If you think that recruiters help you to find a job, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you: executive search firms and recruitment companies find candidates for jobs -- they do not find jobs for candidates. May I say, don't shoot the messenger please (read: me).
When you call or email a recruiter, and ask if we can help you find a job, we can only do so if one of our clients has a job opening that matches your experience and skill set. Recruiters have to be focused on their clients' needs. That is how the business works.
I do apologise if I am just stating the obvious, but trust me, most people have no clue about how executive search firms work. And why should they? Once upon a time, I was an ordinary candidate who experienced almost every job search faux pas in the book.
You can imagine the surprise and increased frustration that grew inside me, when I was on the other side of the table (some 15-20 years ago before joining the world of executive search). No headhunter wanted to talk to me when I called. They didn't return calls when I left messages with an assistant or on voice mail. Nobody bothered to answer emails either. Aaarrrgghhh!
Nowadays, anyone can get into the Thai recruitment business. Every Tom, Dick and Harry calls themselves a headhunter, even if all they do is shopping on the internet and in their database. It's the kind of small agencies who invite you to a hotel lobby or Starbucks because they operate from home or a small office space. Oh well!
It's annoying to say, but professional and experienced recruiters are competing with recruiters who should not even be in the business.
Hang-up reason 1: Professional recruiters are those that give their name
If the person who calls you is saying: "I'm calling from Blue Sky Recruitment Company; are you looking for a job?", hang-up. Real recruiters are not afraid of immediately introducing themselves by name and company. Even with mobile, web site and email.
Hang-up reason 2: Rude and aggressive recruiter
You may be spammed or you may be just a number that some lazy junior recruiter found on LinkedIn. Perhaps someone who has to get your resume to make the KPI for registered resumes in their database. Hang-up, don't choose someone who is rude and aggressive. You have to vet the recruiters who call you.
Hang-up reason 3: Perhaps there is a job -- perhaps not!
If the recruiter is not able to present the details of a real job opening, department size or reporting structure, or not able to talk about their client's industry, the client's nationality, staff size, location etc., hang-up. A professional recruiter will have no problem providing you with this information. If no detailed information can be shared on the spot, it's a bogus call and you should end the call.
Hang-up reason 4: Protect your resume as if it was your ID card
If the recruiter is asking for your resume or CV before you are sure who is calling, and I mean the caller's name and company, their website and email, hang-up. If the caller asks for your resume before presenting details of a job opportunity, and by the way a job that appears attractive to your future career, hang-up.
Trust me: many recruiters calling you may not even have a real job or client on hand. The call is merely to pretend, so they can get your resume and perhaps names of your friends and colleagues.
Hang-up because the recruiter may not have anything but is simply trying to reach the daily target for new resumes. There isn't and has never been, a job opportunity for you. You are just a part of a numbers game.
Hang-up reason 5: Why should I consider your client's job?
If the recruiter calling you cannot answer that question, why should you consider their client's job opportunity? Don't waste your time on an amateur. If you are in the mood, tell them to prepare better and call you back again.
Or just hang-up because real professionals can define and present their clients' Employee Value Proposition (EVP) with the snap of a finger. They can tell you about the real needs and clarify job expectations. They can answer questions like: why someone would come and work for their client; why people come to work at the client's company; and why they stay.
Hang-up reason 6: What about your LinkedIn profile?
If the recruiter is asking if you have a LinkedIn profile (and assuming you have one). Hang-up because it's part of the recruiter's background check to see if you are on LinkedIn, Facebook or the internet in some form.
Hang-up reason 7: Meeting at Starbucks for the interview
If the recruiter suggests meeting you at a coffee shop or in a hotel lobby, that should start alarm bells ringing in your head, hang-up because the person may operate a shoe-string recruitment business from their own bedroom or from an office far away from the central business district.
Believe me, you don't want to sit in a public space and share your career and personal details. Ask for more details about the caller, the company, website and address.
Hang-up reason 8: What is your salary?
Junior recruiters are often the first people to get in touch with you. They have a form from their manager to fill in for further vetting. One of these boxes would be to get your compensation details to check if you are too cheap or too expensive for whatever job they have on hand.
Hang-up because a professional headhunter will never start a conversation about your career in that manner. And you are welcome to ask what kind of budget their client gave them. Yes, clients do.
Author: Tom Sorensen is a Partner at Boyden Thailand, a global Top 10 executive search firm. Contact tsorensen@boyden.com and learn more on www.boyden.co.th
Series Editor: Christopher F. Bruton is Executive Director of Dataconsult Ltd, chris@dataconsult.co.th. Dataconsult's Thailand Regional Forum provides seminars and extensive documentation to update business on future trends in Thailand and in the Mekong Region.
