Trust Me, I'm a Recruiter!

Disclaimer: This article is not about all recruiters and I am not telling that every recruiter is lying.

If you use Google and type: Recruiters are… you will see what the public thinks about recruiters. 

It is no secret there are problems with recruitment services and quality in our industry, especially here in Prague. For most of the recruiters people are just merchandise and they don’t see them as partners or they are not taking them as human begins.

I will try to point out few “lies“, that recruiters are using to ease your and their mind. But not every recruiter is the same and there are few that are not lying at all.

One study claims, that men tell six lies a day with women averaging 3 lies a day. The same research found the most common lie (told by both sexes) being "Nothing's wrong, I'm fine."

So as you can see, everybody lies, but recruiters especially in agencies are paid to lie, because it’s just about the money.

"It's a basic truth of the human condition that everybody lies. The only variable is about what."

- Dr. House 

Top 5 Recruiters Lies:

1. You are shortlisted

Great, you are on the list congratulation, but on what list? How big is the list? For most of the candidates this information is the same like “I just forwarded your CV to managers”, pretty useless.

Decoded: This means (not always), but the company still want to look out for better candidates than you.

2. I’ll keep you in mind for future opportunities

Probably, biggest lie of all. Recruiters are getting dozens of CV’s per day and there is very small chance that they will remember your profile after 2-3 weeks.

Decoded:  You won’t actually hear from us again, or there is a 1% chance that somebody will remember your profile.

3. Send Us Your Resume, we can find something in future for you.

Recruiters are always asking for resume, because sometimes there could be a new position within 1-2 weeks, but mostly it is about having one more CV in database if there is a need. But they are not going to tell you, that “something in future” could means after 4-6 months.

4. I don’t have any salary range. Salary for this role depends on experience.

There is always a range! But I am not going to share this with you.

Agency recruiter: My reason is not to share this, because my goal is to convince you to ask for more money and I can get better fee. Yes you can ruin your chance, but if they agree we are both happy.

Company recruiter: We need a space for negotiation. And if we tell you the range, you will go for the higher number as everybody.

5. Requirements just changed

This is the favorite lie in agencies. Sometimes they don’t disclose the name of the company and sometimes they just posted fake ad to lure candidates with the right profile so they can use them in near future or just to use them as a leverage to get a new client. But this is the easiest rejection ever, you will hear only “I’m sorry, but client is looking for somebody who is fluent in Chinese“ (and you are not fluent at all)

Recruiters lie because we found out that “lies” are easier than the truth. Nobody wants to hear things like “your personality is terrible and you are not the right fit for that company at all”, “your handshake is limp”,”You talk too fast/too slow” or anything that could cause lawsuit or problem to them.

If you are recruiter: Try to remember your day and try to answer this question “How many times did you lie today?” :)

If you are candidate: Don’t worry, not only recruiters are lying. As a candidate you also lied during your interview and I am pretty sure, that there is a small lie in your CV.

Want to live a longer healthier life? Stop lying. For the same reason. Stress is really bad for your health.