What is your recruiter/hiring horror story?
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I work at HCL as a Pre sales consultant which involves technical understanding and being in touch with latest technologies, I have got an offer from Genpact Bid Management team which I heard offer BPO services, should I join or stay in a techno functional role and how is the bid Management department in Genpact Genpact HCL Technologies
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Chief
Was hit up about a job I would be perfect for.
Then I realized they job was coming from inside the house the whole time!
(headhunter hit me up about a CW role at the place I was at - I wasn’t fired, we were simply growing)
Yeah, so often they only advertise jobs that will be filled internally for legal purposes. Ultimately, the recruiter should caveat that to an external candidates but they don’t.
Interviewed for a job, got job, signed offer letter, gave two weeks at “old” agency, new job backs out four days before start date, have to scramble to keep my “old” job at the 11th hour. Good times.
This is always my biggest fear
Well I have been looking for work since I graduated. There was this one agency that I had been looking at for two years. I reached out when I saw they were hiring freelance. The recruiter said they actually had filled the position, but would I be interested in full time. I had just buried my grandmother , so I got super excited only for her not to call me during the appointment time and ignore my emails expressing my excitement in wanting in wanting to work there the last two years. Still on the job search , but I am learning quickly how recruiters can be.
Don’t take recruiters ghosting candidates personally, in general they only communicate with candidates that are moving forward in the process. Keep applying and networking. I know the struggle - hang in there.
Was a junior and desperately needed a job. Recruiter had me come into the office for interviews with the whole account team because they didn’t notice the “strategist” on top of my resume, portfolio or LinkedIn.
I applied to a job online and got an interview. Interviewed the HR manager and did great, and she made me meet the person who would be my boss the same day (zoom). He wanted me to do a creative assessment. After I completed it they asked for references. When they answered, they said they’re still interviewing. Then a week later “we want you to do another assessment.” Looked at the assessment and they literally changed the previous assessment and shortened it for new applicants, and then added the new portion. I told them all of my concerns and they let me just submit some more portfolio work instead. A week later, “your work wasn’t good enough because we can’t tell how you would have done that type of work with us.” S they “revisited” the creative challenge my making me get feedback for my old work
That sounds awful
Rising Star
There was the recruiter who insisted that I meet the president of the company at 11am on the Friday before Christmas. Their office closed at 1pm that day for an entire week. Needless to say, the person I met with was more than a little annoyed that they were spending part of their last few hours in the office with me, rather than closing things down before the holiday.
There was the recruiter who told me that they “see an opportunity for you with at [agency] down the road” and that “[the hiring manager] will be in touch with you when they’re ready to pick up conversations up again." There’s nothing particularly wrong with what they wrote, other than the fact that it was a lie. I learned that it was a lie a month or so later when the hiring manager responded to a follow up saying “I thought [recruiter] had closed the loop with you in December…we have decided to go another direction at this time.”
There was the recruiter who completely ghosted me after meeting with the head of the NYC office who finished our interview by telling me that he loved meeting with me and wanted me to come in to meet the CCO and head of accounts.
There was the recruiter who completely ghosted me after I had a call with the head of digital who asked me to work with the recruiter to set up a meeting while they were in town the next week.
There was the recruiter who proactively reached out to me about a role, scheduled an appointment, and then ghosted me. They then reached out again, asked about a good time to talk, and then never responded when I gave them times.
Finally, there was the recruiter who had me come in for two rounds of interviews (with 6 people) and again for a 30 minute presentation to those people (plus more) who then completely ignored my emails for two weeks after that presentation. When I finally got ahold of them, I was told that I was their number one choice but that there was a hiring freeze at the agency.
Chief
☝️Because agency CCO’s and CEO’s dont hold them accountable.
We say we care about talent, but universally we only care about hiring warm bodies. Guarantee 0 powerful CCO’s have sat their creatives down and asked them if they had a good experience with their recruiters.
Had a recruiter hit me up about a gig at a dream agency. Again, I was super new to advertising at this point, no idea how the recruiting process worked.
She tells me she is sending my book to the main guys there. Then silence, for like 3 weeks. Nothing. Eventually I think she ghosts me so I hit up the agency (knowing they are looking) and send my book. The recruiter immmmediatly hits me up asking why I didn’t go thru her or mention her. She obviously ghosted me and then was pissed that I was following up. Of course, being very new, I was mortifies and felt like I did something horribly wrong. Nope, just think recruiters have no manners and are shit. Should’ve learned that now.
All things Omnicom
For the women out there try The Second Shift. Founded by women to help us all find freelance or full time. They do all the recruiter work upfront (vetting, reference checks etc) and have a marketplace type of platform to match you with jobs. Agencies can’t ghost you this way and it’s more transparent. Plus you see a lot more ... had never heard of some of the companies I’ve gotten matched with and they are awesome.
my ex interviewed me. that’s it, that’s the tweet.
Contacted by in-house recruiter for a global hospitality company. Screening interview went amazing, so much so that they asked me to WAIT to apply for a more senior role. Wait a month for that role to be posted (and low-key wrote it off). Recruiter reaches back out and asks for conversation with line manager. Cleared with only positive feedback. The next step was to meet the team in person. Mind you it was a job I would need to relocate for, but given it was a great opportunity, willing to move. Travelled by train to what was communicated to me would be the final round with 3-4 folks on the team. Snow storm hits, I make it to their office for the interview, but no one else comes into the office. I have phone interviews with the team in their office, while they are home. Recruiter says everything went well, but now there's a new step... a case study. Present case study and get offer... at the lower level with no explanation and no details on relo, which was mentioned would occur. Asked for clarity on why the level of the role changed and feedback wasn't given at each of the stages. No clear reasoning given, and I was asked to sign the offer letter before given visibility to relo or benefits. The whole process took 6 mos, but glad they showed how they operated up front and I was able to make the best decision.
Eight years ago I interviewed at vice. Gave my salary requirements halfway through, and then at the offer stage they informed me the pay would not only be lower than my ask, but less than what I was already making, and also that I'd need to bring my own laptop on my first day.
I opted for a new agency gig instead.
Sounds about right for them
Chief
Interviewed with a big agency in NYC after ad school. Went thru three rounds - recruiter, CD, and ECD. Each felt like they went well, exceeding the 30min time slot we had on calendar. Then nothing. No word from the recruiter even after I followed up a week, two weeks, and three weeks later.
Then a few years later, the rercuiter, now freelance, hits me up with “hey, it’s been a while, hope you’re doing well...” kind of shit. I respond as it’s for a place I want to work at. She sets up a time, I talk to her then CDs and then the ECD again. And, once again, she ghosts me. Nothing. No responses.
I blocked her headhunting general email.
Friend worked at an agency that positioned themselves as specializing in nonprofits/social good. She told me they were hiring and asked if I was interested. I knew she worked on a couple republican political accounts in addition to nonprofits, so I asked her if I would have to work on those, and she said no. Get to the interview and the first thing the ceo asks me is, “So, are you a republican?” 🤦🏼♀️ Turns out, their clients were 99% republican politicians. SMH.
A headhunter sent me a description of an agency in NYC, name dropped all these very cool sounding clients. I googled something like client names + ad agency. He had cut and pasted the description from Wikipedia of the agency’s Amsterdam office, which had been closed for a few years.
I was told by Talent Acquisition that in order to be on payroll for this position, I had to move out of state. Covered the moving costs myself, only for HR to tell me that I could’ve stayed remote the entire time.
I've been ghosted after travel interviews by so many agencies that I am starting to think maybe I'm just a terrible person. Then I remember that at least I don't ghost people.