10 red flags you’re dealing with a ‘black

sheep’ recruiter

# 1

Posting misleading job descriptions

# 1 This is one of the most common

forms of abuse. Hiring professionals who post a job description for a legitimate position for a client, but spruce

up some of the information to entice candidates

For example, a recruiter will inflate the salary/compensation portion of the job

description or inflate the job responsibilities while dumbing down the job requirements.

So , if you are at selection stage , ask for the

original Job description to double check.

Posting

misleading job descriptions

# 2 Posting

decoy-and-switch job descriptions

# 2 Posting

decoy-and-switch job descriptions

Hiring Professionals who advertise jobs that do not exist or are already filled

just to receive resumes from job seekers that they can add to their database.

This is very similar to a tactic that real estate

brokers use to lure potential buyers.

# 3 Cold calling and pressuring low level employees

# 3 Cold calling and pressuring low level employees

Hiring professionals who call low level employees at a company and pressure them to pass the caller along to a hiring manager at the company. This is the poorest of business development skills but not uncommon with desperate professionals who need to meet their recruiting targets.

# 4 Pressuring job seekers into interviews

# 4 Pressuring job seekers into interviews

Pressuring a candidate into interviews that they don't want to go on tends to happen when you deal with recruiters under target pressure or time stress to present suitable candidates. Sure, job seekers should stand up to them and say, "I’m not interested in that job" but when a recruiter responds, "I'm not going to put you in front of <company> unless you go to this interview," job seekers may give in. So if you encounter this sort of situation back away, it’s not a job opportunity!

# 5 Recruiting the referees

of a job seeker

# 5 Recruiting the referees

of a job seeker Hiring professionals who request references from job seekers and recruit those references Later, job seekers learn from their references that their recruiter pressured them for resumes to send to clients, sometimes for the exact job the original job seeker was up for! Particularly popular practise with ‘rookie’ hiring professionals, so be careful not to disclose your references to early.

# 6

Faking a relationship

# 6

Faking a relationship

Recruiters will hear that XYZ PTY, a company they have no relationship with, is hiring. Instead of approaching XYZ PTY about working for them, the recruiter will solicit resumes from potential job seekers for exciting new openings at XYZ PTY. The recruiter will then approach XYZ PTY with the resumes they have. If XYZ PTY rejects the recruiter, the recruiter will then tell the job seekers that XYZ PTY said there wasn't a fit for them. Fake from start to finish.

# 7 Sending false offer letters

# 7 Sending false offer letters

Recruiters who reach out to job seekers with fabricated emails or contact calls for alleged opportunities with companies they're having trouble getting interviews for These recruiters will act quick to present you to that company once you agree. If the company likes the candidate, the recruiter makes sure to process and negotiate the offer, sometimes issuing a "revised" offer to the job seeker.

If there is not a fit for the job seeker at the company, the recruiter is no worse off than when they started, and they just drop all contact with a job seeker.

# 8 Promising exclusivity to job seekers

# 8 Promising exclusivity to job seekers

Rookie hiring managers will promise a job seeker that they will not submit other job seekers for the same position as long as the job seeker agrees not to talk to any other recruiters.

The rookie then submits multiple competing job seekers for a position, because that’s how he earns his money.

If one is rejected, he tells that job seeker that the company decided there wasn't a fit and continues to send him to other companies.

Genuine hiring professionals don’t offer exclusivity as it is un-real and does not exist.

Discrediting an employee's current company # 9

Discrediting an employee's current company # 9 Hiring Professionals with poor ethics will contact an employed potential candidate and tell them that their current company is in a precarious financial state and offer to find the employee another job. They will even do this to employees of their own clients. Don’t be alarmed, just be alert and if you encounter one of these – steer clear!

Simulating expiring offers

# 10

Simulating expiring offers

# 10 When a company sends an offer to a job seeker, some recruiters will tell the job seeker that they only have X days (where X is usually 1 or 2) to accept the offer. Otherwise, it will be rescinded. This practice is a bit more rare because job seekers and companies know each other by this point, but I do hear of this happening. Don’t allow anyone to stress you for a signature. Take your time and remember when you are job seeking to hunt wisely ! Uli