It’s a mistake to avoid recruiters because of horror stories you’ve heard. Good ones are out there with good jobs, but bad ones are out there as well. Bad recruiters won’t make any effort to get to know you or what you want, but not all are like this. Know how to spot the bad ones: Here are some things to look out for.

A Little Mutual Respect Please?

If a recruiter is demanding about your details but doesn’t seem to care about questions you have, this is a bad sign. This recruiter doesn’t have a grasp on the basics of what it takes to foster good relationships. Move on.

Unnecessarily Secretive

There are things a recruiter can’t tell you, they may not even be able to tell you the name of the company that’s looking to hire. But you should be able to know everything else, including location, salary, title, etc. When everything feels a little too hush hush, it makes sense to be suspicious.

They Want You to Work for Free

This is pretty simple. You shouldn’t be asked to perform a proof of concept. You might have to take a skills test, but if it seems like you’re just getting work pressed on you without pay then you should steer clear.

They Wanna Know How Much You Make

Your salary information is private, and shouldn’t have all that much bearing on the types of jobs they see as suitable for you. It’s about the value you can offer the prospective company. If that matches what they have to offer then viola. OK, there are other things to consider, but your salary history shouldn’t be one of them.

They Ignore You

A good recruiter should value your relationship, but some are just putting bodies in chairs. It’s probably wise to avoid these types.

You can find great jobs with a recruiter, but it should be the right recruiter. You can usually get a sense of whether things will work out in the first few conversations, but having a checklist doesn’t hurt either.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.