What happens when job recruiters go rogue?
Q: Is there a code of conduct for recruiters? I ask because I have had several less-than-positive experiences.
I've been contacted about positions that were clearly outside my area of expertise, or outside a reasonable commuting distance (for jobs in Kenosha, Wisconsin, or Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, when I live inside the Capital Beltway).
A firm in New York state took it further. Six people, or one person using six names, all calling from the same phone number, harassed me by phone and emailed me 20 times in two days for a job that was more than 100 miles away. They persisted until I threatened to report them to the Better Business Bureau and the state attorney general's office.
Karla: Although there's no official code of conduct, most recruiters are "honest, ethical and delightful to work with" when matching hard-to-find candidates with hard-to-fill jobs, says Jeremy Tolley, an HR executive with Tennessee-based health care provider CareHere. It sounds as though you've come across some unprofessional - maybe unethical - representatives of the profession.
The recruiters in the first case seem to be operating on the "spray and pray" principle, firing pitches in every direction and hoping to hit a target, says Tolley. That approach doesn't speak well of their abilities, especially when they could be using search technology to "laser target" appropriate candidates by skill set and geography. It also may be that they're desperate to fill a job and are casting the widest net possible. To dodge the spray, keep your online job-hunting profiles up-to-date and accurate, especially your job description and location, says Tolley.
As for your second example, Tolley notes that although recruiters can be persistent, a two-day barrage of calls and emails is excessive and "not a legitimate opportunity." Threatening to contact authorities was the right call.
If you've received a recruiting pitch and are trying to decide whether it's legit, Tolley says one of the top signs of an established recruiter is a "solid LinkedIn profile" that includes:
• Where the recruiter operates.
• A list of clients the recruiter has served.
• Hundreds of professional connections.
• Third-party referrals and endorsements.
Professional certifications can be a good sign but are not crucial, says Tolley.
And, of course, trust your instincts on out-of-nowhere pitches that seem too good to be true, or recruiters who are less than transparent or who demand fees, personal ID numbers or financial information. Some executive-level headhunters may work on a fee basis, but your typical recruiter's fee comes from the employer, not the recruits. The Federal Trade Commission website (ftc.gov) has more details on warning flags (search "job scams").
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PRO TIP: On LinkedIn, if you want to hear from recruiters, look under "Jobs" and "Preferences," and click the toggle switch that says "Let recruiters know you're open." Only subscribers to LinkedIn's Recruiters service will see it, and LinkedIn makes efforts - but no guarantees - to hide it from your current employer.
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Ask Karla Miller about your work dramas and traumas by emailing wpmagazine@washpost.com.