It appears job recruiters are mostly a waste of time.

[Sakis]

Every now and then I get a recruiter communique for job openings. They're not off the target based on my qualifications in general, although most of the time they seem to be below my current bar.

The other day I got this (I'll snip it enough to keep it short but still give you a good idea about the job)

 

"My name is [snip] and I'm an IT recruiter at ETalentNetwork. We are the fastest growing staffing company in North America and the only firm of its kind that specializes in recruitment services. We are the sole agency that does recruitment for 22nd Century Technologies, Inc.(TSCTI), leveraging our extensive network and resources. TSCTI has a diverse portfolio of various Information Technology & General Staffing Services contracts with the United States Government and Private Sector Agencies. 

Please find below the job details: 
.Position: Information Assurance/ Cyber Security Specialist
Location: Patuxent River MD
Duration: Fulltime
 
Clearance: Active Secret Clearance
 
Security+ /CISSP Certified
[...snip...]

Preferred Qualifications: 

- Top Secret clearance preferred
-BA or BS degree in a technical area (Computer Science, Information Assurance, Cyber Security…)
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification preferred
-Experience with developing and maintaining DoD Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process (DIACAP) or Risk Management Framework (RMF) packages
-Experience with vulnerability assessments using various scanning tools
-Experience with performing, interpreting, and reporting vulnerability assessments
-Experience in working with Enterprise Mission Assurance Support Service (eMASS)
-Experience with developing and presenting, orally and in writing, technical information to non-technical audiences and clients
-Knowledge of computer networking and network-based information assurance devices

Please provide the following information

Salary Expectation:
Full Name:
Contact No:
Current Location:                                                                                               
Availability:
Security Clearance level and status : 

Kindly share your detailed resume

"

 

 

I meet all except the underlined of their Preferred list. So I figure I'll engage with a clear intent to determine if dealing with this recruiter is going to be a waste of time. After all, this person gets paid for providing 'Consulting' services to potential employers who have decided to outsource recruiting. A typical middle man. An employment pimp if you will.

 

So I engage:

Hello [snip], 

 

Thank you for the notification. I am confused as to the reason behind the questionnaire when all this information is typically included in the resume. Perhaps more perplexing is the requirement to share a Salary Expectation when we both know that the company already has set its budget range for this position for the most qualified professional they can find. If I am to be the candidate of choice, aren't they willing to fairly compensate an employee who brings the value they want?

 

*crickets* ever since.

Edited June 13, 2017 by Sakis