Job Tips: How To Annoy A Recruiter

Here at C&M we love nothing more than chatting to candidates to find them their perfect new job, but that doesn't mean we're immune from getting annoyed with certain applicants from time to time. Essentially, we're trying our hardest to secure you a new role, so why not avoid these (surprisingly common) mistakes and help us both.

Bend the truth

This is commonly refereed to as ‘lying'. Telling a recruiter that you're trained to a certain level or experienced in managing x amount of employees when you're not, really isn't worth it. It may be tempting, but chances are you'll be found out either by the recruiter or by the employer at the interview stage.

If you somehow get through all of that, you'll then have to demonstrate these skills (that you know so well) or you could end up fired and back looking for a job again. Only this time, you'll have to have an awkward discussion about why your last job only lasted a few weeks...

Don't return phone calls

Perhaps the biggest annoyance of recruiters is when candidates suddenly become unavailable and don't return phone calls. You would be amazed at how many people become silent on the day of an interview, and you would be equally dumbfounded at how many candidates' children have been rushed to hospital ten minutes before they're due to meet an employer.

Just be genuine with us - if you no longer want to go for a particular job or if your circumstances have changed, then tell us. We like honesty. Staying silent or telling obvious lies will just result in you not being put forward for future roles.

Omit contact details

You put together your CV so that companies and recruiters will like what they see and contact you about job vacancies, so why do so many people forget to include their telephone number or email address? It's genuinely pointless to spend hours improving your CV if you don't also include details of how employers can then get in contact with you.

Make recruiters' lives easier by ensuring that your CV contains your telephone number (mobile and landline, if you have one), address and email. LinkedIn details should also be included, and possibly even Facebook and Twitter addresses if your profiles are professional.

Bypass the recruiter

Another thing that's sure to bug a recruiter is when a candidate skips them and goes straight to the employer. Good recruiters will do everything they can to help and prepare you for a potential interview (from general tips to information about the company and details of who will be interviewing you), so why would anyone be tempted to ignore them and go it alone? After all, recruiters get paid to find you jobs, so they're certainly motivated!

They also rely on maintaining good relationships with clients and that means only sending across the most relevant applicants, so if they tell you you're not suitable for a certain role, then they're probably right.

Be aggressive

Who'd have thought that getting angry with a recruiter wasn't the best route to a new job? Yes, recruiters are getting paid for their efforts, but they're only human and inevitably they'll work harder to help people who have a friendly, positive attitude.

Simply put, most aggressive candidates won't be put forward to companies (for obvious reasons), so be polite and massively boost your chances of having your details sent on to employers.