You'd think this one would be a no-brainer, yet several recruiters told me they've heard from spouses or family members who wanted to apply for jobs on their next of kin's behalf.
Just last week, Russ Riendeau, a senior partner at The East Wing Search Group, an executive search firm in Barrington, Ill., received a call from a woman hoping to find a job for her brother-in-law.
When asked why the woman was calling on her in-law's behalf, Riendeau was told:
"Well, I have some time and he's working 12 hours a day and really busy."
Needless to say, Riendeau was unimpressed.
Uncooperative candidates aren't doing themselves any favors, especially in this tricky job market.
"I called a candidate one morning to talk with her about a job opening, and she seemed annoyed that I had called," a Chicago recruiter who wanted to remain anonymous told me via e-mail.
"She did not want to talk to me because there was a political press conference on TV that she wanted to watch instead. (It wasn't related to her work.) She told me, 'Face it, history is being made right now.' Too bad the job was being filled right then. I'm happy to call back later if it's a bad time but blowing off a potential job to watch TV? Not the priorities I'm looking for in a candidate."
Likewise, if you're asked to apply for a job via a recruiting firm's Web site or you're asked to do a preliminary phone screen with a recruiter, don't balk or flat-out refuse. In the world of recruiting, both are standard operating procedure. And if you don't play the recruiter's way, they'll just find another candidate who will.
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