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After 25 years working in the IT industry, as a web designer, developer, digital marketing professional, and a bunch of other stuff, I've had it up to here with recruiters who approach me on LinkedIn. After having (presumably) reviewed my extensive and detailed résumé and testimonials from people I've worked with that I put there for the world to see, they then are surprised when I tell them in no uncertain terms and before anything else is said that, yes, I'm interested and that I need $X in compensation to take the job they're offering. They just don't know what to say to that. Here's a hint: "Yeah, that sounds like something we can work with. Let's schedule an interview." or "Sorry, we're not paying that much." But say _something_.

I figure that I'm done playing the "We have a job, and we want you to jump through a million hoops to find out what we'll offer you" game.

Let's play a new game, where you pay ACTUAL attention to my experience level, and then you ask me if I'm available and I say "Yes, and here's what I want to get paid. When can we meet?" My CV speaks for itself. You either want me or you don't. No, I won't take your stupid qualification test. No, I don't want to be put in front of 5 different HR screeners. If you want me, I'll be here waiting for you to schedule a real, bona fide interview with the person who is empowered to make a decision. I've LONG not been some junior-level schmuck you can feed into your filter to figure out whether I'm worth it. Ok?

Comments
  • 2
    I hope you are at least open to technical test. Wanting to have 1 on 1 interview with the big boys and being hired on the spot cant happen that easy in good companies. Problem here is lots of imposters who write lies in their cv, get hired and dont perform well
  • 6
    Might want to put that as a recruiter note on your linkedin. Mine is basically:

    "Note to Recruiters: I am not interested in any mid-level engineering or project/program management, TPM/SDM or evangelist positions. I am only interested in principal engineer, architect or director+ level positions with commensurate salary and benefits.

    If you respect my time, I will respect yours. Additionally:

    - If you can't offer salaries competitive with high level Amazon/Google scales, I am not interested.
    - If you want me to take a canned pre-qualification test, I am not interested.
    - If you a send me an invite with a job posting inside of it and we have yet to speak, or you violate any of the aforementioned clauses, I will add to your linkedin jail quota without hesitation.

    If you meet those criteria, I look forward to hearing from you."
  • 2
    Most recruiting processes are like a certain kind of torture: sitting on a fast growing bambus.

    After 2 days, you're dead - your intestines are perforated.
  • 0
    @zemaitis The _only_ job I ever got fired from (and they even walked that back) was where they administered a computer-based test like so many do, only it wouldn't submit the first 5 times. And they told me I had to keep retaking it until it submitted. By that fifth time, I had increased my score simply by processes of elimination in all multiple choice questions.

    So I start the job, only to find out 3 weeks in that their HR person had written the job description completely wrong, even with the help of their senior dev (a young guy still in college) to the point that what I was sitting there doing for 3 weeks was nothing like what was advertised. So, of course there was some conflict that led to the young senior dev asking to have me fired. When I showed them where they screwed up, they backtracked and offered to give me references as if I had been a contractor and not "fire" me as they had initially threatened.

    So, yeah. I'm done with tests.
  • 3
    @SortOfTested I may need to start doing that. Though, it might tip my hand to my current employer (which is actually really great, so recruiters have a really high bar to clear here). Maybe I'll word it like this: "Recruiters: I have a really great job right now and I love it. If you have an offer, it'd better be a good one. I will tell you in our first conversation exactly what I need for compensation. Take it or leave it. And I only accept remote-only jobs from now until the next asteroid hits the planet."
  • 1
    @stackodev I like the reference to an impending armageddon
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