
Ask HN: Does a quick, “Are you considering new jobs?” phone call bother you? - andrewstuart
If you get a quick, polite, non-pushy phone call from a recruiter to see if you are looking for new jobs at the moment, does that bother you?
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cauterized
Don't call me on the phone about anything unless it's an emergency. I don't
need interruptions.

In fact, I no longer answer the phone at all unless I recognize the number,
since otherwise I'd be listening to telemarketing spam every 15 minutes.

But even without the spam, I loathe the phone as a mode of communication. What
about yet another recruiting offer that I'm not the least bit interested in
requires a phone call? I don't care if it's better for the recruiter. It's way
worse for me.

~~~
J-dawg
I agree. With something like a job offer that requires a bit of contemplation
before going ahead, email is clearly the better method of communication.
Usually after these calls they end up emailing over the job description
anyway.

I can only assume they somehow get better results from phoning people, because
they persist in doing it. Although I'm surprised this is the case.

~~~
wayn3
people who are slightly older than the average hackernewser still have the
reflex of running to the phone when it rings. they cant not do it.

its really got at getting someones attention. and once they answered it, they
think its too rude to "just hang up".

~~~
cauterized
And that fact makes it really rude to call them for anything that isn't urgent
or important for _them_. It's why telemarketers are so reviled.

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dijit
Yes.

Spamming job specs to me on linkedin is good though. No need to be super kind
or anything and it has to be tangially related to what I've done or am doing.

The guys/girls who send me super informal spam out of nowhere for PHP webdev
roles when I have a decade of sysadmin experience.. I'm talking to you.

\--

If you're going to go for candidates in a personable way then make sure you
read their bio and include the reasons _why_ you think they're a good fit.

Just calling out of nowhere is rude as it impacts my day, especially as
recruiters like to call during working hours.

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J-dawg
Side note about recruiters: Years ago I ended up going to a couple of
embarrassing interviews for jobs I was clearly not qualified for, having been
talked into it by a recruiter.

Naively, I put this down to inexperience on their part, until I learned that
most of them are paid a fee just for providing candidates for interview,
regardless of success. Up until that point I'd always assumed they were only
paid when a candidate is hired.

Maybe I'm the only one who is that naive, but learning that one simple fact
made me a lot more suspicious of their motives.

~~~
itamarst
Good recruiters (there are some!) won't do that. And will only get paid when
you're hired.

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dozzie
Yes. If a recruiter has an offer for me, then she should send the offer for me
to evaluate. I hate talking to random strangers on the phone and much prefer
e-mail communication, especially that recruiters don't have the tendency to
call when people are out of their offices.

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taway_1212
Yes. The same question could be asked via email (much less intrusive) or, even
better, not at all. People in programming are smart, they can find their own
jobs.

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rajacombinator
I don't take random phone calls. An email is good, if it's in relation to an
actual job opportunity. A lot of these emails are just fishing for resumes to
add to a database so some junior employees can meet their quotas.

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waliurjs
Not if they don't clear out who are they/for which company they are picking
candidates for. It's actually flattering and helps keep the depressions away.
:) But calls during working hours are annoying as hell.

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AnimalMuppet
Not at all, if they take "no" for an answer and don't call back for, say, six
months.

Once or twice, my answer has been "yes". In fact, that's how I got my current
job.

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miguelrochefort
I never answer my phone.

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fiftyacorn
No - I like to know whats going on in the market, who's hiring, what skills do
they need

