When Do You Fire a Headhunter? 344
Captain Sarcastic writes "I have been a contract programmer for a few years (with some time off when a contract-for-hire paid off and made me a full-time employee). Currently, I'm between projects, but I'm a little worried about one of the contracting companies who's helping me. First off, a little history. "Zeke" (not his real name) was with ABC Contractors (not their real name) when I first met him, and he took my resume and started processing me through the jobs that ABC had available. A bit later, Zeke left, and his replacement Yvonne (standard disclaimer) submitted me to a company (call them "Acme") for a contract-for-hire. Everything looked like a good fit, and she E-mailed me a copy of the resume they submitted to Acme. Came the interview, I realized that Zeke had left out part of my history and had mis-dated other aspects, to keep me from appearing unemployed. Like an idiot, I tried to correct this at the interview, to find out that Acme had decided that I had fabricated all of my experience, and chewed out the rep for ABC for sending an unqualified applicant. Fine, learning experience for me — double-check what the contracting company says about you, and don't try to correct things in the middle of the interview." Read below for the rest of the story. What other difficulties have others gone through with headhunters and when is it time to leave one behind?
A couple months later, Zeke contacted me from his new position with Blue-Sky Consultants (standard disclaimer), and sent me on a couple of interviews. Once again, I found out he'd "corrected" my resume — the same way he did with ABC. I raised the issue with him, and he apologized and said he'd correct the resume, and he's submitted me for other positions, but none seem to have gotten to the interview stage. I suspect that he's not trying very hard, and I wonder if he's soft-pedaling submissions for me to keep his own bosses from recognizing he'd altered my resume. So, I have the following questions:
- Am I suspecting malice and/or clumsiness where a competitive market is the true suspect? (An answer of yes would be harder on my ego, but a relief.)
- Do headhunters modify resumes, and if so, should I just shut up and go with what the headhunter says? (I was always told that eventually, the truth comes out, so I'd be uncomfortable doing that, but life isn't always comfortable.)
- Should I tell Zeke to get lost and stay that way? (I was always told that making enemies unnecessarily was "considered harmful", but I get the impression that Zeke isn't a friend).
- Have fellow Slashdotters dealt with similar situations?
Personally I'd rather you were honest with me (Score:5, Insightful)
We see dishonesty from head hunters all the time. Personally I'd much rather if there was a mistake on your resume as we have it in front of us, that you point it out. For this reason, it's always good to go to an interview with 5 or so copies of your resume. If you try to cover for the contracting company's rep, now you're starting your relationship with me out by lying and covering something up. Unless you really are trying to cover something up, I guess =).
Especially if you bring correct copies with you, I would easily believe the contracting company misrepresented you. If you're still a fit for the job, I'll be happy to talk to you.
Also, as soon as a contracting company knowingly falsifies data about you or otherwise misrepresents you, make it clear to them that the first time was the last time. If they keep it up, drop them. Unless you're willing to move around the country a lot, there are only so many companies in a given area which are likely to have skill sets that line up with yours. You don't want your contracting company closing doors on you.
making enemies unnecessarily (Score:5, Insightful)
Should I tell Zeke to get lost and stay that way? (I was always told that making enemies unnecessarily was "considered harmful", but I get the impression that Zeke isn't a friend).
That's not 'unnecessary'... the guy screwed you. Never work with him again, and advise any friends to do the same.
Why is this even a question? (Score:1, Insightful)
He fabricated information. That reflected badly on you.
This is beyond unprofessional, this is beyond unethical, you should not have dealt with this guy after the first incident.
Lucky you're not contracting in Britain (Score:5, Insightful)
And they wonder why everybody, on both sides of the contract, hates them.
[1] they're paid on commission from the employers - so that's who they "work" for.
Headhunters (Score:5, Insightful)
I have owned a recruiting firm (sold it because I miss working in technology) and can tell you that most headhunters do not ever have your interest in mind. They are trying to fill a slot and make a commission from the company, no more. With the current economy you as a job seeker / contractor is a commodity that is fairly easy to find right now and will pass you over pretty quickly with little resistance unless you mean $$ to them.
There are all types of recruiting firms and you have to remember that they are trying to sell the contracting position twice.
1) You to the company
2) The company to you
The best advice I can give you is no matter what they tell you they are a sales people and to be cordial but always realize that they are there for one reason to place a body in position and reap the rewards. Also never put your eggs in one basket. Make contacts with many firms and find how/what fits for you.
I hope this helps!
Your integrity is your own (Score:5, Insightful)
No matter what the headhunter or someone else does, your integrity is attached to you as an individual. If you are dishonest, nobody thinks 'ABC contractor is dishonest', they think 'Captain Sarcastic is dishonest', and that follows you when you leave ABC. In fact, if they are being dishonest or even just reckless with the truth, I would avoid association with ABC; that also might follow you wherever you go.
You also should demonstrate good judgment by avoiding embarrassing ABC, but if pressed, just say 'I'm sorry, there must have been some miscommunication, my real experience is ...' or 'there must be some mistake, let me get you a corrected resume'. Don't speculate on ABC's motives, which you probably don't know anyway. (and don't need to know; intentionally or not, ABC is unreliable). Even silently allowing important mistatements to pass is deceitful.
Integrity is a necessary trait for anyone I work with. Others certainly don't mind or even admire someone who can deceive effectively; if someone like that hires you, you know what to expect from them.
Be honest! (Score:2, Insightful)
If you are lying to a company in order to satisfy some requirement of theirs you think might be silly, then they probably aren't a good fit for you anyway.
Overselling yourself is just going to make life hard for yourself. We've hired a number of people who have oversold themselves and I think some do so because they are cocky (blah, how hard could it be?), or because they are simply ignorant of what the job entails. They flounder and eventually get let go.
Find companies that share your sensibilities and be honest with them about what you can do and where you want to go in the long term.
In this case, immediately. (Score:3, Insightful)
1. You probably just killed any chance of getting hired with that company, ever. If you walk into an interview and impress them, they'll usually keep you on a short list and even try to find appropriate matches for you. If you lie (doesn't matter if it was you or the headhunter), you go on the black list.
2. HR departments may not talk to each other but technical staff certainly do. I'm originally from the DFW area and it's basically six degrees of telecom employment [wikipedia.org]. If you make a substantial impression, good or bad, other people are going to find out about it.
3. Ultimately... represent yourself. It's a lot more work, but you pick who you engage and how you engage them. You're going to pick engagements that benefit you. Headhunters don't care... the want their cut and then they move on. If you're serious about contracting you need to build personal relationships and trade on that reputation.
Finally, I'd report these clowns to the BBB. If you have a good relationship with a lawyer you might want to get their opinion on this. The headhunter is acting as an agent on your behalf and if they doctored your resume you may actually have some legal recourse (IANAL).
Re:making enemies unnecessarily (Score:5, Insightful)
"Zeke fucked with my resume and I suspect he's not trying too hard.. should I go back to him??"
^-- this is like asking a room full of women if you should go back to your abusive husband. the answer is glaringly obvious but the real question is if you will listen?
Re:Headhunter? WTF for? (Score:3, Insightful)
If your HR department is unable to understand the hiring manager's needs, it's precisely in this economy that you can use the help separating the wheat from the chaff: Do you really want to go through 800 job applications? It's easy to spend a lot of time going through applicants. In a small company, spending much time in the preliminary steps of hiring might have higher opportunity costs than hiring someone else to do that for you. A good headhunter has interviewed each applicant he gets, and might be able to save you a lot of time.
The problem is figuring out who the quality headhunters are in the first place. Someone that sends you a fake resume from an applicant is a good headhunter, period.
Re:run away (Score:2, Insightful)
You don't see damages at a job interview where the company views you as a liar due to a fraudulent resume? Really? Think for ten seconds.... REALLY?!
An agent working on your behalf commits a possible crime and a certainly unethical act of resume fraud on your behalf with your name attached and without consent in a venue where you otherwise have the potential for great economic gain? Really?
Re:Personally I'd rather you were honest with me (Score:4, Insightful)
Also, as a personal note: Lighten up. Have fun with your resume and don't follow the exact rules and formats of everyone else.
I have to disagree. A "fun" resume makes you memorable for all the wrong reasons, it's like showing up to a first date wearing a clown wig and oversized shoes. Make your personality be what makes you stand out from the crowd. It's okay to toss out a joke or two at the interview to show you're not a stuffed-shirt, but at that point they're already interested in you.
Re:Personally I'd rather you were honest with me (Score:3, Insightful)
One of the two was so bad I just told them not to look for any position for me. He was hell bent that I change my dates and make it appear I am still working.
What I learnt was that if YOU are not comfortable with your recruiter, find a better one. In the end, they all will be competing to get their candidates the same job.
Re:Personally I'd rather you were honest with me (Score:5, Insightful)
Basically, you've substituted the list of skills on your resume with a single relevant skill: Honesty.
Consider how under valued this skill actually is. You want to dump this guy in 2 minutes for being honest for possibly being unable to explain another persons dishonesty. On the other hand you would probably have a full scale interview with someone who lied about their resume and can BS enough about their skill set to at least seem competent.
Any wonder people willing to lie about this stuff?
Re:Personally I'd rather you were honest with me (Score:5, Insightful)
Here's what I've said when people ask me to lie for them: "No. If I'm willing to lie for you, then I'm willing to lie to you."
I simply don't trust someone who's willing to lie "for me" - especially in the instance cited - where the headhunter is really lying for himself - he wants the $$$.
We have tens of millions of people with buyers' remorse and wrecked finances, and a global financial meltdown, because their mortgage broker lied "for" them.
Re:Personally I'd rather you were honest with me (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Personally I'd rather you were honest with me (Score:4, Insightful)
Oh, dear. I've had to hire and fire, and apply for work. Cover letters are what tell the company you paid attention to their job ad and the fancy certification they asked for is covered by your experience with a related technology, that you're dating the boss, that you _wrote_ a significant portion of the software application they need help with, or other data that is not in a CV but might be relevant.
I've seen all of these in cover letters. The "dating the boss" one was fascinating to deal with.
Re:Personally I'd rather you were honest with me (Score:4, Insightful)
If you are willing to knowingly screw yourself and the candidate by not hiring the best candidate for the sole purpose of "sticking it" to the recruiter by not allowing him a commission, you're an idiot.
What you do is cancel your contract with the recruiter, citing a breach, and hire the candidate anyway. Refuse payment, essentially. If you have a contract then they are in breach of it, if you don't then it was volunteer anyway.
Why you'd chose to screw yourself and an honest potential employee instead of screwing the recruiter is beyond me.
By the way, if you do cancel the contract with the recruitment agency, you can almost guarantee that "Zeke" will be fired. Chances are the recruitment agency will attempt to negotiate a sweater deal to keep you as a customer as well.
familiar attitude (Score:4, Insightful)
It's a familiar attitude, and the reason I don't work in the computer industry here in Japan any more.
Waterfall? eXtreme Agile? UML?
You can't run a project period, if you don't have some kind of idea what your human resources really are.
I know what the theory is, you don't really know anyway. Geeks tend to be too negative about some of the things they've experienced. Teamwork attitude is more important than experience. Positive Mental Attitude Conquers All.
Money exceeds all reasons, especially sleep, and you really didn't want to see your family anyway, way deep down inside.
I just got tired of the games, and tired of the death marches.
Lying about experience is a really good way to help start death marches, not coincidentally.
Why did I leave? Why don't I go back?
I was back on the job market after one particularly gruesome death march experience, and an outsourcing company arranged for what looked like my dream job. I really wanted that job, but I had bad vibes about it. My wife also had bad dreams. When I told this outsourcing company about the bad dreams, they thought higher pay would make it up for me or something. That was where the illusion tore, and I took a good look at all the lies and the real reasons for all the death marches I've been on, and I realized that I've just been too willing to try to go along with the hype.
I'll still go along with the idea that there is a difference between being honest and being negative, but I'd rather try to support my family on a single man's wages, teaching English, than get back into the industry with a dressed up resume again.
Lately, I've been thinking about undressing my resume. Paring it down, admitting that all the peripheral experience was peripheral, and focusing on what I can really do. It should be a lot harder for the headhunters to dress up a focused resume, and I'll have fewer meaningless interviewers from people who are interested in the side stuff.
Since the teaching job puts food on the table (except for the summer), I can afford to look for work I can really do, instead of wildly grabbing at stuff I might be able to do, if given the chance.
Re:Personally I'd rather you were honest with me (Score:3, Insightful)
"Also, as soon as a contracting company knowingly falsifies data about you or otherwise misrepresents you, make it clear to them that the first time was the last time. If they keep it up, drop them."
This is bad advice. JUST DROP THEM. No second chances. It's your life that these individuals are screwing with. Make sure all of your friends know the score with this dodgy company.
At no time what so ever do you ever tolerate someone making up lies about you when it affects something so fundamental as your ability to earn money.
First time it happens you WALK.
Second time it happens you SUE. ( Yah guess what the bad head hunters will continue putting you forward even after you said don't. )
Head hunters work for you. They get paid when they place you in a position. If all the head hunter is doing is leaving a trail of lies in front of you get rid of them FAST.
If you find out in an interview that a head hunters has altered your information. You better have a copy of your resume with you. Point out the mistake don't dwell on it and hand out new accurate copies of the resume and continue. The interview is about you and the position not what an idiot the head hunter is. #1 ALWAYS carry spare copies of your resume. NEVER get caught with out extra's.
Re:Personally I'd rather you were honest with me (Score:3, Insightful)
Any more than 2 pages and a lot of CV reviewers will bin it unread. They simply don't have the time to read all of that. A 2 page CV demonstrates that you can summarise.
By all means, take a 12 page CV in with you to the interview "to provide some further detail" if you like, but, it's the 2-3 page CV gets your foot in the door.
Re:Personally I'd rather you were honest with me (Score:3, Insightful)
EVERY single CV class/book/speaker/advise bit suggests fitting your CV on a single page unless you would consider yourself "senior" at which point you might justify a second page.
The reasoning is (and research/survey backs it up) that more content simply goes unread.
Re:Lucky you're not contracting in Britain (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Personally I'd rather you were honest with me (Score:3, Insightful)
A good HR person will screen resumes by filtering out the ones with glaring spelling and grammatical errors, poor arranged timelines (like missing five years of work experience with no explanation), or repeated references to having an impressive knife collection (true anecdote). If they're screening for the skills of the job, they're going too far into the hiring manager's turf and need to scale it back a bit.