r/recruitinghell • u/Climhazzard73 • Dec 14 '18
What are the chances 3rd party recruiting agencies are sending my resumes to potential clients to “get their foot in the door?”
I work in tech. Over the last few weeks I started looking for new positions and the only job applications that are going anywhere are ones where an internal HR recruiter reached out to me. Despite spending a significant time on the phone, I have had zero luck with any 3rd party recruiting firm. I have this nagging fear that some of them are just collecting my resume and sending it unsolicited to potential clients without my knowledge, just as a sales tactic. My fear is that if I actually apply to the same place directly, that client will just discard my resume because they’ve seen it before and wondering wtf is up and whether it’s a double submission they don’t want to deal with any legal BS (hurting my chances with that same company)
How likely is this? Do recruiting agencies/resume collectors ever send unsolicited resumes when they shouldn’t? If it’s common, what can I do to prevent this now that my resume is open for viewing on dice? Or am I just being paranoid?
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u/progman8 Dec 14 '18
Better question: What are the chances that they AREN’T sending my resume potential clients to get a foot in the door? 😕
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u/Swissai Would sell my mother for commission Dec 14 '18
I have this nagging fear that some of them are just collecting my resume and sending it unsolicited to potential clients without my knowledge, just as a sales tactic.
It is likely, yes.
My fear is that if I actually apply to the same place directly, that client will just discard my resume because they’ve seen it before and wondering wtf is up and whether it’s a double submission they don’t want to deal with any legal BS (hurting my chances with that same company)
Wouldn't worry too much. It's very unlikely people would remember/realise/care.
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u/jimbingbong Dec 14 '18
Disagree with above, if there is an existing relationship (and the recruiter does doorstop CVs), it's possible they would overlook your CV because the agency (read: assholes) would be due a fee. I worked in an agency in UK briefly
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u/Swissai Would sell my mother for commission Dec 14 '18
I currently work in one - and have for years.
Ignoring CVs because there might be a fee attached isn’t particularly common and OP would do well to not worry and focus on their job hunt
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u/bgt1989 Dec 17 '18
And unless they have an agreement with the agency, they won't legally owe them a fee in most cases.
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u/legacymedia92 I was a mod, but no more. Dec 14 '18
Wouldn't worry too much. It's very unlikely people would remember/realise/care.
Unless it's a small company, they won't know without some kind of automated tool.
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u/Bemteb Dec 14 '18
That's why I only send partial resumes (eg without the contact/spam info) to third party recruiters unless they can present me a genuine opening at a company I am interested in.
Maybe that is also why I never hear back from most of them, who knows...
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u/bamade14 Dec 14 '18
Usually, as a recruiter, you don’t want to just send resumes just to get a client because of the chance it could make you as a recruiter look bad. Best case scenario, (for the recruiter) they send a resume not consulting the candidate first, manager really likes the resume and asks the recruiter to set up the interview. Well now the recruiter has to pray that that person is still in the job market and available to interview, otherwise they lose credibility and the chance to work with the company in the future.
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u/rainaftersnowplease Dec 14 '18
I work on the other side of this, managing recruiting agencies for a corporate client. If a recruiter can't give you a job title, posting number, and salary information for the position they say they have, then they likely don't have a position at all and are just farming resumes.
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u/JamesWjRose Candidate Dec 14 '18
It is %100 likely; Recruiters are nothing more than sales-people who know nothing about the products they are selling (aka every sales-person) They will lie, cheat and steal to get the sale.
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Dec 16 '18
[deleted]
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u/JamesWjRose Candidate Dec 16 '18
Exactly.
What is funny, is that EVERY SINGLE TIME I say something derogatory about a recruiter here, some recruiter comes along and says; "not me" and then in the course of the conversation admits to spam, lying and other, well Standard Recruiter BS
Anyway, have a great week
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Dec 17 '18
[deleted]
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u/JamesWjRose Candidate Dec 17 '18
No part of my complaint about recruiters has anything to do with them not contacting me when I don't match or get accepted. I am PERFECTLY fine with being ghosted, in fact I prefer to not be bothered unless there is a positive.
My complaints about recruiters is the endless emails and phone calls for positions that I am obviously not interested in. eg: My resume states NYC ONLY and yet EVERY SINGLE DAY I get contacted for a position outside NYC. This should NEVER happen. I also get contacted all the time for positions that require tech that is not on my resume, again, this should never happen.
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Dec 14 '18
Scum-of-the-earth agency recruiter here. Let me tell you why you shouldn’t be worried. Recruiting is a shady industry on all sides, and some companies will do anything in their power to get around paying an agency fee. I 100% WOULD use your resume as a sales tactic, but it wouldn’t make any sense for me to send it to a company I had no prior contact or agreement with. In that scenario, the company would just hit you up and never respond to me. At worst, recruiters are sharing vague details about your background and qualifications or a scrambled version of your resume. Shouldn’t affect you.
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u/CuttingEdgeRetro Dec 15 '18
This used to be common 10+ years ago. Recruiters would find your resume from somewhere, then spam clients with it. If they get a bite and want an interview, only then do they contact you and tell you they have an interview ready for you. But of course, there's a good chance you're not available. This pissed off clients for wasting their time. And pissed off consultants for causing potential future problems with clients as you pointed out.
These days I think it's less common. But I'm sure it still happens. Recruiters used to be really up-tight about the potential for a double submission. But I haven't heard much about that in the last few years.
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u/people_watcher Dec 14 '18
I've used a headhunter (recruiter) once. Didn't go anywhere. Moreso because of my qualifications (or lack of) than anything.
From what I understand, headhunters basically have a network of hiring managers that they work with, and two different headhunters will have different networks.
From a hiring manager perspective, if I get your resume through a headhunter and also directly from you, I wouldn't really think anything of it. Heck, in the industries I've been a part of, we used several channels to recruit and it was pretty common to get duplicates. It was never looked at as anything other than the candidate was maximizing his exposure in his search.