The hardest part about being a recruiter in times like these is how many people you aren’t able to help. Everyone and their dog hears that you are a recruiter and wants to come to you and magically and mysteriously be given a job. With unemployment at over 10%, I wish I had a magic suitcase full of jobs to give to friends and acquaintances and your mom’s friend’s sister-in-law, but I don’t. Even worse are the folks that don’t take my advice. Many times, I have nothing on the horizon for Random Person A or I don’t recruit anywhere near their industry. What I try to do: give them the name of a good recruiter that DOES work in their industry, broker an introduction, and give them job search tips. They usually include special local networking groups, the names of companies that I do know to be hiring, and maybe a resume critique.
What burns my ass is people who either:
a. don’t listen/accept the advice and then complain
b. call me everyday like I’m their Jerry Maguire and I’m going to Show Them the Money
c. email me for advice on minutiae and then call my office if I don’t answer them within an 8 hour work day.
I know the recession sucks. Trust me, I know. But people are getting more aggressive and angrier. Career coaches tell people to follow up with phone calls. Do you know how many phone calls I get a day? Old school job seekers think it’s acceptable to just show up with a resume to “see if you have some time to talk.”
This has been going on since at least July of 2008. I’m tired of it. I want the good old days of super low unemployment. I want to have to track you down. I don’t want you to be stressed. I don’t want you to call me everyday. I want all the good people of the US gainfully employed, buying overpriced trucks, eating at Chili’s, and maxing out credit cards.