Even the cold-calling, working-for-an-agency, just-wants-10%-of-your-salary recruiters. Most of them are simply nice people who are trying to make a living in a difficult and incredibly competitive business. Some are assholes, no doubt, but just being polite until they prove that they are cost you very little.
I had a recruiter reach out this morning to tell me about great opportunities in <city> with <company>. I don't want to work for that company, ever, for serious ethical reasons. I don't want to move to that city (though it's not a terrible place).
I simply said "Hi <name>, thanks so much for reaching out. I'm not really interested in any new opportunities right now. I'm also planning a fully remote career from now on, so moving to <city> doesn't really work for me. Thanks for reaching out though".
It took 30 seconds. It burned no bridges. It made no presumptions about them and didn't try to harm them back for wasting my time.
If they persist, I'll ask them to please take me off their list and not contact me again- as politely as I can manage.
So far this strategy has proven 100% effective at handling recruiters, but it also makes me feel better because there's no negative emotions involved.
I don't want to deal with that multiple times a day, though. They're not "nice people" when they disregard the only thing written in my Linkedin profile: "please no unsolicited calls". If they didn't even bother to read that single sentence, they probably know nothing about me and have nothing to offer. It's arrogant of them to waste my time.
Exactly. I don't get the hate. We are so privileged in the software industry to have people on our backs all the time offering us work that it makes me kind of sick when people take it for granted.
Sure, some recruiters will waste your time, but a lot of them are quite good at their job. It's literally their job to matchmake workers and employers. You don't have to be an asshole to them for reaching out.
Even the cold-calling, working-for-an-agency, just-wants-10%-of-your-salary recruiters. Most of them are simply nice people who are trying to make a living in a difficult and incredibly competitive business. Some are assholes, no doubt, but just being polite until they prove that they are cost you very little.
I had a recruiter reach out this morning to tell me about great opportunities in <city> with <company>. I don't want to work for that company, ever, for serious ethical reasons. I don't want to move to that city (though it's not a terrible place).
I simply said "Hi <name>, thanks so much for reaching out. I'm not really interested in any new opportunities right now. I'm also planning a fully remote career from now on, so moving to <city> doesn't really work for me. Thanks for reaching out though".
It took 30 seconds. It burned no bridges. It made no presumptions about them and didn't try to harm them back for wasting my time.
If they persist, I'll ask them to please take me off their list and not contact me again- as politely as I can manage.
So far this strategy has proven 100% effective at handling recruiters, but it also makes me feel better because there's no negative emotions involved.