Can I apply to a job without the recruiter that told me about it?
August 1, 2019 5:47 PM Subscribe
A recruiter messaged me out of the blue for a great job! But it looks like I'll be better off doing it myself. Is that permitted, etiquette-wise?
A recruiter contacted me today about a senior-level product manager position that sounds very good. He messaged me on LinkedIn, and I indicated my interest. He then emailed me the job description and a list of questions. Three things give me pause:
1. The list of questions is extensive, will require me to write a bunch of stuff, and is usually reserved for my interactions with a hiring manager, not a recruiter.
2. All of his correspondence was littered with typos. Not the little typos that indicate rushing, but the bigger typos that mean he just might not know what he's talking about.
3. The job page on the company's site says specifically that they don't work with recruiters.
All of these things make me think my chances at the job are much higher if this guy is not representing me. But I don't know the etiquette in a situation like this. I never gave him specific authorization to represent me; I haven't communicated with him since learning about what company it's for. But I also recognize that I didn't find the job myself and that he did his job.
Does anyone have advice for how to proceed?
A recruiter contacted me today about a senior-level product manager position that sounds very good. He messaged me on LinkedIn, and I indicated my interest. He then emailed me the job description and a list of questions. Three things give me pause:
1. The list of questions is extensive, will require me to write a bunch of stuff, and is usually reserved for my interactions with a hiring manager, not a recruiter.
2. All of his correspondence was littered with typos. Not the little typos that indicate rushing, but the bigger typos that mean he just might not know what he's talking about.
3. The job page on the company's site says specifically that they don't work with recruiters.
All of these things make me think my chances at the job are much higher if this guy is not representing me. But I don't know the etiquette in a situation like this. I never gave him specific authorization to represent me; I haven't communicated with him since learning about what company it's for. But I also recognize that I didn't find the job myself and that he did his job.
Does anyone have advice for how to proceed?
Best answer: Apply to the job directly. You're under no obligation to work with this guy. He had a chance to demonstrate his value to you, and he did so effectively: it's negative.
posted by spindrifter at 6:09 PM on August 1, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by spindrifter at 6:09 PM on August 1, 2019 [8 favorites]
Best answer: 3. The job page on the company's site says specifically that they don't work with recruiters.
I don't think you really have a choice BUT to apply directly.
posted by acidnova at 6:16 PM on August 1, 2019 [14 favorites]
I don't think you really have a choice BUT to apply directly.
posted by acidnova at 6:16 PM on August 1, 2019 [14 favorites]
Best answer: He is either a con artist/scammer, or an incompetent. Ignore him with contempt, and go chase it yourself.
Good luck!
posted by GeeEmm at 6:28 PM on August 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
Good luck!
posted by GeeEmm at 6:28 PM on August 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
So my company only works with certain thoroughly vetted recruiting firms. We hiring managers often get rogue "recruiters" who try to contact us directly with "the perfect candidate," despite the fact that they haven't worked with us to find the kind of candidates we're actually looking for, and despite the fact that we have a vetting process that does not begin with the hiring manager. If the candidate hasn't gone through our basic vetting process, I'm not bothering to look at the resume. Half the time, the "recruiter" isn't even contacting the right hiring manager. They just guess based off LinkedIn info or similar.
We ignore them. They haven't gone through our processes, they don't actually know what we're looking for, we're extremely unlikely to work with them, and their candidates are never as perfect as they say. All "rogue recruiter" emails I get go straight to the trash, all voicemails get deleted unheard.
Apply for the job. Don't reply to the "recruiter."
posted by erst at 9:50 PM on August 1, 2019
We ignore them. They haven't gone through our processes, they don't actually know what we're looking for, we're extremely unlikely to work with them, and their candidates are never as perfect as they say. All "rogue recruiter" emails I get go straight to the trash, all voicemails get deleted unheard.
Apply for the job. Don't reply to the "recruiter."
posted by erst at 9:50 PM on August 1, 2019
From a karma standpoint I’d say he’s due a low-amount anonymous Starbucks gift card if you wind up taking the job. Nothing more, definitely not you as a client.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:54 PM on August 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:54 PM on August 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
If it turns out to be a good job, I would even go one up on the Starbuck's gift card. But yeah, you do not want him representing you here. You do, I think, have a small obligation to give your "friend" a kickback for a very useful bit of work.
posted by Meatbomb at 1:56 AM on August 2, 2019
posted by Meatbomb at 1:56 AM on August 2, 2019
3. The job page on the company's site says specifically that they don't work with recruiters.
When you see this written on a job posting, it is saying that the company won't accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters they don't already have a relationship with. It's entirely possible (and very likely these days) that the company has a set of recruiters they work with regularly. What's not clear from your post is if the recruiter who approached you is one of those.
The list of questions is extensive, will require me to write a bunch of stuff, and is usually reserved for my interactions with a hiring manager, not a recruiter.
Hard to judge if this is a reasonable ask without more detailed information, but part of the role of an external recruiter is to clear through a lot of this stuff so that the candidates that are passed on all clear the bar. If a recruiter is passing on a lot of duds, they're not doing their job.
I never gave him specific authorization to represent me; I haven't communicated with him since learning about what company it's for. But I also recognize that I didn't find the job myself and that he did his job.
Let's assume he's legitimately working on behalf of this company. In that case, he identified you as a potential candidate, approached you about the role, and initiated your awareness in the role. Given that, his contact with the company will state that he is entitled to compensation if you go ahead and apply to the job.
Because of that, some companies will refuse to engage with you if you apply directly. Best case, they'll work with you, but at some point the recruiter will fill them in on what happened and that won't be a great early impression for you in the workplace.
If you're interested in the job, your best course of action would be to go back to the recruiter and explicitly ask them about their relationship with the company and if they're working for them on this search. If they are, ask to have a call with them to learn more about the role before you take the time to submit the information they're requesting - you might even be able to give it over the phone.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:15 AM on August 2, 2019 [5 favorites]
When you see this written on a job posting, it is saying that the company won't accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters they don't already have a relationship with. It's entirely possible (and very likely these days) that the company has a set of recruiters they work with regularly. What's not clear from your post is if the recruiter who approached you is one of those.
The list of questions is extensive, will require me to write a bunch of stuff, and is usually reserved for my interactions with a hiring manager, not a recruiter.
Hard to judge if this is a reasonable ask without more detailed information, but part of the role of an external recruiter is to clear through a lot of this stuff so that the candidates that are passed on all clear the bar. If a recruiter is passing on a lot of duds, they're not doing their job.
I never gave him specific authorization to represent me; I haven't communicated with him since learning about what company it's for. But I also recognize that I didn't find the job myself and that he did his job.
Let's assume he's legitimately working on behalf of this company. In that case, he identified you as a potential candidate, approached you about the role, and initiated your awareness in the role. Given that, his contact with the company will state that he is entitled to compensation if you go ahead and apply to the job.
Because of that, some companies will refuse to engage with you if you apply directly. Best case, they'll work with you, but at some point the recruiter will fill them in on what happened and that won't be a great early impression for you in the workplace.
If you're interested in the job, your best course of action would be to go back to the recruiter and explicitly ask them about their relationship with the company and if they're working for them on this search. If they are, ask to have a call with them to learn more about the role before you take the time to submit the information they're requesting - you might even be able to give it over the phone.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:15 AM on August 2, 2019 [5 favorites]
Seconding erst. And, what's worse, when you give your resume to these types (in Word .DOC format, of course, no PDF please!), they start to edit it and spray it all over town trying to get some traction with various companies. I'd avoid all contact with this recruiter.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:09 AM on August 2, 2019
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:09 AM on August 2, 2019
Do what gives you the best shot at landing an interview. Recruiters could be scrambling, but if they have a connection you could get an interview much faster than you would on your own. So I second asking the recruiter clearly what their standing is with the company, have they sent candidates lately to be interviewed there, have they placed anyone at the company recently or in the past.
Ask the purpose of all the info they're seeking from you and judge based on their reply before you share your resume. Having recently dealt with recruiters but taking a job that I had sought on my own, it's my sense that recruiters have a vague sense of the field they are recruiting for, some overview, some buzz words... so while he should have been more rigorous in his communication with you - recruiters are middlemen, and often don't have the polish of even the company's own HR.
I wouldn't give up on him without talking a bit more, and then if it feels like they're out of their depth, go it alone. Good Luck!
posted by whatdoyouthink? at 12:42 PM on August 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
Ask the purpose of all the info they're seeking from you and judge based on their reply before you share your resume. Having recently dealt with recruiters but taking a job that I had sought on my own, it's my sense that recruiters have a vague sense of the field they are recruiting for, some overview, some buzz words... so while he should have been more rigorous in his communication with you - recruiters are middlemen, and often don't have the polish of even the company's own HR.
I wouldn't give up on him without talking a bit more, and then if it feels like they're out of their depth, go it alone. Good Luck!
posted by whatdoyouthink? at 12:42 PM on August 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
3. The job page on the company's site says specifically that they don't work with recruiters.
This is your answer. Apply directly. The recruiter is a bottom feeder trying to scrape a commission out of a company that wants nothing to do with them.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:29 PM on August 2, 2019
This is your answer. Apply directly. The recruiter is a bottom feeder trying to scrape a commission out of a company that wants nothing to do with them.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:29 PM on August 2, 2019
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posted by General Malaise at 6:05 PM on August 1, 2019 [5 favorites]