WARNING!!!! Improper contact by a recruiter

[Halcyon]

easy way out

I used to just give the name of a manager that I didn't like as being the person that the agent should speak to.

Made me laugh, the agent thought he was on to a good thing, and the manager expected calls like that anyway - everyone's a winner!

[KentPhilip]

I once had a recruiter phone every day for a week asking for somone who had left the company and who's desk I was now sitting at. He was told everyday that the guy had left but continued. The following week I said, wait a mo I'll get him ... and left him on hold. He waited 50 mins! At which point I answered the phoned pretending to be guy in question. He asked if I was still recuiting in the B.I. field. I said no, and hung up... ?????? Why o why ...

OMFG 50 minutes!
What the hell was he playing at

How about this for an idea: Pretend to be someone else at the company, and say that you are looking to hire someone you've worked with in the past - namely you. That should cause some interesting effects as they work through the list of their contacts to find "you" and call "you", and slowly realise after chatting for some time that they are trying to recruit the same guy to work for the same person...
(no don't do this - no no)

[rootsnall]

I once had a recruiter phone every day for a week asking for somone who had left the company and who's desk I was now sitting at. He was told everyday that the guy had left but continued. The following week I said, wait a mo I'll get him ... and left him on hold. He waited 50 mins! At which point I answered the phoned pretending to be guy in question. He asked if I was still recuiting in the B.I. field. I said no, and hung up... ?????? Why o why ...

Good work. I once had a very senior sounding title at a large Co and fielded cold calls every day so started coming up with various routines to annoy the most persistent agents. Must remember this one !

[DieScum]

It just happens. Don't see too much of a big deal but annoying.

[minestrone]

I used to get some amount of hassle from them.

In the end I wrote to their legal department and told them to remove all details of me and if they ever contacted me again claiming I was on their system I would make a complaint to the relevant authorities.

[Pogle]

I once had a recruiter phone every day for a week asking for somone who had left the company and who's desk I was now sitting at. He was told everyday that the guy had left but continued. The following week I said, wait a mo I'll get him ... and left him on hold. He waited 50 mins! At which point I answered the phoned pretending to be guy in question. He asked if I was still recuiting in the B.I. field. I said no, and hung up... ?????? Why o why ...

How wonderfully evil

[HairyArsedBloke]

... be aware of this sort of unethical behaviour by this type of recruiter.

In other news, the Pope seen going off to the forest with a large roll of Charmin.

[Jeebo72]

I once had a recruiter phone every day for a week asking for somone who had left the company and who's desk I was now sitting at. He was told everyday that the guy had left but continued. The following week I said, wait a mo I'll get him ... and left him on hold. He waited 50 mins! At which point I answered the phoned pretending to be guy in question. He asked if I was still recuiting in the B.I. field. I said no, and hung up... ?????? Why o why ...

[NotAllThere]

...
Sufficed to say that I've advised the client... to avoid this recruiter and not to put them on their PSL - ever. ...

I've done that two or three times for this particular bunch.

[Lewis]

Relax. It's the nature of the game, been happening for decades and will continue to happen for decades. Just politely say not interested and put the phone down. No need to get wound up by it.

[mace]

Oh, I thought you'd been 'Mrs Robinsond' by an older lady pimp. Shame.

[EddieNambulous]

I wanted fellow contractors to be aware of this sort of unethical behaviour by this type of recruiter.

You've noticed unethical behaviour by recruiters? Shocking, simply shocking.

[RichardCranium]

I had a contract recruiter contact me at a client recently.

My first reaction is that someone has given you as a reference.

They were also told to explain how they got my client contact details when they were not listed on my CV or supplied with them.

So they got them off someone else.

THEN, a week later, I get a call from the recruiter to solicit me for opportunities at the client

Your details as a referee have definitely been given by some else.

Lets just say this recruiter claims they are 'progressive' and are anything but.

Oh yes, Progressive. We all know them as 'Aggressive'.

Finally I found out where this recruiter got their details from. It seems the lazy sods trawled it from my profile on LinkedIn

Did they tell you that? It was a lie.

They breached the Data Protection Act

No they did not. You are a contractor = a business. You are not an individual. The Data Protection Act does not apply.

I was referred to their legal department who failed to see the issue and clearly didn't get the fact that a recruiter emailing and telephoning a contractor at their client is both illegal and inappropriate

Inappropriate, yes. Illegal, no.

Forgetting the fact that they have a legal duty of care to ensure the data they hold is factually accurate

You've made me piss my trousers from laughing.

and was supplied by the candidate themselves

Oh, so you do know you were given as a referee then? I thought so.

Sufficed to say that I've advised the client, with whom I have an exceptional relationship, to avoid this recruiter and not to put them on their PSL - ever.

You got that bit right.

I may also refer the recruiter to the regulator ASPCO for formal investigation.

APSCO & REC represent the recruitment companies, not us filthy contractors. They will not be interested.

Its high time these recruiters stopped being so arrogent and unethical and took some time to realise that their clients aren't just the blue chips, but also the candidates - who have legal rights and should be given the courtesy of knowing when data is being captured about them.

Now I've pissed these clean trousers too.

I wanted fellow contractors to be aware of this sort of unethical behaviour by this type of recruiter.

Is this your first contract?

[Zippy]

Information Commissioner - if they have obtained your private details illegally.

[mavster07]

Here's a warning for all you very experienced contractors.

I had a contract recruiter contact me at a client recently. At first they contacted me via email in a general survey and were given a response of 'please do not contact me at this email address as this is a client and this type of contact is not appropriate'. They were also told to explain how they got my client contact details when they were not listed on my CV or supplied with them.

Then, a few weeks later I get an email directly from a recruiter and again they were given the advice that their contact was inappropriate.

THEN, a week later, I get a call from the recruiter to solicit me for opportunities at the client and to find out what I was doing next.

Lets just say this recruiter claims they are 'progressive' and are anything but.

Finally I found out where this recruiter got their details from. It seems the lazy sods trawled it from my profile on LinkedIn and then sent blanket emails to me. They updated their database, falsely, with details claiming that I held some customer role and yet never bothered to check those details were correct. They breached the Data Protection Act by recording false and incorrect information about me and then using that information to solicit unwanted contact at the client site.

When I got in touch with the recruiter, I was referred to their legal department who failed to see the issue and clearly didn't get the fact that a recruiter emailing and telephoning a contractor at their client is both illegal and inappropriate, and that the incorrect recording of data is seemingly ok, whether it be a mistake or not. Forgetting the fact that they have a legal duty of care to ensure the data they hold is factually accurate and was supplied by the candidate themselves, not ripped from a third party website and then used incorrectly.

Sufficed to say that I've advised the client, with whom I have an exceptional relationship, to avoid this recruiter and not to put them on their PSL - ever. I may also refer the recruiter to the regulator ASPCO for formal investigation. Its high time these recruiters stopped being so arrogent and unethical and took some time to realise that their clients aren't just the blue chips, but also the candidates - who have legal rights and should be given the courtesy of knowing when data is being captured about them.

I wanted fellow contractors to be aware of this sort of unethical behaviour by this type of recruiter.