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Jesus, two posts in one day, but it’s been a day.
So, I got caught up in the excitement of having met a very successful coworker of a friend, and that coworker of his is recruiting for that company. I would like to speak to him more, but I am not ready- due to some medical issues- to immediately jump into setting up interviews.
As recruiters do (it’s been a while, and I’d forgotten), he’s being quite persistent, with the most recent one being going off email and on to texting me, urging me to apply for numerous jobs at his company. I find job apps to be very mentally draining (not sending the resume, but the tailoring of each one and the custom cover letter) and need to have time to set aside. I know he’s going to be riding me on this. I don’t like that he texted me at 8PM, when I am still working, saying he was ready to speak to me when I had already communicated that I would not be available to speak until Friday.
I know I have a history of allowing my boundaries to be violated in professional settings. I know this means I must honestly assess what I can mentally manage, no matter what anyone thinks of it, create a boundary, communicate it, and stick with it, even when others attempt to get me to change it.…which salespeople are notorious for. If I don’t respect the boundary, why would they? And it sets a precedent that I don’t actually mean what I say.
I value romances less, and so sticking to boundaries has been not too bad. But I value financial advancement immensely, and so even with my resentment of sales pressure, I still feel that worry and ick when I set a boundary, and it is ignored, and then I don’t respond (what more is there to say? I already communicated what I am able to do in a certain time frame). Does anyone else get that feeling of feeling like you’re going to lose something valuable, even though intellectually you know you are doing the right thing by sticking to your limits? What do you do to make it go away and firm up an iron will?
I'm going to offer a different perspective here.
I don't hold job recruiters to the same high standards I would colleagues or supervisors in an ongoing professional relationship.
In my fields of expertise I am actually more likely to be dealing with agents and or prospective clients than recruiters so that may make a slight difference. That said, I have no problem letting them think they have the upper hand.
I feel entirely free to placate and convey an impression that I am clearing the deck for them time wise and giving their demands priority. It doesn't mean they get what they are demanding any sooner than I am ready to provide it giving them the illusion of a win keeps them good and hungry for my services.
I know they are hot to close and that they will otherwise put me in the category of a long shot, low priority lead.
This is the complete opposite of how I am at work -- where I never promise more than I can deliver in the requisite time frame.
All these wonderful rules such as "No is a complete sentence" and not having to repeatedly enforce boundaries would only be counterproductive.
A recruiter isn't going to be a constant presence in my life that I need to "train."
I see them more as occasional tools I can pick up or put down as needed for professional advancement. If they have access to opportunities I may want, I can cope with the mental effort of stringing them along until I am ready to make real use of them.
1. The way he is pushy is kind of sus. Usually if a recruiter is recruiting for a company/position that’s in high demand or popular, they wouldn’t be as pushy and reaching out to you multiple times. If I were you I would dig in more the company and job background on sites like Glassdoor. To make sure the positions offered are legit. 2. Also it’s weird that he’s texting you. IMO that’s kind of out of the ordinary and unprofessional for a recruiter. I’m not trying to doubt you but I would just double check his credentials and make sure he’s is working for the company that you were going to apply to. Also when you do send over resume, I would make sure the correct person received it or at all 3. I would be wary of this guy. Something feels off about his recruiting approach and lowkey seems like he might have bad intentions imo.
No, this is a sales tactic Whenever anyone makes you feel pressured into doing anything ask yourself why? For example, if a client ever reaches out on multiple occasions asking for a status on a loan…take more time to review/vet them What is it that their trying to hide? Similar to a dealership, if the salesman is rushing the deal…you know it’s not for your benefit Don’t ever feel pressured to make a decision, if you do you’ll most likely end up in a bad situation because you haven’t had time to make an informed decision
As a recruiter, I exclusively text candidates to gauge where they are in process with other interviews, assess how interested they are in the particular role, and estimate how likely they are to leave their current position etc. I prefer texting to emails because of how quick and easy it is. I will only email candidates once they are at the point in process I need to send them PDFs or other documents. But if someone has a preference for emailing, I’m happy to do that as well. However, I do not communicate with anyone outside of regular business hours unless absolutely necessary or previously agreed upon. That’s my personal work boundary. I don’t want to infringe on my candidate’s personal time anymore than I want to give away my own. I also do not send multiple repetitive messages or nag. If a call, text, and email all go ignored I will cease communication. I just ask if we have been communicating about a role you are no longer interested in to please let me know so I can stop bugging you needlessly 2-3 more times lol. People complain all the time about companies never contacting them again after an interview, but I have candidates ghost me after I’ve scheduled their interviews and even given them an offer. It’s very frustrating but it happens. I let everyone know if they will or won’t be moving forward in process and offer interview tips as well. Of course, some people have bad experiences with recruiters and loathe them all the same. Either way, my job is still to make your interview/hiring process as smooth as possible while answering questions and keeping the hiring teams organized. That was a bit of a tangent, but this recruiter seems desperate to get you in front of his boss. If you are interested in the company’s openings, just stick to your firm boundaries and apply when you’re ready. If you are truly a top candidate, they won’t mind waiting an extra day or two to speak with you. As far as boundary setting goes: Candidates will often try to wedge themselves into my very busy schedule on short notice. If they have an issue that is a true priority, I will move things around to accommodate. But most of the time I say without apologizing. “I appreciate your enthusiasm to speak with me about X role. However, my calendar is pretty full for the next 48 hours. My next appointment is X day/time. If that could work for you, let me know. If not, I am happy to share my additional availability later this week.” This is a firm boundary that only budges when it would be disadvantageous to delay speaking with someone. A candidate who has already interviewed and is a finalist needing to update me on a competing offer will always take precedent over an initial screening call. I will say, depending on your industry, the market is moving very fast. This is putting pressure on recruiters to keep up. It’s quite possible he’s worried another company will snatch you up during the waiting period. It’s also possible they will hire someone else if they think you aren’t particularly interested, so if this is a high priority for you I wouldn’t delay your application for too long. Good luck!