Are You On A Recruiter’s Blacklist?


As a recruiter most of my day is spent screening resumes and conducting interviews. I conduct at least 3 interviews per day and talk to a lot of people who are desperate to find a job.

In today’s job market hiring managers and recruiters have an abundance of applicants to choose from. This means recruiters are being very picky and are not wasting their time with bad candidates.

Don’t Piss Off Your Recruiter

Recruiters work very hard marketing candidates, setting up interviews and getting job offers. The last thing you want to do is piss off your recruiter and land on their blacklist.

Ok, there really isn’t an official ‘list’ but most recruiters do remember bad candidates. Not only do we remember bad candidates but we also warn other recruiters.

Here are 8 ways to stay off the ‘Do Not Hire’ list:

  • Don’t be hard to get a hold of. If you’re looking for a new job then be ready to answer your phone or get back to a recruiter within the hour. Recruiters have no patience for phone tag and will gladly call another candidate.
  • Don’t lie about your experience. Recruiters market/vouch for you based on the information you provide us. If we find out that you exaggerated or lied about your experience you will definitely find yourself on the blacklist.
  • Don’t fill up a recruiters inbox or voicemail. Staying in touch is important but emailing or phoning them every other day for an update is very annoying.
  • Always be professional and respectful. Recruiters have to deal with a lot of applicants plus hiring managers. Not returning your call right away is no reason to attack or be rude to a recruiter, unless of course you never want to hear from them again.
  • Communicate and be honest. If a recruiter presents you with a job that you are not that interested in then say so. Don’t waste the recruiters time by saying that you’re open to relocating or that you would only need two weeks notice before starting a new job when you actually want a month off and are not really interested in moving.
  • Prepare for interviews. Recruiters work hard to get you infront of the hiring manager. We don’t want to hear that you weren’t prepared and didn’t take the interview seriously.
  • Rejecting a job offer. If you reject an offer after the recruiter went above and beyond to get you that interview/offer than don’t be shocked to see yourself on the blacklist.
  • Handling rejection. If you take rejection badly then recruiters will think twice before they submit or even consider you for another role.

Other things that annoy recruiters:

  • Not learning from your mistakes. Not all interviews go perfectly but that’s why it’s important to review each interview that you go on so you don’t make the same mistakes over and over again.
  • Not remembering where you applied or interviewed. Recruiters want to work with candidates that are focused in their job search and not just applying to every job posting out there.
  • Being Desperate. We know that you need a job really badly but applying to jobs that you’re not qualified for doesn’t make any sense. Read the job descriptions and make sure you at least meet the minimum requirements.

At the End of the Day

It’s your job search and you need to take it seriously. If you want the best chance of getting a job then always be professional and courteous.

Photo by: Steve Snodgrass

Do you have a great resume? Find out by getting a resume critique from a professional recruiter. Check out the services page for more information.

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