'I hate recruitment consultants'. That's a familiar refrain these days. We seem to get many readers sending in details of bad experiences they claim to have suffered at the hands of a 'useless' recruiter.

The most common gripes seem to centre around the lack of acknowledgement of cvs, little or no feedback after a job interview, and failure to return candidate update calls or e-mails.

But let me tell you (and I know this from personal experience), it's just as tough being a recruiter as it is being a candidate looking for a job. You often hear bankers these days complain about bonus bashing, yet many bankers have made a career out of slagging-off recruiters who, for the most part, are working hard and operate under intense pressure to satisfy demanding clients - and even more demanding bosses. I don't know many people who go into recruitment by choice - and with good reason; it's one of the toughest jobs in the world (especially to do it right). And the emotional highs and lows can be very hard to cope with too.

And remember before you sound off - a recruitment consultant has a vested interest in placing candidates. It's no use bombarding a recruiter with telephones calls or e-mails demanding to know why you haven't been contacted about jobs. If that recruiter has a job with your name on it, believe me, he or she will be in touch. Every placement a recruiter makes translates into money which ends up in his or her back pocket. So, if you're not getting calls about open positions, either you are registered with a recruiter who doesn't access that many jobs in your area of expertise, or you are not as placeable (in this market) as you think.

Don't be fooled. Recruitment consultants are generally not your 'friends', although they may make you feel like one - especially if you have a decent CV. In the main, they are there to do a job. They are there to be productive, and to make money. There's nothing wrong expecting them to be professional in their dealings with you, but you are being naive if you think that recruiters have the time to respond to every call and every e-mail. And feedback for candidates following an unsuccessful job interview ? Most recruiters will pass this on when they receive some from the client. But the reality is, most clients are not very good at providing it (or can't be bothered), so candidates need to accept that they simply didn't make it through.

Want some feedback on your interview technique ? You probably won't get much from the recruitment process (the internet is full of good advice). Get over it and move on to the next opportunity (they say practice makes perfect). Need some counselling ? Go see a social worker! Want a new best buddy ? Go join Facebook! Want a new job ? Stay positive, and stop blaming the recruiters!

Reader Comment

1. 'As someone with over 25 years experience in recruitment, I echo many of the comments, although there is no excuse for not returning telephone calls or e-mails. Feedback is notoriously difficult to get. Most clients just say that there was 'someone better'!'.

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