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by pr0filer_ 5441 days ago
In the Netherlands the situation is pretty much the same. I personally never use recruiters to find a job. I had put my CV shortly up on a website and got harassed months after with job vacancies that didn't even relate to my CV. Most developers around me also hold a grudge against recruiters and see it, like mentioned in your article, as a necessary evil.

It's not nice being treated as livestock.
2 comments
rickmb 5441 days ago
In the Netherlands, the recruitment market has in the past few years been flooded with extremely aggressive recruiters from the UK. The majority the recruiters I encounter are British, even though they are recruiting Dutch developers for Dutch employers.
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Peroni 5441 days ago
It's a global issue. A lot can be done to change it though. Have a look at my previous post 'Questions from my experiences as a recruiter on Hacker News' for tips on how to deal with sub-par recruiters.

http://voltsteve.blogspot.com/2011/07/questions-from-my-expe...

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pr0filer_ 5441 days ago
I think the advice you give is interesting, though i'm more curious to hear why you think people should use a recruiter in the first place? I can see the potential training or retouching of a CV, but i feel somewhat confident that i got that right. So then, what's left?

And isn't the harassment a trade-off for, as what i perceive, being too lazy to find a job yourself?

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Peroni 5441 days ago
Assuming you are dealing with a relatively decent recruiter:

EMPLOYER BENEFITS

1. Access to candidates who aren't active on job boards.

2. Significant reduction in the amount of time spent screening candidates.

3. Some companies want to keep a low profile and don't want to advertise the fact that they are hiring.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

1. Good recruiters will have the ear of the top CTO's & Directors so your details can be put directly in front of the right people.

2. A huge amount of work isn't publicly advertised so you need a recruiter to connect you to said roles.

3. Career & CV advice. Recruiters should be advising you on what you can do to improve your chances of getting a better job or salary.

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