Here's a selection from the reader responses we received following our recent 'I Hate Recruitment Consultants' post.

1. 'The problem here is the word 'consultant'. In the world of recruitment generally, of course money is made by filling vacancies - not giving advice and guidance. However, being a consultant implies that advice will be available. This whole issue is about managing candidate expectations, and explaining to them up front everything said in the article - not simply leaving them feeling like they are a disposable commodity.

People looking for new jobs will almost always approach a recruitment consultant first, hoping for some reassurance or at least some honesty about themselves and / or their prospects. A lack of follow-up is inexcusable, unprofessional and psychologically damaging'.

2. 'I have been a professional recruiter since 1981, and I am sure there are people out there who say that I never did anything for them. Heck, I've even given free career counselling to some candidates that helped them get a job - then they ignore me, and won't return calls!

And if people aren't qualified for jobs and apply for them anyway, they seem to expect the same response as if they do have the right skills and attributes. This is unrealistic'.

3. 'I've managed to get candidates a salary uplift of 30% in one of the most difficult markets ever. And, once placed, they are perfectly happy to forget all the hard work I did for them. It works both ways!'

4. 'We used to acknowledge CVs as a matter of course, but then found ourselves wasting time getting into irrelevant dialogue. Most recruiters these days state that only those candidates that fit the bill will be contacted. Job hunters need to consider whether they meet the spec before they send in an application, and ensure that their CV reflects this. A generic cover letter (with a silly photo) is a major turn-off!'.

5. 'My biggest issue with recruiters is the way many try to find out where you have already been for job interview. It's so obvious that they only want to extract this information so that they can then cold-call the firm and try and stick in their own candidates!'.

6. 'And I hate the fictitious job ads that recruiters often post - just to get in CVs that they will then tout around the market!'.

7. 'As an HR professional, I have found that a good recruitment consultant is worth their weight in gold. They are able to give good insight into the market, and provide up-to-date compensation data. I value the recruitment consultants I use'.

8. 'Our firm gets 1,000+ e-mails a week, and it's just impossible to acknowledge every one personally. However, we do take time to prepare candidates for interview. Our industry, like any other, has both good and bad practitioners. The ones that know what they are doing stay around a long time'.

'I Hate Recruitment Consultants'

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