The original message from the recruiter:
Inmail: (name withheld)
Subject: IMMEDIATE OPENING
I came across your profile and was also wondering if you were in the job market or open to new opportunities? Below is a job description for a Practitioner / Jr. Project Manager with Application Development experience. If you’re interested please contact me at your earliest convenience, feel free to pass along my contact information as well if you might know someone in the market. Thanks again and I look forward to hearing from you.
[Company name withheld] has exciting opportunities available for Practitioner / Jr. Project Managers to help assist upper management manage application development projects. Work in a formal PMO that has set standards and procedures.
[…position details…]
The recruiter received my response:
The recipient declined your InMail for the following reason:
You lost me at “If you’re interested please contact me at your earliest convenience, feel free to pass along my contact information as well if you might know someone in the market.”
I’m not here to help you fill a position. If a recruiter is going to contact me, I want a clear indication that I’m a match for the position, or it’s not worth my time.
And I got this:
Subject: For Your Information
Sarah,
obviously you didn’t see the job description below for the Project Manager role. But with an attitude like yours please disregard the message because you would NOT be someone I’d consider working with. But if you happen to have a colleague who has a better attitude please feel free to pass along my contact information.
To which I responded:
If you want someone to take time to answer you, don’t start with “someone like you would work, too”. If you had started with what a strong candidate I am, or what a great work environment it is, or that you have other clients and would love to start a relationship, this conversation would be going differently. This isn’t about my “attitude”, it’s about your way of approaching someone with experience.
And then the recruiter sent this message:
I never said “someone like you would work, too”. So I’m not sure where you got that from. And after reviewing your profile and your resume, the average duration that you’ve held a job was 4 months…..So to be perfectly honest with you, I probably wouldn’t have proceeded. Thanks and goodbye.
And this epic exchange ended with my response:
You said “feel free to pass this on” which is the same thing. And for the record, I was [a] consultant while staying home with my kids, and 3 of my last “jobs” totaled over 5 years for the same employer. You want a person who keeps getting called back 😉
And I haven’t heard from this recruiter since.
What peeves me about this exchange:
- This opportunity is too similar to what I’m already doing.
- This recruiter asked me name qualified, interested candidates and share my contacts. Wait, doesn’t that make me a recruiter?
- When I shared specific feedback, the recruiter insulted me–followed by a repeat request for access to my contacts.
- Who admits they had not reviewed a contact’s public profile/history?
These are my suggestions for how the newbie recruiters might consider approaching someone who already has a place in the market.
- Be professional. You’ve contacted someone without an invitation. Make sure your approach is respectful and consistently polite. If things go south, as in every other part of life, let the other guy be the jerk (you’ll look better when the exchange is through).
- Be relevant. Read a target’s profile, not just their title, in considering whether they’re a match for a position. Don’t expect someone to make a lateral move (to another job that is essentially the same role or level).
- Do the footwork. Do not (as in ever) ask someone you don’t know for their contacts, or for a referral. This breaks all the rules of referrals, which is are supposed to be based on mutual knowledge and trust. Referring someone you don’t know is a great way to ruin your reputation, and referrals that are gained this way are essentially empty.
- Connect the dots. A stranger with a profile on a social network is not an applicant, this is someone you’re identifying as a potential match for the placement. Make sure they’re a strong candidate before you make contact, and share specifics about what makes them a good fit. No one wants to be on the receiving end of a copy-and-paste rampage, so make it worth their time.
- Be enthusiastic. Talk up the opportunity, rather than relaying a laundry lists of responsibilities. People want to join something, and the idea of a great place finding you is irresistible. A great recruiter knows that, and creates that scenario for the people they contact.
(* I’m not looking.)
This Plumber's Daughter 