Rant: Job Hunting and Employment Recruiters
For the past few weeks I have been applying for jobs and interviewing. Craigslist and online job boards have proven in the past few years to be great job hunting and recruiting tools, especially for me. But, it has given way for all types of people to get into the head hunting recruiting business. I have encountered people that boarder on being phone solicitors or spammers. My experience dealing with these people has been mixed.
From what I can tell third party recruiters are combing the job boards and making associations with frequently hiring and growing businesses. The credible trolls interview, screen, and weed out the real applicants from the bad. I have no problems with a third party helping out legitimate businesses in the hiring process. But the trolls I have recently dealt with are terrible. They setup phone interviews for specific times and are late to call or don’t even call. After following up with them reminding them of the call an hour after the supposed interview no response. Ok so maybe they got called into a meeting much like Dana McClive of Persel Gardner covered for her partner Ken Persel:
Chris,
So sorry Ken missed his call with you today. He got pulled into a meeting at the last minute. Could you do a call at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow instead?
Just send me a quick note to let me know if this works, and if it does, please call Ken @ 703-739-xxxx, or 202-669-xxxx (mobile)-same as today.
Thanks Chris.
Love your job.
Best,
Dana McClive
Communications Manager
202.466.xxxx (o)
202.640.xxxx (d)
202.478.xxxx (f)
Experienced Marketing Talent
www.perselgardner.com
formerly P5 Marketing
Today I made the calls as requested as I indicated I would. In business I have learned that people are only as good as there word. When you say you are going to do something - do it. If you have to refer back to the contract or what ever then you are failing on your duty. Again a person is only as good as their word. In fact in this case no business or service is being rendered between Persel Gardner and myself. Only words via e-mail.
So what does this really mean to business and employment hunters? When the headhunters are making the contacts they are representing the company they are doing the placement for. So from my impression with Persel Gardner I draw a big picture about the company. The company they had in mind for me to interview with is willing to employ a firm that waste time of potential employees or clients down the road. The company must not be serious about the position I would hired for leaving me to believe I would not be a valued asset. I can say that if I was the company doing the hiring I would not continue to use a firm that does not follow up on their obligations.
As to Persel Gardner it may be possible that I was just one case that slipped the system. I hope they don’t treat other job hunters the same way. When they were unreachable for the second day in a row after two scheduled meetings it put a bad taste in my mouth. Though I have probably ruined my shoot for what ever job they are recruiting for I couldn’t keep it to myself due to the hours wasted preparing and waiting for nothing.
Other recruiters have indeed no showed for calls but no one has no called twice and thus get my worst recruiting firm of the day award. Perhaps getting this award isn’t so bad because of the free link to their site. But at least they may improve from such negative public feedback. I am going to e-mail both Persel & Gardner to see their response and will grant them room for rebuttal as long as it is positive and makes it through my sensors (can’t have something bad about on my own site, can I?). I am sending a link to this post to see if they respond.
Maybe more later.
Chris,
I extend my humblest of apologies to you for missing our scheduled meetings. You set aside time to talk with me, and due to my error in scheduling, was unable to speak with you.
We know all too intimately how stressful & frustrating the job search process can be. And I appreciate you calling me out on the carpet. We are talent agents for the selected candidates we choose to represent. After detailed conversation and discussion, we offer our candidates a unique perspective to help them on their journey toward finding a job they love. We act as a guide & support mechanism – so they are not alone and do not feel like a deserted island in the sea of job searching.
Your post today really hit home and helped us as an organization to remember that this process begins with that first interaction and that call. If we miss that call, you never get to have or feel that support. We have many companies and candidates that we are actively trying to help. And in an effort to “make it happen NOW,” I was overbooking my schedule and as a result, missed a very important call with you.
To that end, just this morning, our organization revised our scheduling structure to allow more time with each candidate. This will ensure that any person we choose to pursue gets the VIP treatment that you all deserve. Starting with that most important first phone call.
Thanks again for your input, Chris. Your feedback has helped one great recruiting company become even better.
Please accept my deepest apologies.
Love your job.
Love your team.
Best,
Ken Persel
202.669.xxxx (m)
202.466.xxxx (o)
202.478.xxxx (f)
Persel Gardner
Interactive Media Talent
www.perselgardner.com
Thank you Ken. Your apology is accepted and perhaps down the road this post will benefit us all. I have removed the nofollow on the links to your website so enjoy in the linking goodness.
Yes, I have had a similar experience to these. Please be careful. We (DC denziens) live in a small town. They needed me to follow-through, but they did not.
Also had a very similar experience to this with Ken Persel. Ken Persel was very hot and then ice cold and in the process.
Ken Persel professes to help find you a job you will love, but Ken Persel will leave you at the alter.
I know other recruits interviewed by Ken Persel and many of them also reported that Ken Persel will get you very worked up about an opportunity and then Ken Persel will bring you down to earth by ignoring you.
I would urge fellow interactive, web designers, coders, programmers, broadcast media and any others to watch out for Ken Persel.
JULY 23, 2008
I had a similar experience with Ken Persel. He seemed eager to talk with me. I had applied for a job at PBS. He asked me what time would be good for me, and I told him 11:00 am Pacific Time. He told me to call him for a phone interview, and I did at his Virginia office at exactly 11:00 my time–when I got his voicemail, I called his cell phone, then his Washington, DC office where his secretary put me through to his voice mail. He never returned my call. I live in California, and was willing to fly out and meet with him regarding getting a job at a place that I have tried for 2 years to get into. It is frustrating.
–D Allen
Hate to jump on the Ken Persel love fest but the same thing happend to me. After he initiated contact he has repeatedly snubbed me. It seems like an empty apology to me as it is obvious that he has continued to do the same thing to others. This market is a small place. You have to ask yourself how long it will be before the word completely gets out?