Double dating and double crossing ...

As the job market begins to pick up, I believe that we will see a lot more double dating going on and for that matter double crossing. When a search consultant realizes that their candidate just got double submitted, they know that their reputation has been dented. Unfortunately it’s a situation that hurts both the job seeker and the recruiter and typically leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the client hiring manager. The important lesson here is that candidates should be open and frank with recruiters when they apply for a position or when they list their expression of interest. Inform the recruiter of all applications that has been made in the last 6 months , even 12 months to make absolutely sure that your search consultant does not get egg on his/her face. I picked up some pointers on RecruitmentBlogs explaining why this double submitting thing happens and what are the consequences when this happens to a job seeker ...

You are working with a bad recruiter –
Some recruiters and their agencies only look to "turn and burn" through candidates. They give you insufficient information, rush you for your resume information, and then throw you to the client in the fastest time possible. You can sniff these recruiters out though. They typically won't know much about the position they are trying to recruit you for, because they are trying to juggle 5 different positions at the same time. Ask the right questions and dig in for information. If you're not comfortable with their level of knowledge, seek out another recruiter working on the same job.

You are working with a liar –
There are good ones and bad ones. Unfortunately, there are many recruiters out there so motivated by their metric goals that they will do whatever it takes to pad their numbers. They might submit you without your knowledge or even submit you knowing that you've already been submitted.

You are not managing your job search well enough-
Most jobseekers who have worked with recruiters for any time at all, know that they can get inundated with calls and positions in a matter of hours. Positions can get confused with other positions and before you know it you're having to go back into your dairy and pull the different job descriptions to make sure you haven't been submitted before. It's thus very important that job seekers come up with some type of system to ensure that they aren't increasing their chances of being double submitted.

You aren't making the recruiter disclose their client-
Recruiters are often very hesitant to disclose their clients because they have been burned in the past with candidates going directly to their client or going to another agency with the information about the job. This is a legitimate concern for the recruiter. So he/she might not be willing to tell you upfront, until they determine if you are a good fit for the position. Just make it clear to whoever is trying to recruit you that you do not wish to be submitted until you know the name of the client.

The consequences of double submitting in the recruitment industry, and I have came across triple submitting , is not to be taken lightly.

You will end up "burning" one (or both) of the recruiters-
One side will win and one side will lose. The side that looses will have a harder time working with the other party from that point on. It's never a good thing to burn the people or the bridges that build your career.

You can be rejected by the client –
Some clients/companies will completely reject you for the position you've been double submitted to. These zero tolerance clients are concerned with time efficiency and take a "principal based" approach to this issue. They realize that it takes a lot of time and resources when vendors fight over candidates and don't want to take part in this drama. They can also see it as candidates wasting their time and not having control over their job search and ultimately their career.

You can choose-
Many companies leave the double submittal fiasco up to the candidate to decide who should represent him/her when double submitting occur. This situation is ultimately the best for job seekers since it allow them to pick the recruiter who they are most comfortable with. However, this way of dealing with double dating is flawed and it could snow ball. On the one hand unscrupulous recruiting agencies realize that they still have a chance to represent candidates who have already been submitted. On the other hand candidates do not learn to manage their job search effectively in order to prevent double dating.

My personal view, and most of the companies I work with, is that of “first come first served”. No exception. If a CV has been presented by a recruitment firm it is seen as active and valid for six months. After six months the candidate’s profile may be submitted by another recruiter. This philosophy makes sense and it prevents infighting and unnecessary emotions, which we do not need in this industry.







Adapted and written by: Louis Botes - www.engsearchrecruit.com