Your advice on responding to a response to your resume...

[SheHateMe]

Hey guys,


So, I've been throwing my resume and cover letters out there to find a job in IT. I applied to one position that didn't make itself obvious that it was actually a posting from a IT recruiting firm. I thought I was applying directly to the employer.

I sent my resume in which is incredibly detailed...and still got an email back asking about specific things that were already listed on my resume.

Do you guys think this is a sign that this particular place doesn't actually read the resumes?

Is this standard practice? And I am not talking about questions that are meant to test the legitimacy of the things on your resume.....I'm talking about questions like "where have you worked before?"

 

[dank69]

While annoying I would play along nice nice and see if it leads to any good jobs. Can't hurt anything but your sanity.

 

[SheHateMe]

Yea, I'm still going to send the responses back....


That email was really weird, though lol. I didn't want to say the specific questions they asked in case it came up in search....but lets just say that it was about stuff that was right there in the cover letter or in the resume.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Do you guys think this is a sign that this particular place doesn't actually read the resumes?

Yes. In my experience, many of the recruiters don't really have an understanding of everything IT or software-related as it's not really their field.

Is this standard practice?

I think so. I think they really just search their databases of resumes for keywords that are in their Job Openings and then just spam any of the matches they get. They do, however, have job listings so it can be a necessary evil unless you have a good recruiter already (or get one recommended by word of mouth by friends/co-workers).

 

[drbrock]

I would respond to the email. Most of them have no idea what they are talking about. I am surprised they did not call you over the phone to discuss the resume.

I am a CPA and tons of recruiters call me or contact me through linkedin. Sometimes I will send them my resume if a job interests me. Most have no idea about the industry they serve. Robert Half which specifically goes after CPAs/accountants and most are CPAs themselves are the only ones that actually can have an intelligent conversation with me.

Since this is an IT recruiting firm you would think they would have a basic understanding of what you do. Who knows maybe you got a newb.

 

[SheHateMe]

The person said that we could talk over the phone if I wanted...but I was contemplating saying I wasn't interested based on the fact that they didn't read my resume.


I just thought I'd ask. Wasn't sure how this works.

 

[drbrock]

I would just keep it to email for as long as possible. Sometimes recruiters get aggressive with the amount of phone calls. It is a sales position and they will try to sell you on whatever they can.

 

[Drako]

Recruiters are just working for buzzwords that the client wants. They will filter down the pile and then asks specific questions that the client wants answered. It is very common.

 

[rudeguy]

The person said that we could talk over the phone if I wanted...but I was contemplating saying I wasn't interested based on the fact that they didn't read my resume.


I just thought I'd ask. Wasn't sure how this works.

You are dealing with the modern day used car salesmen. These people are interested in getting you a job so they get paid. But they aren't the brightest crayons in the drawer and they usually have tons of leads they are working. If you are looking for a job, go along with it but have patience because these are not the most qualified people in the world.

And I wouldn't doubt they never even read your resume.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Word match is what these shotgun recruiters use.
They need to put their own cover letter to the companies that detail each checkbox listed by the companies requirements.

They do not want to read your resume; at others stated they can not understand it.

 

[Mixolydian]

Honey, what are you doing looking for a job? Get back in the kitchen, woman!

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Recruiters don't read resumes. They scan for buzzwords, phrases, and job titles. If they get enough hits on a resume, they send out a computerized letter (usually an email) asking for you to contact them. This allows them to find out if you're still interested and also if you're a realnperson instead of a bot. At no time has an actual person actually tried to match your resume with a job they're trying to fill. If you contact them again, they will schedule an interview with a real person. By thentime you complete the interview, the job you're interested in may already be filled. In which case, they will put you in their "warm body " folder and ask you to interview for any job that even remotely matches your experience. They will then get hostile if you decline their fabulous offer to interview.

 

[Hugo Drax]

The person said that we could talk over the phone if I wanted...but I was contemplating saying I wasn't interested based on the fact that they didn't read my resume.


I just thought I'd ask. Wasn't sure how this works.

You are not a special snowflake. Never turn down an opportunity. That call you choose to ignore could result in a good opportunity.

Or not but if you do not make the effort, the probability of success is zero.

 

[Greenman]

I would respond by telling them exactly where each piece of information they want can be found in my resume.

 

[SheHateMe]

I responded and sent the email in. We will see what happens next.

I just want to get in contact with the employer..

 

[AznAnarchy99]

I would respond by telling them exactly where each piece of information they want can be found in my resume.

I wish I could do this without sounding like a dick.

 

[mikeford]

Shortly after the invention of the Xerox machine people started shotgunning resume's. 100 or more blind submissions. Recruiters that do this can waste your time sending you on interviews you have ZERO chance of getting a job from, but on the off chance they match you up with someone, they get paid, which means you will get a slightly lower salary.

The way to measure the value of anyone who acts as your agent is how much or how little of your time they waste. Employers see it the same way, and those who waste their time get those batches of resume's tossed.

OTOH even bogus cold interviews can be good practice.

Until you find a good recruiter, doing the job yourself may be a much more effective use of your time.

 

[mikeford]

OTOH maybe your resume was some non standard formatting lengthy tale of your life history and they want something practical and concise to send out.

 

[yllus]

The vast majority of recruiters are utterly worthless - though I have met a few that were fantastic. I definitely echo the advice above to keep it to e-mail for as long as possible, as recruiters will tie you up on the phone with repeated calls to try to make you feel committed to them.

 

[Greenman]

I wish I could do this without sounding like a dick.

I actually did it in a city building department some years back. I got a call from them saying my plans were incomplete, I went in and we reviewed them. Every single question they had was clearly delineated on the plans. The woman doing the review was obviously getting more embarrassed every time she'd ask me something and I'd point to the plans, but she just couldn't let it go. She thought she had me at one point and announced somewhat forcefully "I'm going to need a wall section for this" and I replied by pointing to the wall section captioned "Typical Wall Section". I have no idea how she got the job, but it was obvious she had no clue as to what she was doing.

 

[SlitheryDee]

It sounds like they probably don't examine the resumes closely, but they do have a list of things that people almost always leave out of their resumes. They just automatically send that list to most or all applicants. I suppose that's to be expected from a place that goes through a lost of resumes, such as a recruiting firm. I wouldn't read too much into it.