 11:25am

Hi Robert,

I am assuming that you have a written agreement with your client, right? Shouldn't it state how long a candidate is considered "yours". In the past I've typically had 6 month to 1 year window where if I wanted to approach a candidate that a search firm has presented, for the original or a new position, I'd have to go through my contact at the firm. After that though the candidate is fair game.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Krzak on October 30, 2012 at 12:51pm

Greg,

Thanks for your response. Yes we do have a one year agreement but unfortunately that doesn't stop the client from throwing that resume inside their ATS and contacting them before the agreement is up.

Just need to find more honest clients (if there is such a thing!)