Ghosted by Recruiter - Should I Send a Complaint Email to Her Boss?

Nuclearvodka on 06/08/2020 - 11:10
Last edited 06/08/2020 - 11:13

I have been contacted by a recruiter a couple of times for jobs in the public sector.

She got me a few interviews, called me once to give me (positive) feedback about the interviews and that's it.
I have been following up weekly to know where in the recruitment process they are, but no response.

She has called me to represent me on other jobs but once she puts my name forward, she pretty much ghosts me.

I am just a number to that recruiter, I fit a job description, and she applies on my behalf to get her quotas.
I have written a complaint letter, ready to send to her boss.
I'm just really pissed off with recruiters that generally don't give a toss about us job seekers and never follow up.
It's lazy, cowardly and just plain c#nty.

What do you guys think I should do?

Part of me does not want to burn bridges in case she ends up getting me that good job.
But deep down I want to tell her to shove it where the sun don't shine

Poll Options

  • 99
    Karen that mofo
  • 50
    Bite my tongue
Education & Work

Comments

  • kahn on 06/08/2020 - 11:11
    +15

    There's a difference between a sentence and a paragraph.

    • ihbh on 06/08/2020 - 13:25

      Poetic license?

  • Seasoned Salt on 06/08/2020 - 11:20
    +3

    Looks like it's just a quota requirement for that recruiter. Not providing feedback or at least letting you know of the outcome is downright disrespectful.

  • toniyellow on 06/08/2020 - 11:23
    +32

    Her boss will not care, common practice. So don't burn a bridge.

    • life is suffering on 06/08/2020 - 12:28
      +4

      yup agree. it's a small market in Aus I believe and burning bridges did light my way in the beginning but made my path dark ahead as everything in this world goes round and round. On that note - you spin me, right round baby, right round like a record baby right round round round

    • john2383 on 07/08/2020 - 16:31
      +1

      Agree. You are a number really, as bad as it sounds. When necessary to use a recruiter, I try to go with multiple, playing the same numbers game as it were.

  • godofpizza on 06/08/2020 - 11:25
    +16

    I've never had any positive experience with recruiters.
    It's best you look for work on your own. If and when they call you back remember how they treated your.

  • Jofzar on 06/08/2020 - 11:26
    +1

    Sounds like this recruiter is useless,

    Burn the bridge because it doesn't sound like they are helping you anyway, they are misrepresenting you.

  • djones145 on 06/08/2020 - 11:34
    +1

    with so many unemployed, u are a number, after a few times they chase someone else, its all about getting jobs for people so they get massive commissions
    go find other recruiters, LinkedIn, they are like ambo chasing lawyers on there
    i get a message a week there from recruiters

  • Drakesy on 06/08/2020 - 11:42
    +10

    Recruiters can be frustrating at the best of times

    Yeah, as much as they want you to think they're working for you, they're really not.
    Pretty much the equivalent of real estate agents, wayyy too many of them out there, literally do nothing to value add and take a cut at the end of the day, will tell you anything to get you to apply. (I was picked up by a recruiter only because the public sector didn't advertise my job publicly for some reason). The recruiter now gets 10% on top of my wage ongoing…

    They're paid based on a revenue stream, putting in the least amount of effort to get the result.

    Don't bother following it up, they won't really care as you're not a paying customer of theirs and really just a number.

    I'd personally leave it and move on.

  • [Deactivated] on 06/08/2020 - 11:44
    +7

    This is very common practice and her Boss will already be aware of her actions. I doubt your complaint will change anything except burning a bridge.

    • windrc on 08/08/2020 - 08:08

      her boss'd probably view it as a compliment

  • Donaldhump on 06/08/2020 - 11:44
    +21

    Recuiters and HR departments are not your friends, nor do they care about you.

    I've had a Recuiter tell me she would ruin my career after i accepted and then pulled out a contract. 12 months later she rang me again as if nothing happened about another job.

    I've had recruiters ghost me then call 12 months later, i just say thanks for returning my call, they act suprised, and then i say. "I rang you 11 months ago" then hang up.

    I've had recuiters say ill come visit and we can go for a drink soon, they never come visit.

    they are doing a job, you are just a asset for them to sell.

    forget the complaint letter her boss is just as bad.

    • Zachary on 06/08/2020 - 14:32
      +3

      I've had recruiters ghost me then call 12 months later, i just say thanks for returning my call, they act suprised, and then i say. "I rang you 11 months ago" then hang up.

      I had aldi email me back 2 years later just to tell me that there was better guy for the job than me and thanking me for my patience.

      I've had a Recuiter tell me she would ruin my career after i accepted and then pulled out a contract. 12 months later she rang me again as if nothing happened about another job.

      lol nice…i guess she forgave you….

    • goodcopbadcop on 07/08/2020 - 16:57
      +1

      Recruiters are like used car sales people - they have no idea about HR or ethical practice. They only get paid by the company that has the vacancy. They don't care that they have your IP in a CV and pass it around for their financial gain. Avoid them as they are only contacting you like it's a free lottery - "gotta be in it to win it".

  • pao2x on 06/08/2020 - 11:47
    +5

    Karen would only make you look like a Karen

    • Zachary on 06/08/2020 - 14:32
      +2

      the karen in my class was pretty hot….

      • AEKaBeer on 08/08/2020 - 10:26

        That's how they breed, get you early before the metamorphosis around age 28.

        • Zachary on 11/08/2020 - 17:55

          do they look cold when they age over 28?

  • 6000SUX on 06/08/2020 - 11:56
    +3

    Happened to me and i'm sure several others on here.
    Its the way they work and think. If they think you are on the verge of getting a role, they are your best mate. Calling all the time and being pally. 'We should go out for drinks to celebrate' blah blah blah.
    If you're not #1 they drop you like a stone. Its lousy - but dont take it to heart and move on.
    Complaining to the manager wont help i'm afraid.
    Good luck with the job hunt!

  • isthatallyougot on 06/08/2020 - 12:03
    +2

    Honestly just move on. They don,t give a crap about you. I was desperately searching for a job last year and was ghosted by so many agents. There are some good ones I admit. But most recruiters will treat you like a VIP as long as the company is keen on moving forward with you in the recruitment process.

  • Nuclearvodka on 06/08/2020 - 12:19
    -3

    It is just so frustrating.

    There should be a royal commission on these Arschlöcher

  • life is suffering on 06/08/2020 - 12:25
    +2

    this is pretty normal in recruiting world I believe. There are good recruiters out there but this is 70-80% of recruiters who are money hungry and don't care about candidates. If you send a letter, it might not be very impactful. so move on I think. my 2 cents

  • TheBilly on 06/08/2020 - 12:29
    +7

    You send that complaint.

    You will blow off some steam and that is about it, life will go on.

    She will continue her work and you will continue applying for jobs.

    You will not obtain anything positive from reacting this way.

    But the opposite, holding your tongue or 'finger' has potential.

    I would hold on sending any bad letters.

  • NotAnAudiophile on 06/08/2020 - 13:04
    +3

    Recruiters work for themselves full stop. Industry estimates that 30% of recruiters have already lost their jobs as they can't make revenue.

  • tsunamisurfer on 06/08/2020 - 13:24
    +1

    Recruiters are only interested in you if they sense that you are in a chance of landing a role.

    Their Modus Operandi is to get as many CVs as possible, send as many as possible (matching prescribed criteria) to potential clients and hope their candidates are selected for interviews / short list.

    They will say all the positive things but at the end of the day will not waste time on applicants that are 'long shots'.

    Its not lazy or cowardice or c#nty, its their business model and it works for them.

    You must understand you are one of tens of thousands looking for work, they cannot be there to be your career advisor.

    • Nuclearvodka on 06/08/2020 - 13:58

      A decent human being would at least respond to my emails.

      Or keep my updated.

      Hell, even a copy and paste BS email would be better

      • DoctorCalculon on 06/08/2020 - 19:37
        +5

        Whoa! Don't consider these used car salespeople recruiters as decent human beings.
        Granted, there are some good recruiters out there, however they are very few among the sea of garbage. Besides there are way too many recruiters out there.

        Right now, I have had to block a recruiter even after telling him I was not interested in changing jobs he kept calling and texting me non-stop about how great an opportunity the new job would be.

        Writing a complaint letter to the recruiter's boss will do nothing to help you.
        What you should do instead is jump onto as many review websites as you can (including Google), and just let rip about these scumbags. Do everything do drive down their shady business.

  • bobbified on 06/08/2020 - 13:35
    +1

    I think it'll help you to understand/learn how the industry works. There are a few good ones out there, but the rest simply look after their own interests. It's nothing personal, so don't take it personally.

  • Vampyr on 06/08/2020 - 13:38

    A lot of recruiters are pretty upfront in that they will only make contact if your application makes it through to the next stage…

  • burningrage on 06/08/2020 - 13:49

    I like the poetic description.

  • Hithere on 06/08/2020 - 13:58

    Recruiters are on a par with Estate Agents, they lie, cheat, and do anything to make themselves look good to make their quota.

    In another life I had one find me a job and when after 3 weeks of not getting paid with various excuses from my employer I quit.

    I went back to the recruiter to report what had happened and was told that they knew about it, the employer did it all the time.

    That was the last time I used a recruiter.

    • DoctorCalculon on 06/08/2020 - 19:45

      Recruiters are on a par with Estate Agents, they lie, cheat, and do anything to make themselves look good to make their quota.

      Is there a governing body that deal with shady recruiters that repeatedly and systematically breach their industry code of conduct? I believe there is one for real estate agents.

  • lainey13 on 06/08/2020 - 19:53

    Seems normal to me!

  • OzFrugie on 06/08/2020 - 22:59

    As been mentioned by others, no point sending bad reference about her to her boss. Likely her boss is the same or doesnt give a toss. Sadly it's just how (most) agents work.. they dont care about you.. just their commissions..

    What is better for you to do if you want to 'Karen that mofo' is name and shame

  • MeesusEff on 07/08/2020 - 01:59

    I've had a recruiter cold call me repeatedly until I answered about a job that I was interested in (missed the first few calls as phone silent at work), when I said yeah OK, gave her my email, heard nothing back. Damn that annoyed me.

    • Laurana on 08/08/2020 - 11:53

      I had this exact same experience. So annoying.

      I’ve also heard of recruiters point blank lying to their clients about the role and pay. So be conscious to not trust anything they say and read through any contracts.

  • b0rnwithabeard on 07/08/2020 - 08:12
    +3

    Sounds like normal recruiter behaviour to me. Accept that you’re just a number, nothing but fodder for their stats, make peace with it and work with them, or find something on your own.

    DO NOT SEND THAT EMAIL

  • Nuclearvodka on 07/08/2020 - 08:30

    OK so I did not send that email.

    What I did is contact the employer directly to ask for an update.

    I apologised for contacted them directly but since I did not hear from my lovely recruiter I wanted to know if they had filled that position or not.

    I might never hear from them again, but I was proactive and showed that I was interested in the role.

    Now, another recruiter got me an interview for Monday… Let's see how that one goes

  • Duc88 on 07/08/2020 - 09:30

    It's the ones you don't expect that pull you through to the other side.
    Last year I worked with a few recruiters, went to all the interviews and then was pretty much ghosted.
    Went on for six months. I had a job so I wasn't particularly in a rush.
    I had high hopes for one role and after following up for weeks with no response, apparently they've already hired someone else. The usual response.

    I got a call from this one recruiter and we spoke for at most 30 seconds on the phone. Landed my dream job…

  • OzHunterNSW on 07/08/2020 - 09:36

    Ha ha ha ha… "Karen"… they are not in it for your benefit… they are in it to exploit you and get as much kick-back as possibly so.

    I guess they figure you to be drive wood (unemployable) and thus a waste of their time.

    There is no use in emailing the "Manager" Karen… it is the Manager who has possibly suggested to "ghost you".

  • myusername on 07/08/2020 - 09:37

    be careful with that.

    i had an extremely pushy recruiter recently, to the point i said stop calling me these aren't the roles i'm interested in.

    he became quite aggressive leaving msgs to the point i rang his boss and politely lodged a complaint.

    a few days later i suddenly started getting inundated with spam telemarketing calls, probably about 20 calls a day no shit.

    my number is on that don not call register or whatever it is for telemarketing.

    I rang the guys boss back and told him what had just happened.

    3 days later never got a call from a telemarketer or that prick again

    • Laurana on 08/08/2020 - 11:57

      I’ve had a similar experience to this too. I had this recruiter land me a job once, so when I wanted to change jobs I contacted them again. Went to the interview, spent like an hour discussing what my current responsibilities were and what roles I was looking for.

      And yet she kept putting me forward all these entry levels jobs that paid less than what I was on. It was crazy. They just didn’t care at all.

  • ozboygsl on 07/08/2020 - 10:25
    -1

    ….she's applying for jobs for you, and you call her It's lazy, cowardly and just plain c#nty." ???? pot meet kettle

    • Nuclearvodka on 07/08/2020 - 10:28

      She's ghosting me.

      That's cowardly and just plain c#nty.

      Learn to read mate

  • tabitha731 on 07/08/2020 - 20:44

    This is absolutely normal, chances are the recruiter claims to represent u to a specific company, but in actual fact they dont have an actual role for that company they just wanted your most recent cv for their database. Dont get reliant on recruiters, apply for jobs directly with companies. Those recruiters dont get paid extra to bring in new staff. So they have more integrity than normal recruitment companies

  • CalmLemons on 07/08/2020 - 22:20

    I don't think her boss would give a shit.

    We don't hire people from recruitment agencies full stop.

  • [Deactivated] on 07/08/2020 - 22:37

    Your high IQ matches hers, enjoy 👌

  • bmerigan on 07/08/2020 - 22:45

    The whole job finder / recruiter industry is a bit of a con to get the government $$.

  • drfuzzy on 07/08/2020 - 22:57

    It is frustrating, but the main problem I see here is the OP's attitude.

    • Nuclearvodka on 08/08/2020 - 00:02

      My attitude?

      Being dicked around for months by a recruiter promising me jobs right left and centre, and when I follow up on a promising one she ghosts me?

      Can you please enlighten me on how my attitude is the problem?

      • SydStrand on 08/08/2020 - 13:17
        +1

        I think you had unrealistic expectations. A recruiter is not a careers advisor, they make a commission when someone 'buys' what you're selling. You're not their customer, you're a product. If they get some interest in you, you're their best friend, but if you don't, you're dumped like a bad habit.

        It would be nice for recruiters to follow up, but they often don't. And they rarely get any meaningful 'feedback' from employers to even pass on. It's a meat market, they churn through hundreds of job seekers. There's no harm in giving your CV to recruiters, but don't use them as your primary means of job seeking, and appreciate their interests are not necessarily the same as yours.

  • ldq on 07/08/2020 - 22:57
    +2

    Did not realise one can actually get a job through an agent, never happened to me…

  • unswgeek on 07/08/2020 - 23:06
    +2

    Five years ago I decided to:

    Never Apply jobs via recruiters,
    Never hire anyone made the job application via recruiters,
    Delete all recruiters from my linked in,
    Refuse all recruiters linked in connection request,
    Mark all recruiters’ email as spam and report spam,
    Hang up unexpected recruiters calls.

    Career life couldn’t haven been better.

  • tessel on 08/08/2020 - 07:44
    +2

    Don't burn it, napalm it.

  • Black Brown Blue on 08/08/2020 - 07:49

    Patience is the key. Try a different agency and hopefully things work for you. Don’t send the email, they are doing a job and make commission from hiring employees. I had 2 experiences with 2 different agencies. 1 - I did the interview and got the job. 2- I did the interview and never heard from company or hiring agency. She was so nice and helpful until interview and never heard from her after that.

  • baker bob on 08/08/2020 - 08:27
    +2

    Jumping to conclusions, playing the victim and generally throwing your dollies out the pram because it seems like they didn't help you is a terrible idea and poor reflection on your emotional state. As an adult you need resilience if you want to be successful, you think you are the first person to get rejected by a recruiter? Yes you got rejected. Basically all initial contact you have with a recruiter they are assessing you and your suitablility to represent them to their clients. If they don't like you they simply won't represent you and some will string you along like that with token jobs. Others simply won't call you ever again. You will see jobs that fit you perectly, you call up and you get something like "they are looking for someone more / less experienced". Roll with the punches and move on. Resentment is a terrible thing to harbour and so limiting to someones development potential.

  • jtc13 on 08/08/2020 - 09:53
    +1

    Your experience sadly is the new normal. Ghosting from recruiters is common.

    Almost no one bothers to call you and let you know you were unsuccessful any more and many don't even bother to send you a courtesy email to let you know you did not get the role so you are waiting around thinking it all went well and you are a chance. This even happened to me where I had had 3 interviews and it was down to me and one other candidate. To find out I did not get the role I had to chase my recruiter to hear about it.

    Don't burn your bridges / waste your time with the letter just keep searching and cross that recruiter off your list. If you can find companies that do their own hiring in the field you want they are much better to deal with.

  • skywards on 08/08/2020 - 10:21

    Recruiters are a hit and miss, find a small boutique one if personalised service is what you are after 🤷🏻

  • CocaKoala on 08/08/2020 - 10:55
    +2

    I don't bother with recruiters. I've never had Positive experience with or have found a job through one I'm Australia or New Zealand.

  • NotOnThePBS on 08/08/2020 - 12:44

    Don't burn a bridge and don't take it personally. Business is business

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