We’ve been running amok with all the new things that are on the table all this week. In the midst of it all, the Headhunter called. Of course, while being in the job, finding new jobs is not that easy. Especially, when we are quite ‘satisfied’ with what we do.
Although, at heart the ambition to own that big beach house in Florida and go to Sicily for an Italian summer is not lost on anyone. We tend to pay heed to these ‘headhunter contact requests’ and calls purely because, what if, it’s that one big thing that catapults us into fame and money (or whatever else, we wished for as kids- even making Hovercrafts post Star Wars).
It is heartbreaking when these emotions get jumbled up a bit, with the weirdest things a recruiter at times comes up with. And, since our planet is not a cosmic black-hole, we are definitely not the only ones experiencing these job related, career-relevant feelings. We spoke to a few others, who had these same experience, at all times in their career.
And since it’s fun Friday, even though, we love all the headhunters and executive recruiters who come back to us with the best jobs and opportunities, sometimes, they do weird us out. We picked up the absolute best gems out to give you the 15 weirdest things a recruiter ever did, recounted of course by a variety of ‘candidates’ and people across countries. Get a laugh in, it’s Friday, after all.
1. Found the best next thing in my co-worker
This didn’t happen to me personally, but I know that my colleague was once searching desperately for a developer, so he hired a headhunter for this. After a month or so he finally received one possible candidate. Unfortunately this candidate was sitting next to him, he already worked for us… (Maikel, Germany)
2. Can plants be chemical, Dilbert?
I remember hearing about someone who did a Master’s thesis in ‘Plant Science’, about plant genetics. He was then invited for an intake interview at a recruiter, who turned out to be looking to fill positions for a Chemical Plant, a factory. (Job, Netherlands)
3. You are destined for money, Scrooge.
The recruiter pretended to represent my interests and was talking from the point of view of the company trying to convince me to take a job on *less salary* with a promise of apparent promotion within 3 months. Yes, like d-uh. (Ashwati, India)
4. Your qualifications are steller. For all jobs, in all galaxies. 42.
The recruiter did not check my qualification and background and scheduled me for an interview. Then when I was surprised that I did badly at an interview because, well, I did not have the skill-set for the position, I expressed my disappointment and subdued outrage (I was still hoping to get another interview with the correct team) and only thing I got was blank stare. (Yamini, India)
5. Who’s making a bet on colorblind hedgehogs?
The worst mistake a recruiter made, ever was contacting me over Experteer and expressing profound confusion and surprise when he found out I actually worked there. He really had the mental capacity of a three year old and the foresight and capacity to read of a group of colorblind hedgehogs, in a bag.
He was also under the impression I was a 40 year old man with 15 years of experience and a moustache. #unimpressed (Wesley, Netherlands)
6. Doctor Who’s Lesbian Kiss was censored in Asia and in my mind. Yes.
I was at an interview with a recruitment consultant and we reached the topic of holidays, so he asked me where have I been holidaying. I said, Miami and then he went on to ask ‘>how were the girls’.
I think his real intent was to check which side I was towards, but those things are definitely not legal to ask. I didn’t get so offended but I am sure other people would….(Simon, Germany)
7. Being a woman of noble birth, this job may be too Victorian
I applied for a job directly to the company, after realizing I fit in the role well, and everything seemed perfect with the qualifications, experiences that were needed. After some time I received a rejection, and didn’t bother. Later, a Headhunter called me for the same job, and I was surprised.
But, since it had peaked my interest, with all my documentation, I applied again. The headhunter came back to me after a bit, and said, my profile was great, everything was perfect, but…I was the wrong gender. (Lena, Germany).
8. On Earth, I only talk on the mobile. Yes. And, I only respond on Mars.
They would be persistent about speaking on the phone and not Email. I hate that! Generally speaking – a lot of recruiters , just look for keywords in profiles and want to TALK. Without even understanding the experience, interests, etc. Found one here. See, how everyone wants to TALK first, without wanting to share any details, set the context up, etc. (Praval, India)
9. I will fly you to the moon and back, if you be…
It was a funny mistake in a way. The recruiter was based in England and probably was not very strong in geography. She asked me if i would not mind to commute from Munich to Dusseldorf on a daily basis. ” It is about 6 hrs by car one end, I would have to learn to exist with no sleep”- I replied (Maria, Germany)
10. Everyone’s on the same page. Now.
The recruiter realized after 5 minutes into an interview, that the CV was wrong (Klaus, Germany)
11. The unbelievable structure. Love.
Once I had a headhunter interview, that was quite extreme in how unstructured it was. The headhunter had no idea when I asked a few critical questions about the position and possibly no information from the real company. In my perspective, it is an extremely important factor that at least in an interview, the recruiter or the headhunter should lead the conversation and know exactly how the role is going to work. I need to know the tangibles of the position, not just the superficial inputs that are mentioned on the job description (Julia, Germany)
12. The truth about the Monalisa smile. Found.
I have an example where the recruiter told me my photograph is cold and arrogant, and she even checked it with her colleagues and they all thought the same. She told me when she spoke with me, I seemed like a different person from what she had perceived from the photo. It is a matter of perception, but I am not going to change the photo because of one view,I guess it is okay to have feedback…
Additionally, I do not think I can lose trust in recruiters anymore than what I already feel…but if they come unprepared, do not read the CV, use their mobiles while in an interview, yawn while interviewing, do not listen but keep talking, all these are not okay (Martin, Germany)
13. I believe in miracles and fancy pants.
I have an example the hiring manager first came late, wore funny pants (and maybe that’s ok) and then he said something wrong- like this is horizontal while showing vertical-something basic like that- and repeated it twice- and then I thought this can’t be fine. (Vaidehi, Germany)
14. The profoundness in denial
Okay I got denied from a job, and the hiring manager told me HR would come back to me with “next steps” but actually all I got was a psychology session. She asked how I think I did, how the process was, how my recruiter was. Then talked about how awesome I was and how I should stay in the company and then said I was chosen. (Sally, Canada)
15. Just posh and exclusive.
A recruiter sent over a PDF with all jobs (anonymized: no employer details) he had available and telling me that I needed to look at page xx for the job description. And if still interested we could have a conversation.
I could easily find this job online and therefore knew the employer, but the recruiter of course took this info out, as he wanted to show exclusivity. Then the recruiter pushes me to apply to a job, of course nicely pitching it, even though I say that I’m not interested as there isn’t much of a match. As I did not do so (apply), I never heard of the recruiter again, even though I invested on hour to go through my CV and we discussed what I was looking for.(Anon., Germany)
Okay, enough. Thanks for sharing these exquisite experiences, please let us know if you experienced anything even more special. And now let’s go to the weekend, y’all.
