Recruiter Wants Applicant To Quit His Job Before He'll Interview Him Because 'He Might Choose To Stay'
The recruiter asked him to reach out when he left his job and they could schedule a phone interview.
Fizkes / Shutterstock, veronica-ekimenko / CanvaPro If you glance at posts from job seekers on LinkedIn, it’s apparent that there is a big disconnect between applicants and recruiters. One man jumped on Reddit's r/recruitinghell forum to share his experience what a recruiter who made a mind-boggling request of him.
The post shared a screenshot of that correspondence between the candidate and the recruiter and started with the recruiter saying, “Ok, I’m sorry, but I do not schedule interviews with candidates that are currently employed full-time.”
The recruiter suggested the man quit his job before interviewing.
According to the recruiter, his track record of successfully hiring people who are already gainfully employed is dismal. Prospective hires either stayed at their current jobs or chose another position over the one he was hiring for.
He told the candidate he would have to wait until he was not working a full-time job to do a phone interview, but ironically added that the position is “always available” and would still be there when the job searcher left of lost his current role.
The general consensus of readers was that the recruiter preferred candidates that were unemployed because they would be more receptive to “lowball offers” and would be at a disadvantage when it came to negotiating salaries.
One commenter was super skeptical about the fact that the job was expected to remain unfilled, saying, “Either their turnover rates are insane, or they aren't actually trying to fill the position.” That comment led many to believe there was definitely something fishy about the role.
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Some speculated that the job was telemarketing while others thought it might be a commission-only position where people were always coming and going due to the instability in their pay. But the original poster returned to give more context.
He said, “This is for a healthcare facility where I needed an additional BLS certification for the job in addition to other certifications I had. I had an online CPR/AED certification, and he told me they required a live in-person certification. So, I sign up for a class for the next day from that email, get certified, and respond within 36 [hours] with the new certificate. Then he pulls this BS, I dodged a massive bullet with this guy.”
The man also told readers that he had given the recruiter a piece of his mind over the ludicrous requirement. He also expressed his angst over the time he wasted taking a course only to be turned away as well as the red flag most saw in a perpetually open role.
Recruiters are catching a lot of flack these days especially when it comes to ‘ghosting candidates,’ having long and cumbersome recruiting processes, adding unrealistic expectations to job descriptions, and not providing feedback to candidates that have been denied.
But with 66% of companies struggling to find top talent, it stands to reason that most of the best workers have been snatched up by other companies. If you’re only interviewing people who are out of work, you might be shooting yourself in the foot.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.