I hate recruiters, even though I am one

Don’t get me wrong — I love my job. I find it extremely fulfilling that I get to help people. I get to help companies and business owners who are struggling to grow. I get to help candidates stuck in a dead-end job or desperate jobseekers find their dream role.

With a job fully devoted to helping people, you’d think my profession would be widely viewed as an honorable one. But usually, when I tell people I’m a recruiter, they have a negative impression of what I do. And I don’t blame them — there are tons of examples of bad recruiters out there.

Sometimes I feel like a lawyer or a used-car salesman trying to convince others, “No, I’m really one of the good ones.” The profession has been tainted, and it needs a reformation — a come-to-Jesus moment.

Anyone else agree?

When Clients Lose Faith

I hate recruiters. I recently reached out to a client with a great candidate. I didn’t hear from him for several weeks, even though I called, texted, and emailed. I actually started to worry about him — he’s usually pretty responsive.

He eventually got back to me and said he was giving up on recruiters altogether. He had two recent experiences that left him $65,000 in the hole, with no new employees to show for it. Those recruiters wouldn’t stand by their candidates or even try to do the right thing to make him whole.

My heart went out to him. I offered to help him navigate and cancel all of his contracts — including my own — to make sure he wouldn’t be on the hook for any future recruiter fees.

A couple of months later, he set up a call with me and gave me two new job orders. What happened?

He told me a story I had completely forgotten about. Apparently, a past hire I introduced him to decided to leave after just a couple of weeks. He had already put the check in the mail and was calling me to negotiate a solution. As he tells it, I told him not to worry about it and that I’d rip up the check.

I didn’t even remember doing that, but apparently, it meant the world to him.

Recruiters — if you’re like the ones who destroyed his trust, it’s time to change. Stand by your hires, get rid of the predatory portions of your contracts, and take care of your clients.

When Candidates Get Burned

I hate recruiters. I got off the phone with a candidate and was so mad at the story he told me.

At the end of our call, I asked if he’d be willing to share his resume with me, as I always do. He was apprehensive.
“You won’t share this with my current employer, will you?” he asked.

I thought this question was absurd (of course I won’t!), but apparently, to him, it was necessary to ask. He told me the last recruiter he worked with was so sloppy that they took his resume and shopped it around to a generic list of companies — including his own. He almost lost his job because he trusted that recruiter.

Recruiters — if this is you, it’s time to change. You’re dealing with people’s livelihoods at a particularly fragile point in their careers. It’s no joke.

When Candidates Become Commodities

I hate recruiters. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sent an exclusive candidate to a client who said, to my surprise, that they already had that person’s resume from another recruiter.

I make it a point to tell candidates which firms I’m introducing them to —

1. because I want to make sure they’re even interested in the company first, and
   
   

2. because I want to make sure they’ve never directly applied or been submitted before.
   
   

Who are these recruiters taking people’s resumes and blasting them on the open market without the consent of the candidate?

What if they don’t like the company’s reputation? What if their ex-girlfriend works there? What if they’ve already had a history with that company and your submission creates unnecessary embarrassment?

Recruiters — if this is you, it’s time to change. Take the extra step and get consent. You’re reducing a real person down to a resume — a piece of paper — without preferences, agency, or decision-making ability.

The Bottom Line

I hate recruiters.

But I love recruiting.

Because when done right, this job is about people — about trust, relationships, and helping others grow. The industry doesn’t need to be defined by carelessness, greed, or shortcuts. It needs to be redefined by integrity, empathy, and accountability.

So to my fellow recruiters:
Stand by your work.
Protect your candidates.
Respect your clients.

It’s time to change.