Are Recruiters a Necessary Evil or Necessary at All?

We’re looking for someone with the wisdom of a 50-year old, the experience of a 40-year old, the drive of a 30-year old and the pay scale of a 20-year old.

Randy Glasbergen

The quote above is funny but true. We live in a society where we want everything for nothing and this applies to talent as well. I can’t tell you how many job descriptions I’ve seen with a laundry list of required skills that would make the mind reel. But, the catch is that they only ask for 2 – 3 years experience. Of course this just isn’t possible but it’s fair warning that they’re only going to pay the wage of an entry level position and they’re hoping that you’re desperate enough to accept it.

Recruiters used to be professionals in every sense of the word. Now most of them are no more than order takers (my apologies to the few really good recruiters out there). If they think they can make a quick buck from placing you they’ll hunt you down like a dog but otherwise good luck trying to get a call back or God forbid some professional courtesy. Many have little to no understanding about the jobs they’re recruiting for and when they review resumes they have a list of requirements and they just tick off the boxes. If you’ve used exactly the words they’re looking for on your resume and there are enough ticks, they’ll call you for a phone interview which more often than not is a complete and utter waste of time. Based on the number of ticks on your resume and if they liked you (or not) during the phone interview they will or won’t pass your resume onto the hiring manager. Given the quality of recruiters I’ve seen over the years I’d say that the industry is in desperate need of a major overhaul. The amount of good people that are passed over due to ignorance is staggering. How often have you heard someone comment on the fact that they applied for a job that was a perfect fit and never got a call? And when they reached out to the recruiter they never had a response.

Considering the piss-poor job most recruiters are doing, what do we need them for? A computer can check the resumes against the keywords. And believe me, those phone interviews accomplish nothing. So let’s get rid of recruiters, save a lot of money and let’s start paying the talent what they’re really worth.  

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