- Don’t place a job ad for a job that doesn’t exist.
- Don’t use my references as a way to call my former managers to ask if they are looking to hire. I had a recruiter call my references “to check my references” and then segway into asking if they were hiring - when I’m not even looking for a job. I was burned once and I will never give out references to a recruiter, just to the hiring manager.
- Don’t call me from hundreds of miles away to talk to me about a position you know nothing about.
- Don’t say you are working with a company that you aren’t.
- Don’t tell me our goals are aligned “because if I get you a higher salary, I make more in commission”.
- Please don’t call me if your English is so poor that I can’t understand you.
There are good recruiters (I’ve worked with them) so it is possible to act decently and still stay in business. [1]
[1] John Spencer at Connected Systems Partners is a guy you might ask about “doing it right”