We get it. Most recruiters can be annoying. The industry tends to be viewed unfavorably, until you actually need a solid recruiter on your side. It’s usually at this crucial crossroad for a candidate to scramble for that voicemail or email they had ignored from recruiters months earlier. As you find begin to work with recruiters to find your dream job, heed the warnings below. You may be pissing off your recruiter without even knowing it.

 

10. Ignore them.

Whether a recruiter is in-house (corporate) or works for a third party, companies pay a hefty sum to have the best recruiters in their back pocket. Recruiters are paid for the power of their personal and professional networks. Is there a specific hiring manager you really want to meet? Your recruiter most likely knows them both personally and professionally. Did you ignore all those calls and emails from your recruiter months earlier? Good luck having that recruiter vouch for you when you are ready to move forward. Take the calls and start building a relationship now.

 

9. Think of your recruiter as a traditional HR Generalist

In many recruiting circles you will hear disdain that the recruiting industry has for traditional human resource generalists. Why? Recruiters are salespeople. They are cut from a different cloth. They hate compliance and the best recruiters are in the business for one reason only: the thrill and hunt of getting a position filled. Why does this matter? Recruiters have the ability to sell you super hard, or they can ignore you. It’s all about how you treat them and the relationship you have built with them.

 

8. Not sharing your salary.

Think of your recruiter as a career version of a therapist. They are there to help you. Recruiters honestly could care less how tied your ego is to your salary. What they care about is filling the position. 98% of companies have set salary ranges, and recruiters know the ranges and what it will take to push those ranges to the maximum. Not sharing your salary may result in your recruiter not working with you at all. Don’t hide information from your recruiter, as they will eventually find out. Transparency is the key to your relationship.

 

7.Talk down to your recruiter.

We get it. You are the best software engineer that Facebook or Tesla has ever seen and no one knows your skills better than you do. You are a little precious snowflake. Guess what? Recruiters don’t care. You may be the expert in software engineering, but recruiters are the best in filling software engineer positions. No matter the industry, recruiters don’t need to know how to code, file an international tax form, or put together a complex SEO campaign to be the expert in placing you. Mind your words and remember that your recruiter is an expert, too.

 

6. Rely solely on a recruiter to find you a job.

So you are ready to find a new job and you reach out to a recruiter, maybe even two. You feel like you have shared with them everything they need to work on your behalf. Then, you stop hearing from them. Rookie mistake. Recruiters are not responsible for your job search. Recruiters are one tool in your toolbox. Recruiters are paid by companies to find the best fit and are not paid by candidates. If you are not a current fit for their openings, you may not hear from them. Use your recruiter as a one of many resources, but not your only source.

 

5. Be unavailable.

Once you have established a relationship with your recruiter, being unavailable will set a recruiter off! Don’t a job search unless you are willing to answer your phone and make time for interviews. The majority of recruiters will talk with you before or after hours, but you have to be available. Establish your availability during your initial meetings with recruiters so they can work with you. Under no circumstances should you go ‘ghost’ on your recruiter.

 

4. Lose your mind in an interview.

The fastest way to get black balled in the recruiting industry is to lose your mind and do something dumb or highly unprofessional in your interview. Your recruiter has a long standing relationship with any hiring manager you are meeting with, but that relationship is also very fragile. If you act out, curse, dress unprofessionally, cry, over do the cologne, bring up religion or politics, or fall asleep in an interview, consider yourself done. Recruiters know their clients and will remind you of social graces and best practices before your interview. Remember you are representing more than just yourself in an interview.

 

3. Miss your interview.

As a continuation of “losing your mind”, is the inevitable, missing your interview behavior that will set recruiters on fire! In the age of technology, there is no reason not to contact your recruiter if something comes up and you can’t make your interview. Recruiters get it. People are the most unreliable product on earth. Life happens and things come up. Let your recruiter know so they can salvage the interview for you and work on your behalf. No shows and no calls will put you on the blacklist and it’s hard to come off that list.

 

2. Play games at the offer stage.

This is a tricky one as many recruiters have different styles during the offer stage. Some like to start high and play the negotiating game. Others don’t engage in bidding wars.  Either way, if you begin to become wishy washy, change your mind, or have not been honest once the offer arrives, you are guaranteed to lose the offer. Remember, that no matter what the closing strategy is, your recruiter is a skilled negotiator and sales person. They can work for you or against you. At this crucial stage, you always want to be on the same page as your recruiter. Communication is key.

 

1. Accept an offer and not show up.

The cardinal sin. Just don’t do this. Recruiters understand that people change their minds or life happens preventing you from taking a role. Communicate with your recruiter BEFORE your start date…like weeks before, not the day before. Once you accept an offer and finish paperwork, your new employer begins  to prepare for your arrival. Accepting and not showing up will not only burn a bridge with the company, but will also burn a bridge that can never be repaired for you and your recruiter. Respect yourself, your recruiter, and the employer by allowing them enough time to find a suitable replacement weeks before your target start date. Or better yet, don’t accept an offer if you can’t make the commitment.