There are times when simple oversights happen. A seasoned recruiter knows to look past that and accept that it may be an education item where the rules of engagement between them and a candidate were not clearly defined. Even on these times, recruiters can become apprehensive, much more measured moving forward with a candidate. "Fool me once..." as the saying goes. There may not be a second chance to fool them again.
Having a very unprofessional approach to the recruiter relationship.
Recruiters do not work for the candidate. They are working on behalf of the client who has agreed to or sought them out as a partner in filling open opportunities. The same rule apply to how you approach this opportunity, as do the interview at the client-side. On a call, be punctual. Be prepared. Your screening call with the Recruiter is actually your first interview. "We are going to asl the second level questions that we need to translate our candidates' skills to our client. Be prepared to discuss in-depth items; the why's, who's, etc. On a phone screen, bring a pad and paper with you and have a resume on the desk or table. Basic stuff", adds Kent Harder, Partner with Lane Edward.
No "fast-ones" on the resume or conversations.
There is probably nothing you are going to tell a good recruiter on a screening call, or face to face meeting, that they haven't heard or seen before. Honesty is always the best policy. "Our recruiters are trained to see the red flags, to dive deeper into these items", adds Mr. Harder. "We will ask the tough questions around answers and given the type of responses, the decision may be to not move forward". In many cases, a recruiter reaching out to you is not a blind call. They have a good sense" that initial impressions around your skill sets align with a role or roles they are working on. Mr. Harder adds, "when our recruiters call you, you are one of a few candidates they want to expand on with a job order in hand. This conversation can prove to be a vindication of their initial instincts to call you or weeding out process.
Money matters, just not on the first call.
Bringing up Salary right away on the initial call regarding a potential role with a recruiter is a quick trip to the file cabinet. "Compensation is a subject we get too in our calls. But it is one component of a larger picture of the whole opportunity in front of us. A recruiter wants to know about skill sets, experience. accomplishments, what drives a candidate outside of compensation. "Oftentimes, our candidates are looking for something other than salary as the top priority. That is what we try and dig out", says Mr. Harder. "Money does matter. As we say inside, "you don't pay your electric bill with love". The conversation will get there. Be patient.
Go around the recruiter.
This is a no-no, a quick exit to the door. And, what candidates who do this fail to realize, is they are one call to the client from the Recruiter, stating what has transpired, from a quick exit out of the client-side process as well. Working around a recruiter, going directly to the client is a character and ethics issue. If you are working with a Recruiter at a client, don't work around them and apply for the same role online. Don't call the client and try and discuss the role with them directly. Many recruiters have trusted and long-standing relationships with their clients. There may be clauses in their client Fee Agreement that binds the client to alert the recruiter when they talk to a candidate who is in the process from the recruiter or vice versa. And this can make the recruiter look very bad. Just don't do it.