# Ask the job recruiter **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 24, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152 "2010-10-24T00:38:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/1 "2010-10-24T00:38:41Z")
Ever want to know what goes on behind the scenes at a placement agency? Ask away! ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/2 "2010-10-24T01:10:58Z")
Can I have a job, please? ---
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/3 "2010-10-24T01:23:56Z")
Sure! ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/4 "2010-10-24T01:27:14Z")
Do you get a flood of crazy and/or disqualified people coming in on Mondays? That seems to be my big day for the crazies? SSG § Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/5 "2010-10-24T01:34:02Z")
Mondays and Fridays tie for weirdo sightings. Each Monday I get several that still smell like the bar, dressed elegantly in sweatpants and sporting bed-head. Bonus points for missing teeth or the overwhelming stench of stale cigarette smoke. The wake up hung over and realize that they need a job, or their spouse/girlfriend realizes it for them. During the orientation process I tell each person that the paychecks come out of the corporate office, I don’t have them, I never have them, and I have no control over the speed of the postal service. I push direct deposit but you would be surprised how many people want the paper checks. Guess how many call/come in on Friday to give me a hard time because they don’t have their check? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/6 "2010-10-24T01:36:52Z")
Is it easier to find positions for young workers or older workers? There is a a thread where it might be significant. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/7 "2010-10-24T01:49:03Z")
Where’s my check? ---
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/8 "2010-10-24T01:49:28Z")
By the way, here are some of my pet peeves: A weak handshake. Just because I’m female doesn’t mean that you should be limp-wristed. Look me in the eye and give a firm but not punishing hand shake. Have someone else proofread your resume. They will usually catch mistakes that you didn’t notice. USE SPELLCHECK and learn to capitalize! Another issue that comes up frequently is the ‘too long’ resume. One page is fine, two tops. If I want you to expand upon your work history, education, or skill sets, I’ll ask you additional questions during the interview. I got a resume last week that was five pages long. I don’t have time to read all of that and it’s way too much to wade through. Next! During our initial meeting, remember that you are being judged from the moment that you walk through the door and act accordingly. Don’t bring your kids, your girlfriend, boyfriend, or dog (yes, really). Don’t pull out your cell phone, even to quickly glance at a text. That’s rude. Look me in the eye. Sit up straight, you look like an idiot slouched down. Don’t wear flip-flops and torn sweatpants but don’t wear a three piece suit, either. That’s just creepy. There is an orientation process before I place you at any worksite, and you would be surprised at what I’m evaluating. Remember that it’s not just about the tests that I put you through. You’re being evaluated on things that you are completely unaware of. Hmm… what else? Oh, dousing yourself with cologne and using lots of mouthwash is a dead giveaway that you drank a lot the night before. I can still smell the alcohol coming out of your pores. Don’t get me wrong… I get a lot of great applicants. It’s the messed up ones that leave a lasting impression. Any conference or meeting that has a lot of HR people will be full of funny/sad/scary stories during the lunch break. ---
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/9 "2010-10-24T01:50:40Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Where’s my check? {{{shudder}} _twitch_ ---
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/10 "2010-10-24T01:51:40Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Is it easier to find positions for young workers or older workers? > There is a a thread where it might be significant. Young workers are much easier to place. ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/11 "2010-10-24T01:59:12Z")
Thanks, **Purple Haze** , I am going to post your pet peeves in my office. My favorite applicant was one that showed up two hours late to an appointment. He literally walked up to me as I was locking up to go home. He asked was I staying late just for him. I noticed the ripped white t-shirt he was wearing and the flip flops he had on. As I was unlocking the door to let him in, he asked me if I could go tell his judge he was joining the Army, so he shouldn’t have to go to jail. Then he wanted me to call his dad to tell his dad he was at the interview. This is even before I have had a chance to ask him to sit down. I told him the Army was all full up, and he should reconsider that jail option and went home. SSG § Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/12 "2010-10-24T02:19:55Z")
Do you put people in contract positions or direct hire? What kind of income does the company and recruiter make off of a placement? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/13 "2010-10-24T02:31:21Z")
If you do placement for contract or temp work (reading your replies, I guess that is what you do), I have a question that may come across as offensive. Do you consider what you do ethical? I have worked in temp jobs. To me, the main purpose of a temp/contract agency is to provide a legal framework that allows an employer to avoid offering benefits and job security to an employee. That seems to be the major purpose of temp agencies. Granted, it is better to be employed as a temp worker w/o benefits and security than to be unemployed. But it would be better to be a direct hire too. And I think permatemping is creating a corporate culture that is destructive to the labor force. From what I’ve seen, as a temp worker you don’t get raises or cost of living adjustments, no bonuses, no paid vacations/personal days/holidays, no health insurance, no matching 401k, no pensions, no partaking in company outings, no flu shots, disability insurance, etc. Plus it is easier to cancel a contract than to fire an employee. My impression is that an employer will pay a $3-8/hr premium to a temp agency to avoid offering those benefits because it is cheaper to pay the premium than the benefits. But fundamentally, in my experience, temp agencies do not really offer anything productive to employees, just to employers. They have gotten me interviews and jobs, but I have gotten interviews and jobs on my own too. A temp agency has never done anything to deserve thousands of dollars off of my labors, or done anything that benefits me. Money that could have gone to benefits for me instead goes to a temp agency that does nothing so the employer can avoid giving me those benefits. So to me it is just one of many symptoms of our slide into plutocracy (our movement away from careers with benefits and security to a benefit/security-free permatemp workforce). Is that attitude seen among recruiters or do recruiters feel they offer flexibility to the labor force? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/14 "2010-10-24T02:39:05Z")
Where are you, and what sort of positions do you recruit for? And I reserve the right to ask a follow-up question. ---
**Author:** ![Tess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@Tess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/15 "2010-10-24T02:49:44Z")
Sorry if this is a hijack but I was about to start a thread and figured this might be better than having two similar topics going. I submitted a resume with a company that’s well-established in my area. Today (Saturday), I got a voicemail around 7 p.m. from a woman who said she was calling about my application to company X. Is this done by recruiters or companies? The timing pings my scam radar, but the fact that she knew the company name suggests she has _some_ connection to the place. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/16 "2010-10-24T05:02:59Z")
Why are IT recruiters all scumbags? ---
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/17 "2010-10-24T05:44:03Z")
I’ll answer your questions line by line so I don’t miss anything. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > If you do placement for contract or temp work (reading your replies, I guess that is what you do), I have a question that may come across as offensive. > > Do you consider what you do ethical? I have worked in temp jobs. To me, the main purpose of a temp/contract agency is to provide a legal framework that allows an employer to avoid offering benefits and job security to an employee. That seems to be the major purpose of temp agencies. Granted, it is better to be employed as a temp worker w/o benefits and security than to be unemployed. But it would be better to be a direct hire too. And I think permatemping is creating a corporate culture that is destructive to the labor force. > The answer to this one depends on the placement. There is one workplace that pays $8.50 an hour, offers no benefits and little potential for permanent work. On the other hand, I actively place people in temp to permanent jobs at other businesses and they do get hired in, going on to make more money than I do if they have the necessary skills. We do offer vacation and holiday pay through the agency after a year, and if they are injured on the job medical expenses are covered as long as they weren’t under the influence at the time of injury. I can’t speak for others but I am ethical. If one placement doesn’t work out I’ll find another for an employee as soon as I can. > From what I’ve seen, as a temp worker you don’t get raises or cost of living adjustments, no bonuses, no paid vacations/personal days/holidays, no health insurance, no matching 401k, no pensions, no partaking in company outings, no flu shots, disability insurance, etc. Plus it is easier to cancel a contract than to fire an employee. > Some of this is true and some is a fallacy. People do get raises, vacation pay and holiday pay after a year, flu shots at most workplaces, and are usually included in company events at their placements. The rest of what you say is true. > My impression is that an employer will pay a $3-8/hr premium to a temp agency to avoid offering those benefits because it is cheaper to pay the premium than the benefits. But fundamentally, in my experience, temp agencies do not really offer anything productive to employees, just to employers. They have gotten me interviews and jobs, but I have gotten interviews and jobs on my own too. A temp agency has never done anything to deserve thousands of dollars off of my labors, or done anything that benefits me. Money that could have gone to benefits for me instead goes to a temp agency that does nothing so the employer can avoid giving me those benefits. > I’ll fight ignorance on this one as well. I’m not going to work for free, and a lot of the money that is paid over and above what the temp gets goes to pay me, my office expenses, the huge unemployment insurance premiums, the cost of training, orientations, testing materials, drug screenings, medical expenses when an employee is injured, the back office expenses (payroll department, accounting, the sales team, etc). By the time the expenses are covered the profit margin is surprisingly slim. Think about it. Do you honestly think that the money is pure profit? There are a lot of expenses involved to cover. My clients don’t have to deal with staffing, counseling, testing, hiring and firing, payroll, and so much more. These things cost money and the premium that you speak of helps to cover all of that. If you are a direct hire your employer takes care of all of that, which isn’t free. > So to me it is just one of many symptoms of our slide into plutocracy (our movement away from careers with benefits and security to a benefit/security-free permatemp workforce). Is that attitude seen among recruiters or do recruiters feel they offer flexibility to the labor force? I don’t know. It’s never been a topic of conversation. ---
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/18 "2010-10-24T05:47:25Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Why are IT recruiters all scumbags? I’ve heard that before! I don’t recruit for IT jobs because there are few openings in my area, so you got me on that one. ---
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/19 "2010-10-24T05:49:16Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Where are you, and what sort of positions do you recruit for? > > And I reserve the right to ask a follow-up question. Sorry, I don’t need a robot arm this week, but I’ll keep your resume in my file. I’m in the bat cave, plotting my escape. ---
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152/20 "2010-10-24T05:53:18Z")
> [@Tess](#): > > Sorry if this is a hijack but I was about to start a thread and figured this might be better than having two similar topics going. > I submitted a resume with a company that’s well-established in my area. Today (Saturday), I got a voicemail around 7 p.m. from a woman who said she was calling about my application to company X. Is this done by recruiters or companies? The timing pings my scam radar, but the fact that she knew the company name suggests she has _some_ connection to the place. Good question. The only time I usually call people after hours is if I’ve already talked to them face to face. I do work late at least a couple of times a week but never on the weekends. The person that had this job before me did work weekends as needed, so it does happen… recruiting never ends, especially if the client wants you to staff the job immediately. It sounds like she is familiar with the placement, so it won’t hurt to talk to her. Beyond that you can use your best judgement after you listen to what she has to say. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-job-recruiter/558152.md?page=2)