Add this to the list of things I never thought I’d read today.
Recently a good friend and fellow recruiter shared this gem with me, thinking I’d 1) enjoy a giggle and 2) make a hell of a post out of it. She was right on both counts.
This is a legitimate inmail received by a professional CORPORATE recruiter at a large company. It CAME FROM an alleged professional at a large (non-tech) company. I looked up the person – trying to make some sense, find some rhyme or reason, as to why this is ok to send. In the sender’s defense, they haven’t been in recruiting that long. Apparently before joining our profession, they worked in HR.
Somehow, that’s worse.
You might be asking yourself – “what’s the big deal”? Or, “why is she so bitchy, picking on a poor recruiter just trying to find a damn django developer”!
Because that ain’t RIGHT, y’all.
Maybe it’s time we settle what we mean by “candidate” and even better, “candidate pool”. A CANDIDATE is someone who has not only expressed interest in a role, but is actively being considered for the company. They are people who’ve applied, been sourced, or in some fashion engaged with our company, and usually in part due to some effort from the staffing function.
No. You don’t get to dip your toes in our pool.
The question was not “who do you know” or even “have you rejected anyone”. No…. you want to get into our “candidate pool”. For free. Because we’re nice, or something. Oh but that’s not all! They want to “share our pipeline”. More fun with definitions! A “pipeline” is generally a list of people we’re carefully cultivating for current or future opportunities. Now look, I’ve written before about the bullshit that is candidate ownership. That doesn’t mean I’m going to serve up my list on a silver platter because you can’t find what you’re looking for. Don’t even get me started on the legal ramifications! When I’m considering my next move, I’m very cautious and methodical about who I share my resume with AND WHEN. I don’t mind if people recommend me for roles, on the contrary, that’s a compliment. But my candidacy status or any other private info I’ve shared with a company I want to work for? Hard pass.
Maybe what he meant was “hey we’d like to engage you FOR A FEE to help us fill this hard position”. In which case I have lots of agency friends who might take that call.
