Robert Half News and Gossip.

What do you think -- is this company going to survive and thrive? Are they looking to expand their staff, or do you think layoffs are inevitable?

How does Robert Half stack up against the competition?

Stay AWAY from the Northbrook Office In Chicago, Illinois. It is a complete disaster out there. Very unprofessional.

Hopefully the place will self destruct, the recruiters will crawl back under their rocks, and we will all finally be free from their unethical business practices.

anonymous....get a job

Shouldn't you be busy lying to some un-expecting clients instead of playing on the net? Professionals across the country have no use for Robert Half or its unethical business practices. Take the blinders off Robert Half’s reputation in the industry is dismal. Unfortunately, most people have negative experiences with the hell which is the Robert Half organization, FAKE JOBS, FALSE CLAIMS, BAD COMMUNICATION, UNPROFESSIONAL STAFF, etc, etc, etc. First rule of complaints - for every 1 complaint expressed there are hundreds who have the same opinion but just don’t express it. Stop complaining about negative comments and work toward improvements which will generate positive experiences.

Thanks for saving my time Rhode-y!! I appreciate it! Last I knew, you have every right to express your opinion whether people like it or not.

The Cedar Rapids Office is horrible to work with. I would stay away!!

STAY AWAY FROM THE CHARLOTTE, NC OFFICE, TOO.

A former Robert Half Manager said it best his comments follow:

I worked for RHI for 4 years 3 as a manager, and will give you the scoop. All they care about is their bottom line and nothing else. The turnover is horrible (god forbid your a top producer and have a bad quarter..you are gone), the post false jobs and as many as possible to bombard the job boards, and never return calls. This company had a great reputation but once they become a 3 billion organization they lost site of who they were and what made them successful. They treat their employees like crap and their candidates. They even lie to clients to produce jobs. I work for a small firm now with a great reputation and believes in ethics. Just some advice..If you are looking for a recruiter, focus on the small firms that will give you the attention needed and time to talk and really get to know you. Good luck in 2007 with your job search.

I say to everyone try them for your self and experience first hand the hell which is Robert Half.

I am a former Robert Half manager too. They can't keep people in the seats past lunch. They are clueless in the legal staffing industry and think their accounttemps/officeteam model of 125 calls and 12 visits solves everything. It's all about gross margin profit and NEVER about the candidate. They practice age discrimination with a secret coding system called AIP -- Attitude, Intellect and Placeability. High is 1 low is 5. Passed out a sheet in a training seminar saying to grade someone as a "4" who was a "matured worker." A clue--job orders are 3 numbers and a dash like 111- if the next number is a "9" it is a fake job order.

Thank You Very Much - Legal Beagle - Excellent Post. RH senior management is on this board claiming ALL jobs are real...What a crock! Many have mentioned the age discrimination as well, what a slap in the face to experienced candidates. Yet another reason to ignore the Robert Half organization.

Robert Half International has never changed its name. Take a few minutes to visit the website and you will clearly see that there are many different divisions of one very large company and each division specializes in a specific area of expertise. Hence the 7 different divisional names and taglines.

The temporary staffing industry isn't going anywhere. In fact, its grown significantly over the last 10 years and continues to do so at break-next speed. Companies are starting to recognize the need and benefits in using contingent staffing (especially in the areas of Accounting and Finance where busy times of year can be forcasted) and this world-wide movement will only continue to grow.

In saying that, if you're frustrated with working with recruiting firms, you're missing out on one of the fastest growing industries in the market...especially if you have a specialized and in-demand skill. Here are some pointers and points of clarification that I would like to make:

1. If the system hasn't worked for you so far, try and talk to someone and figure out why. Have an honest conversation w/ your recruiter and seek their advise. I've been with RHI for 6 years and I'm always quick to give honest and unfiltered feedback and advise to those that seek it and it usually ends up being very helpful. Most recruiters will do the same.

2. There is a misconception that a few people on these boards have that recruiters "advertise false jobs" all of the time. Let me clear up a few things and say that from my personal experience, thats not the case at all. Just in the greater Hartford, CT market alone there are over 55,000 companies....and that is just one large section of the state. If you're taking a look at a couple hundred ads at any given time from Robert Half International, thats a VERY realistic number...in fact, I would consider it to be a low number. Does it mean that we will fill every one of those jobs? Of course not- but will we do our best to (continued below)

(continued from above)...but we will do our best to screen for qualified candidates and try and fill those positions as quicly as well can. The result of this faced-paced business is that:

3. Many positions that you apply for will already be filled by the time you go in to meet with a recuiter. Unless you're going in the same day the job gets posted, don't expect it to be available for you. With that being said, you can probably assume that there will be others like it at some point, so of course it worth your time to meet with them, so go through the motions, see what happens, and stay in touch w/ the recruiter so you're getting the call when it becomes available.

4. Working with a Staffing Firm shouldn't be your only tool in your toolbox for finding a job. As someone mentioned earlier, it should be one of many different tools. If you're solely relying on a recruiter to find you work, then its a recipe for disaster.

5. Why the animosity? Everyone is repeating the same thing over and over again- I interviewed at Robert Half/Accountemps or any other division of RHI and I didn't get placed. The conclusion: they're all liars, conmen, unethical, etc etc etc. That's an unfair and undeserved assessment. When a major corporation runs an ad for a great position and they receive 100 resumes, interview 20 people, bring back 10, narrow it down to 5 and ultimately hire 1 person, does that make them a bad company b/c they couldn't hire everyone? Of course not. So why are you holding Robert Half and other firms to a different standard? Recruiting firms place a small number of the applicants that they interview- just as any major corporation hires a small number of people that they interview for a position. Don't lose sight of what a Placement Firm does- they can't and won't hire everyone they meet. But if you have other tools that you're using, you'll always land on your feet by covering all of your bases.

6. The average person will have gone on 7 1st interviews, 3 2nd interviews and 1-2 final interviews before they get a job offer when they are in a job search mode. Keep that in mind the next time you'd like to blame a Recruiting Firm for "wasting your time." Its a numbers game- the interview will certainly not hurt and if nothing else comes out of it, take advantages of all of the perks that you'll get from RHI that you never would have had such as FREE online training to sharpen up all of your technical skills.

7. We are nearly a 4 Billion Dollar organization with no "product" to speak of....our profitability is determined on how many successful placments that we make on an annual basis around the world. What does that mean? Well, to really simplify it, it means that we place ALOT of people into new jobs. And more than 95% of these people are 100% satisfied with the entire process and end result. That number speaks volumes. The process works. We've been around for 50+ years and we are very good at what we do. Its one reason why Morning Star named RHI's CEO, Harold "Max" Mesmer, the CEO of the year a few years back. An extermely well run, and admired company throughout the business world. Its why we enjoy exclusive partnerships with Microsoft, The AICAP, The IMA, and many other organizations across the country and the world. These numbers don't exist if RHI is a poorly run organization that doens't care about its clients and its candidates.

8. Since the temporary and permanant staffing industry isn't going away, find out how to make it work for you. Noone can promise you results, but if you use it as one additional tool in your toolbelt and have realistic expectations, you just might be pleasantly surprised.
I wish you all good luck in your job searches and I hope that your future experiences will be changed and you will enjoy the benefits of working with great Recruiting Firms like Robert Half International at some point in the future. Best of luck to all

Your defense of Robert Half is hilarious. You don't address the secret AIP code which clearly discriminates or the job numbers that begin with a 9 after the dash that are the sourcing jobs and fake ones. You don't address the high turnover. Robert Half is a $4 billion company because they find new and creative ways to keep the commission in the house by inventing new rules to take sales credit -- if you don't have a fresh I-9 filled out every 90 days by lying and saying it is SOX required when I-9s never expire ever and there are many others. So many of the good folks who can think on their own and leave Robert Half triple their income after leaving. The animosity is well deserved here by both candidate and former RHI employee. Why don't you talk about their discrimination against thier own employees by telling them to schedule doctor visits for children to non-prime time hours -- telling people they cnanot go to church on Ash Wednesday unless it is off non-prime time hours? It's catching up with RHI and what goes up .....

Why all the negative posts? I had several temp jobs though RHI-The Creative Group in Philly, PA. I think every office is different and it is unfair to generalize. I am over 40 and did very well on a sodtware test which led me to a few good projects. I still ended up finding my own full time position for a year until another layoff. RHI-Creative Group welcomed me back with several position offers, even after I declined some that were too far from my house. Sam was very professional and treated me the same. I registered with another local competing temp agency who never extended me the same courtesy. There is a high turnover in many agencies because they make money on commission and chose other opportunities.

Does anyone know anything about their "sister" company, The Creative Group, which is located in Paramus, NJ?

Lynn said: Does anyone know anything about their "sister" company, The Creative Group, which is located in Paramus, NJ?

I'm not sure where Hawthorne, NJ is but The Creative Group in Philly had plenty of leads for me in South Jersey. Call the Philly Office and ask for Samantha who might be able to direct you to another office in your region. It's not always a perfect fit but if your skill set matches the clients needs, it's worth it. They always offered me an above average hourly rate compared to the small town gigs I found on my own.

Thank you, Peg for your reply. I live in Northern New Jersey, Bergen County. I will certainly take your advice and give a call to Samantha in the Philly office. I have gone on numerous interviews with The Creative Group's help, but feel as though they "dropped-the-ball" far too many times and am now just trying to get an interview for a job posting that fit me so perfectly, but have been told week after week after week that the company seeking the candidate is too busy to review resumes. Sounds sort of hokey to me.

amen, funny, I got let go today, just 4 days before I was eligible the $4500 'training bonus'.

I workd as a recruiting manager in technology 'perm'. These folks are ruthless, have a huge disregard and disrespect for their candidates, treat them like dirt, and outright lie (and are encouraged to do so by management) to their clients. Fake jobs, heck yes! They call it 'social engineering', a nice term for lying! They are crooks. I am so glad to be out of there!

I am presently with RHMR working out of the San Jose office. I have been associated with RHMR over three years on various projects. I am very satisfied as an associate. Every company has its warts . . and beauty spots.

I have tried three difference branches in regards to advertised positions went in took tests and interviewed and WHAT A WASTE of time, gas and effort, Never heard from them again, my son in a different career path IT went in for a number of interviews and never received a return call
Frauds all of them some body should put these folks out of business

I was promised another position that would be temp to perm and paid more money. Did I get it, no. In fact, I'm now unemployed. After almost 5 months on an assignment, since I was unhappy since they didn't do as they had promised, my assignment ended. I was replaced with another Accountemps employee. Now, I'm really unhappy, since I'm not working. Also when they do assignment jobs, you are paid the lower end of the salary range, while other companies pay their employees more. As I was told this morning, they are looking; well so am I. I'm in Georgia. I had been working with the office on Hartsfield.

Georgiana Gray said: I was promised another position that would be temp to perm and paid more money. Did I get it, no. In fact, I'm now unemployed. After almost 5 months on an assignment, since I was unhappy since they didn't do as they had promised, my assignment ended. I was replaced with another Accountemps employee. Now, I'm really unhappy, since I'm not working. Also when they do assignment jobs, you are paid the lower end of the salary range, while other companies pay their employees more. As I was told this morning, they are looking; well so am I. I'm in Georgia. I had been working with the office on Hartsfield.

Keep your head up and keep persevering. I know that sound corny, minimal, etc., but, sometimes you gotta fake til you feel it !! I can appreciate being in a job that just keeps you awake. However, try to take the experiences in a positive way.

Good luck to you.

Host said: What do you think -- is this company going to survive and thrive? Are they looking to expand their staff, or do you think layoffs are inevitable?
How does Robert Half stack up against the competition?

Your same comment is repeated on every site

I admit that, about 7 years ago, it was a positive experience working for Robert Half (Office Team). I did my part and showed up for the work and called them when I wanted work rather than wait for them to call me. So I went back to RHI when I was out of work in 2006. NOW, it's been bearable to crappy. This is partly the company, partly the eerie trend that the RHI manager mentioned in the previous post: temping is not going away and is in fact getting bigger. Because more employers don't want to hire permanent workers (no benefits, no commitment) - automotive is notorious for this. And in Michigan the competition even for temp jobs is fierce so the employer, such as RHI, takes total advantage of that fact. I, too, am starting to see some age discrimination (I'm 41) and am appalled because I though greater experience should make me more VALUABLE, yet on occasion the managers have been disrespectful to me. So yes, I would say the organization is eroding. But no, I'm not certain if ANY temp agencies are much better - and yes, it may get worse for corporate office staff if employers hire less permanent staff and keep going this route with these "corporate sweat shops".

a dark employment trend said: ,, Because more employers don't want to hire permanent workers (no benefits, no commitment) - automotive is notorious for this. ,, greater experience should make me more VALUABLE, yet on occasion the managers have been disrespectful to me.

Bottom line at many companies IS the BOTTOM line and that's why they use temps.
However, there are good agencies (try to find some direct placement ones) and companies that want experience.
Just be persistent.

Oh, I've tried out the RHI placement, BS in Acct, 12 years experience, management, and so on. I'm no Warren Buffet, but I am professional, dedicated, clever and overall pretty damn employable. I know this because every time I've needed a job I've wound up getting it on my own, regardless of how much time I spent with RHI, how much testing I did, how many of their ads I answered.
Things are doing very well for me now, I'm Controller for a major telecom firm, and it's wonderful. Moved to a brand new city and landed this awesome job in two weeks. Before the RHI folks could even finish processing me in fact.
One of the things I really like is that I also oversee the HR department, so I get calls from RHI either peddling their people or soliciting a network reference from us. I just had one a moment ago if I wanted to take up a position paying X in this great location, blah blah blah. It was a great delight to say "Sure, love to, but since RHI has really pulled my chain, oh, about every other time I've dealt with them, I'd be more convinced if you could tell me the name of ONE company that has this position available. Just one, so I know you actually have something and aren't wasting my time."
[name removed] of RHI couldn't do that. How sad. Not only did that cost him my resume, network and references, but every time we're hiring and RHI calls up with their great placements for us, I can point out that we get far more resumes than we can hire, we're doing fine staffing ourselves.

I'm sure they do place some people, the law of averages says they have to. And I'm sure some of those people have good experiences, but I've never met anyone face to face, other than a RHI employee, that said they had a good experience with RHI.

Robert Half is bigger than most others, so on a volume level, they get more jobs, but that doesn't mean that just because you go in there and talk to a recruiter you are "owed" a job. Please. Do your own work, and don't rely on anyone else to find you a job. If they come up with something, so much the better, but don't expect anything in life for free.

Available said: Robert Half is bigger than most others, so on a volume level, they get more jobs, but that doesn't mean that just because you go in there and talk to a recruiter you are "owed" a job. Please. Do your own work, and don't rely on anyone else to find you a job. If they come up with something, so much the better, but don't expect anything in life for free.

Oh, you're "Available" in Pleasanton now. Does that mean your a job seeker now? I thought you were so high and mighty on RHI just a month ago - as a recuriter and employee there.

I never saw a company work so hard to self destruct. The staff ignores their clients, and attempts to contact, results in NO return calls. That make promises while in the office, however, as soon as you walk out the door, everything comes to a stand still. It's unfortunate that some companies go to them for their recruitment efforts, they will miss out on the cream.

I only wish that there was a way to warn companies about the sad state of affairs of Robert Half. As unfortunate, is the company name, which they do live up too. We're the Roberts, who only get Half the service, the negative half.

Any experience with RHI inCanada or more specifically Tronto?... I'm also interested to know if most of these negative issues are related to the actual org or to one individual consultant? i.e. is it a company issue or did you just have a bad consultant?

I found this on a blog.... Robert Half Int'l.... showing their "strength....."

Hello,

Last week, this email was sent to every attorney, senator, representative,
reporter, writer and legal office that we could find in Florida and New York.
We are now forwarding a copy to you (distinguished law school professors
and legal reporting staff) with the hopes that you might be able to help.
Please forgive the instrusion. We know you are busy and understand that
this may not be your field of expertise however....

Could someone please help us or give us some direction??? Advice? Ideas?
Perhaps you could forward this email to someone you know that might help?
Perhaps you could publish this story?

Anything, please! We would not bother you if we were not about to give up
all hope.

I graduated from Florida State University this Spring with a degree in
Information Studies. My husband is currently attending and will graduate
next Spring. I will be attending the Instructional Systems masters program
this fall.

We are being sued by a big company called Robert Half International (
biz.yahoo.com/p/r/rhi.html ) and the
Darby & Darby law firm in New York City ( www.darbylaw.com ) for
trademark infringement of their mark "OFFICETEAM".

My husband and I live in Florida with our three year old daughter. My
husband is a disabled veteran.

We have a website that *was* called "Virtual Office Team" located at
virtualassistantjobs.com (we do not earn any money from this site - it is a
free service.) We are not incorporated, do not have a registered business
license for this nor do we even have a DBA for "Virtual Office Team".

We were served papers by a big New York law firm (Darby & Darby)
representing Robert Half International that they were suing us in New York
City for copyright infringement for their trademark "OFFICETEAM". The day
we found out we were being sued we changed the website to "Virtual Office
Temps". We nev

i think officetemps is also a copyrite name.

islndjak in Pompano Beach, Florida said: I have tried three difference branches in regards to advertised positions went in took tests and interviewed and WHAT A WASTE of time, gas and effort, Never heard from them again, my son in a different career path IT went in for a number of interviews and never received a return call
Frauds all of them some body should put these folks out of business

The San Diego, CA office has completely dropped the ball a number of times as well.

I've interviewed a number of times and each time:

1. a different recruiter has contacted me
2. told me that they had lots of opportunities
3. failed to follow through

I've worked with other recruiting firms in San Diego, and found them to be far superior (both in professionalism and in results), which is why I now ignore all calls from Robert-Half.

Your grammar and spelling are atrocious -- it's "copyrightedn." Those people's name on line was "Virtual Office Team." It's not the same. Plus, some names are NOT able to be copywrited. For example, you can't copywrite "butter."
RHI is just trying to strongarm and scare someone.

R Half can't copyright general terms -- in Denver, Colorado said: Your grammar and spelling are atrocious -- it's "copyrightedn." Those people's name on line was "Virtual Office Team." It's not the same. Plus, some names are NOT able to be copywrited. For example, you can't copywrite "butter."
RHI is just trying to strongarm and scare someone.

are you sure it's not 'copyrighted' rather than 'copyrightedn'?

R Half can't copyright general terms -- in Denver, Colorado said: Your grammar and spelling are atrocious -- it's "copyrightedn." Those people's name on line was "Virtual Office Team." It's not the same. Plus, some names are NOT able to be copywrited. For example, you can't copywrite "butter."
RHI is just trying to strongarm and scare someone.

on another point... it's 'copyrite' not 'copywrite'......for example 'the arrogant dick of a clown tried to lambast someone for incorrect copyriting spelling and grammar,but looked like a total ass'... is that spelled correctly?

Hey, Ontario! Hate to tell you, but YOU are wrong! Look it up in the dictionary: Merriam Webster's Collegiate dictionary:
"Copyright: the exclusive legal right to reproduce."
"Copywriter: a writer of advertising."

Looks like YOU are the "arrogant..." Pedotheant in Ontario! Grow up.

No such word in English as "copyrite."

You're the exception to the rule. Obviously the agencies have to place SOME people, but they don't place many, many more.

The GRIPE that most people have on this board is that they post fraudulent ads for jobs they don't have just to collect our resumes so they can call the employers on the resumes and get new clients. It's deceitful and fraudulent and probably illegal.

ok, i don't completely agree with you on that though. Robert Half is a 4 billion a year industry and they don't make that sort of margin by screwing everyone over. I didn't get my job through Robert Half, but the consultant did interview coach me for another job. 6 months later my new boss said he has blackballed some candidates for things they said in interview and I would have said those things if the girl at RH hadn't explained why people shouldn't say them. My brother works in Securitization and he couldn't get an interview at BARCAP(big debt house) for love or money, they had no roles etc. a guy from Rob Half used his contact there to persuade them to interview him ( he had put people there before) and after they agreed to see him, BARCAP created a new role for him and expanded the team. That wouldn't have happened otherwise.( His boss said he only saw him as a favour to the RH guy) OK, sometimes they may advertise roles they don't have, but so what?? if it meant that they will see my resume and try to get me a job, what do I care if they make a buck off it. I wouldn't have a job otherwise! I'll happily use their contacts...I don't see the fuss, they aren't successful unless they help people out.

I left public accounting to work for RHI several years years ago. It started out as one of the best jobs I ever had, but within a matter of months became the worst. RHI takes a telemarketing approach to its business model, where there is more of a focus on the quantity of the contacts made than the quality. Aside from unrealistic sales models, there are certain statistics that must be hit on a weekly basis (ie # of calls, # of interviews, # of visits). The theory is that if you do all of these, then you will meet your sales quotas. I did everything I was supposed to do, and was well liked by my recruits, customers, and colleagues. I was still let go after a few short months, and found myself looking for a job again right after Andersen went bust and there were hundreds of CPAs looking for jobs at the same time I was. What's worse, since commission is based on cash collected, I did not get paid for deals I had closed during my tenure there. I would not recommend leaving a steady job to work for Robert Half. I have a colleague who was working for RHI at the same time, in a different state, and had the exact same experience. Everything that has been said on this site is pretty much true. Candidates are lured in with fake jobs intended to get more candidates. Be prepared to make something up when your candidate, desparate to find another job, asks you about it. The candidates are brought in primarily to get leads (who have you interviewed with?) I am now a consultant for public accounting firms, and RHI, unfortunately does not have a good reputation in the profession.

Proud Robert Half Employee in Newington, Connecticut: "

3. Many positions that you apply for will already be filled by the time you go in to meet with a recuiter. Unless you're going in the same day the job gets posted, don't expect it to be available for you....."

Come on. Who are you trying to fool? Jobs aren't filled that quickly.

Several years ago, my wife applied for a new job an agency advertised in the Sunday paper. She faxed her resume on that Sunday. She was called on Monday to come in on Tuesday. When she arrived, she was told the job, amazingly, had been filled. The headhunter then tried to shove her into a job for which she was in no way qualified. There was no doubt in her mind, and mine, too, the advertised job was a bait-and-switch ploy. She also never heard from the headhunter again.

By the way, the word is spelled r-e-c-R-u-i-t-e-r, not r-e-c-u-i-t-e-r.

jobs are filled that quickly for several different reasons:

1) the job is advierised, but there are already internal interviews being conducted and/or the internal candidate is offered the job the day ater, thus the job is filled immediately

2) The placement is urgent and the company needs to hire asap, they have a trusted relationship with the recruiter, so when the recruiter suggests the perfect candidate who has been know to them for a while, they interview first and second round immediately and offer in the interview.

3) The employer decided to go for an interim/contract canddiate until next round of signoff to ease budget issues, thus the role is filled immediately..

etc. etc. there are multiple ways this can happen and in the majority of cases the role is filled by someone who initially had the sense to go in and describe what they were looking for and what sort of job they wanted to do before they actually had to move, so when the right job comes up they are informed and interview immediately. I imagine there are cases that consultants make errors and suggest jobs that may not be the right fit, in the same way that candidates often argue that they are a perfect fir for certain roles where they are no way even close to being qualified for the job, but get annoyed when told that, refusing to believe that there could possibly be someone better or more qualified than them. RHI is not there to find you a job, it is there to fill a clients job order with the best candidate and at nearly 5 billion a year turnover they are doing something right for a lot of people, of course there are exceptions and not all consultants are exceptional at their jobs, but not all candidates are realistic eather and many feel RHI work for them and should owe them a job if they come in to see them. one of the reasons consultants ask for where you are interviewing is for leads, but what's the problem with that? if you are the best candidate you will get the job.

If the job had been filled so quickly, why couldn't the headhunter at least have called my wife and say so before she trekked all the way to the headhunter's office? While I don't recall the job the headhunter offered her, I do remember it was nothing AT ALL for which she was, as you put it, no way even close for being qualified.

pedrotheant in Toronto, Ontario: "One of the reasons consultants ask for where you are interviewing is for leads, but what's the problem with that...."

I have a big problem with that. It's no one's business but mine where I have applied for work.

Eight years ago, after two interviews, a law firm rejected me for a job. A week or so after I was rejected, I met with a headhunter. The headhunter wanted to know where I had applied for work. She said she wanted to avoid duplication. I unintentionally and inadvertently forgot to identify that firm.

A few days after I met with the headhunter, she called me. She got on my hard for not telling her about that company. She accused me of trying to make her look bad. Apparently that company was one of her clients and she had sent my interview there. It told her it had already interviewed me. This woman, who had been doing legal placements in Denver for years, was quite rude to me. I never heard from her again.

I doubt that this headhunter truly looked bad in the eyes of that law firm. She had no business being rude to me. I also remember that during the interview she badmouthed my then-employer. That also was less than professional.

If the job had been filled so quickly, why couldn't the headhunter at least have called my wife and said so before she trekked all the way to the headhunter's office? While I don't recall the job the headhunter offered her, I do remember it was nothing AT ALL for which she was, as you put it, even close for being qualified.

pedrotheant in Toronto, Ontario: "One of the reasons consultants ask for where you are interviewing is for leads, but what's the problem with that...."

I have a major problem with that. It's no one's business but mine where I have applied for work. It's also not my job to supply headhunters with leads.

Eight years ago, after two interviews, a law firm rejected me for a job. A week or so after I was rejected, I met with a headhunter. The headhunter wanted to know where I had applied for work. She said she wanted to avoid duplication. I unintentionally and inadvertently forgot to identify that firm.

A few days after I met with the headhunter, she called me. She got on my hard for not telling her about that company. She accused me of trying to make her look bad. Apparently that company was one of her clients and she had sent my interview there. It told her it had already interviewed me. This woman, who had been doing legal placements in Denver for years, was quite rude to me. I never heard from her again.

I doubt that this headhunter truly looked bad in the eyes of that law firm. She had no business being rude to me. I also remember that during the interview she badmouthed my then-employer. That also was less than professional.

(edited - sure wish this software would let you edit after posting :( )

She clearly needs to improve her attitude, and should have asked you specifically about the firm in question before submitting you, but don't tar the whole company with one brush because of one bad experience. Consultants do also ask for the information as some candidates will lie about where they have beesubmitted because they thin a headhunter will be able to get them throught he door and hgeadhunters ARE assessed on how many duplicate candidates they submit. Especially in the banking and legal sectors it is seen as not having control of your candidate and it subtracts from your crediibility, but there is no excuse for being rude, from any avenue. It's similar to cands who demand to know which company the job is at without submitting a resume. Cands to get leads from consultants as well and apply on their own... it's a two way street...i think that some cands are unrealistic about exactly whata headhunter is there to do....