Margo,

I appreciate this post. Job hunters are a vulnerable population. To treat them in the way you describe, is liking kicking a dog when it’s down. There is no excuse for this. If a recruiter, who is supposed to be more understanding of a job hunter’s situation, purposefully goes out of his/her way to hurt and humiliate a job hunter, they will have to accept the consequences that their actions may bring about if the job hunter cracks, or worse.

Margo,
As a regular listener and contributor to the Animal show, i’m sure you were aware how the show goes. The episode you refer to is no different.
having been a guest on the show on 2 occasions, I know that all guests get a detailed e-mail of what to expect and are urged to listen to 2 shows before appearing. I’m sure this hasn’t changed.
I called in to the show, so possibly you are refering to me. The other callers have gone out of their way on many occasions to help Job Seekers directly and indirectly. To steer members of the #hireFriday community away from them is an error in my opinion. Each have contributed to the #HireFriday, community, myself included. It would be a shame to cause a split between contributors, but that could be the end result.
Look at the reasons for the negative feedback. 4 offers declined for reason of relocation or package, as well as an unrealistic expectation in the current market. This provoked a harsh reaction from the callers, but may in turn have given a good picture of the things job seekers should be thinking about in their search. I believe 4 recruiters contacted the guest as a direct result of the show and there were several offers to review his resume. In the interests of offering a true picture to your community, perhaps you should mention this in your post.

Unless you have all the facts, do not pass judgment. 90k for a job that should be paying 160-180k in their local market with the cost of living adjustment is a joke and you know it. I have had calls from other recruiters since the show last week that agree with me that they are insane and not to take the offers, rather hang up the phone. Not to mention the equivalent to what 90k is here in my area would be like making 40k and still have to seal with housing with is 3-4 times as much. To support a family of five with no up front cash for the commute, hotel, expenses would be impossible at this point. If you are a good recruiter, you know what I am saying as truth and employers are really lowballing. Now, on the prior show I heard alot of fluff about recruiters being master negotiators when it comes to salary negotiations and working around the lowballing. Many of the recruiters are not even interested in negotiating and will just go right down the list as they do not have the fortitude to go back and really sell the candidate. If this is not you, then you need to understand what jobseekers like I see from our vantage point on what your colleagues are doing in the industry.

As for offers to review my resume…? Funny how everyone offers to review and rewrite a resume for free and then it turns into “at a fee” and a sales pitch like a typical sales person. Based on the feedback I have gotten as of late, my resume has had great reviews from hiring managers and several C-level execs so I am going to stick with it. How much money do you think jobseekers have? Not to mention that many resume writers, even ones from the show or followers of the show, all have their own resume styles and throw their colleagues work under the bus (you know who you are). So just as a recruiter can toss daggers at a jobseeker, the door swings both ways. There are some recruiters who in all reality just might be making a living off the back of the unemployed by creating resumes rather than actually placing candidates. Recruiters, of all people, of all people who claim to build relationships with clients and candidates should pick up the phone and call me rather than judge me, my career, and my decision-making purely based off of a show which was the first time they had a jobseeker on to my knowledge which gave the show a different spin from the previous weeks. Not to mention this was my first time doing something like this. Did I choke? Yes. Could I have done better? Yes.

Since the show, I have had several calls from exceptional recruiters who are currently taking an interest in me and working on several leads. Therefore, to agree with the other show that aired last night… Yes, my stock did go up!

Sorry Margo, I disagree. Candidates should do their homework first before committing to an interview whether it is for a Blog Talk Radio show or an interview. The person could have easily downloaded and listen to previous episodes and either politely declined or came prepared.

This is all part of the research and preparation process. Asking Animal to change his persona is like asking Gary Vee not to cuss or use the F bomb during his presentations.

People should do their best to prepare themselves for all situations especially when they voluntarily agree to be placed in that type of situation. Ignorance is not bliss.

Jessica

@blogging4jobs

Jessica, I agree. Bill, I understand. Cyndy I hear ya. Paul, glad you like Eve 6 too, you’re right. Derek, there was a lot to learn from your experience. It’s important that you take bitter to better. Best wishes in your future job search.

Thanks everyone for your comments. Animal and I promote each other like Bill O’Reilly and Jon Stewart, said Josh LeTourneau. I couldn’t agree with him more!