
Why are so many IT recruiters technically completely incompetent? - manume
https://blog.uplink.tech/why-are-many-it-recruiters-technically-completely-incompetent-e924f559ed0e
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osullivj
"But somehow you would assume that an IT recruiter must be interested in the
technologies they work with every day, no?"

Indeed no. The author is failing to see it from the recruiter's point of view.
Recruiting is a sales job. Just like selling real estate, cars or double
glazing. It's a numbers game and it involves a lot of cold calling, and a lot
of rejection, which means recruiters have to be thick skinned and resilient.
Candidates should remember they are not the customer; the hiring manager or
company is the customer as they pay the recruiter fee. As a candidate, you are
the product. Other non IT skills that are essential to recruiting are mapping
organizations and networking. The author, and many devs who criticize
recruiters, are overlooking all that.

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manume
Hi, author here. Indeed I try really hard to see it from the recruiter's point
of view, which is what the article is about. And I don't think other devs have
any problems to see it from the recruiter's point of view either.

Of course it's a sales job. Of course it involves calling/mailing a lot of
people and getting a lot of "no"s. Of course the developers are not the
customers in this relationship.

What does that have to do with the IT competency of the recruiter though?

I don't buy the "it's a sales job so it's ok if they do it quick and dirty and
don't take the time to educate themselves". In my opinion, the opposite is
true - recruiters would be much better salespeople with a higher success rate
if they showed more competency in the field they work in, both to their
customers/clients and to the candidates.

