How to piss off a headhunter

I’m happy in my present job but feel it’s wise to keep my options open. I told that to a recruiter who somehow got my number from an ex-co-worker (ex-cow-orker?) but he badgered me to come in for an interview.

A closet size “lobby” in the office with instructions to fill out an app and knock on the door. Ordinarily I would have left right then but filled in just my name and phone number.

He wasn’t pleased that I didn’t give him my SSN but I said he had no business with it since he wasn’t hiring me. The interview went on until I said I had to leave and get back to work. I explained that I wasn’t unhappy at my present job and that I would not compromise my work ethic there.

He then insisted I sign an agreement that in the event I took a job and for some reason it bombed in the first 90 days I’d pay back the hiring company’s fee. I hadn’t even decided to let him “present” me. To myself I’m thinking “f**k you and the horse your mama rode in on.” I said “no. I won’t sign that until I’ve had my lawyer look at it or at least I’ve reviewed it for a day.”

I hit a nerve because he snapped back that he couldn’t help me then. I said “fine, in that case you can give me back my application you’ve been writing notes on.”

It floored him. When he said he’d make me a copy I said “no, the original.” He stammered that he wouldn’t use the app, to which I replied, “even more reason that you don’t need it.” He handed me the app.

This is the really good part. :smiley:

“…and the carbon copy.” The look on his face was priceless. He handed me the carbon and as I turned to leave I said “no hard feelings.” I heard him smash the clipboard on his desk as I was walking out.

As you may have noticed pressure tactics do not work with me. I don’t let it piss me off though. I remember a great line from Mario Van Peebles in some Clint Eastwood movie, “don’t go away angry, just go away.”

Man, I wish I could handle pressure tactics like that. I can handle them, it just takes me longer. In my opinion, any headhunter having to fight that hard to get clients probably isn’t worth a shit. I’d say your better off not giving him any info.

YOU’D pay back the company’s hiring fee?!? So you take a job, the manager’s a jerk, for whatever reason he fires you, and YOU gotta pay the fee?!? Yeah, Padeye, I’d do the same thing you did - walk out.

In this day and age, it’s the company doing the hiring who has to bend over backwards to get good engineers, not the other way around.

Well played, Padeye!

Um… Heartbreak Ridge.

When I changed jobs about five months ago, I started off by posting my resume on Monstor.Com. I had every sleeze bag in the world calling me. I was very open that if they wanted to help me find a job, they could, but that I was working with other headhunters already. They always wanted a list of who else was hunting for me, and WHERE else I interviewed. They always hated it when I didn’t give them that information.

There’s way too many people out there that will help you without all that Big Brother crap.

Way to go Padeye!

uh… make that monster.com.