
Why so many developers hate recruiters - quincyla
https://medium.com/free-code-camp/the-tech-recruiter-red-pill-967dd492560c#.yzix5cjmq
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mpbm
Seems like recruiting has the same basic problem as every other human-to-human
matchmaking in that it is possible to identify potential, but not to predict
the future.

There are some advantages to employee-employer matchmaking in that the
relationship is primarily based on money and there's a one-to-many pattern
that repeats frequently.

I didn't know that the spammy recruiters were literally stealing your identity
to apply on your behalf. No wonder they're hated. Still, I wonder how low the
response rate would have to drop before spam is no longer profitable. Seems
like that industry runs reasonably well on extremely low response rates.

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chrisbennet
_" Since they get paid based on your starting salary, they are inclined to
help you negotiate as high a starting salary as possible."_

It isn't quite that simple. They get paid nothing if you don't get hired and
thus aren't going to negotiate very hard for you and risk losing the
placement. It's like the real estate situation where brokers won't keep a
house on the market as long for a client as they will if selling there own
house.

[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=17jO_w6f8Ck](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=17jO_w6f8Ck)

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stephenr
Recruiters, real estate agents, car salespeople, etc, in general seem to be
people that have no actual skills and get by in life as a warm body that's
generally accepted as a required party when two other parties have a
supply/demand situation.

~~~
lscore720
If you comb through HN threads related to recruiters, I promise you'll find
less biased comments than mine, but I want to clear up your misconception.

I'll grant you that most sales professions have a low barrier to entry, as
they're commission-based (no harm in throwing as many rookies at the wall as
possible and seeing who sticks). Therefore, everyone on the receiving end has
been disappointed, frustrated, or angered by a salesperson at some point.

On the flipside, this profession is the most pure form of Survival of the
Fittest. The commission-based compensation structure actually forces people to
either perform or starve (as opposed to other careers, where mediocrity is
generally rewarded with salary and raises). Ultimately, the vast majority of
salespeople rarely last more than a couple of years.

That leaves you with higher performers, who clearly have essential skills to
achieve success; it might not entail a technical understanding of data
structures and design patterns, but they are skills that are essential to
keeping the machine of our economy running.

Not to toot my own horn, but just an example: I earned a degree in
Accounting/Finance from a top 10 university and decided to drop out of an Ivy
League MBA to pursue commission-based sales. To me, it's the most
exhilerating, unpredictable, and (financially and emotionally) rewarding
career. There's nothing more enjoyable than listening to my software
engineering candidates from the very first contact to the acceptance of an
offer. A career is an essential part of an individual's livelihood and it's
incredibly satisfying to be a catalyst for positive change in one's life.

All it takes is one positive experience, then hopefully you'll have a change
of heart!

~~~
stephenr
> That leaves you with higher performers, who clearly have essential skills to
> achieve success

The problem is that skill is usually deception, omission of information, or
outright lying.

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quincyla
Recruiters aren't all bad, but the vast majority you're likely to encounter in
the wild are.

