Top 3 Reasons Why Recruiters Get a Bad Rap

The general public’s perception of recruiters and recruiting agencies is definitely not the best. Some would go as far as to say they’re referred to as “in-human” resources. Unfortunately, there are some recruiters who may fit this idea, however, not every recruiter and recruiting agency is solely out to make money off you.

Our Co-Founder, Amir, shared his thoughts on why mistrust exists in recruiting.

What Do Recruiters Actually Do?

One area of recruitment that lends itself to misinterpretation, and ultimately to bad perceptions and reputations, is what recruiters do, as well as who they actually work for. Sometimes, job seekers think that recruiters work for them, instead of the company offering the job.

“Too much mistrust exists from the candidate pool. There is actually two issues, the candidates who have mistrust over the motives of the recruiters, because obviously partly recruiters are motivated by commissions and clauses. That overrides a lot of the conversation.”

Recruiters ultimately work for the company with the job listing, paid by them to find candidates for the position. This means that recruiters will generally prioritize their time for the company, which can sometimes lead to job seekers thinking that recruiters aren’t helping them enough to find a job.

Black Holes of Communication

Oftentimes, job seekers are left hanging as the interview process continues or closes. This can result from poor communication between the hiring manager and the recruiter about interest or next steps with a candidate, or sometimes it happens due to recruiters being overworked.

Over 50% of candidates deal with frustration over not knowing where they are in the hiring process. This is where an email or a call from a recruiter can go a long way. As for the second communication fault, recruiters are often working on finding candidates for many positions at one time. This sometimes causes them to immediately move on to the next position as soon as one closes and forget about sending a follow up email with candidates.

Not getting a call or email at the close can leave a bad taste for recruiters. Fortunately, there are recruiters out there who make sure to take the time to reach out to candidates.

Lack of Value

There is also some skepticism about the value that recruiting agencies, or recruiters in general, provide.

”I do believe that they are skeptical that we provide any value. That’s actually forced Elevano to swim upstream and shout at the top of our lungs that there might be some differentiations that is of value to you guys.”

Some job seekers, especially those who have worked with some less than ideal recruiters before, may question if a recruiter will actually deliver any value. After all, they’re trusting the recruiter to be their advocate.

“As a recruitment agent or whatever your title is, if you are doing a good job and you are an advocate, and that candidate believes that you can deliver value based on being an expert in whatever it is you are representing. Then, why would they not want somebody who they are not paying to go do all the leg work, do all the set up, do all the negotiations, do all that work for them?”

In Conclusion

While recruiters and recruiting agencies often get a bad reputation with many job seekers, and just the public in general, it’s important to remember that not all recruiters are the same!

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