“I want money for nothing.” In other words… “I’m exclusively representing a candidate,” said the recruiter.
Which translates to… “I’ve picked a CV off a job board [or a CV has landed on my desk] and I want to sell them.”
A good recruiter doesn’t need to broadcast that they have a CV; if they have a good relationship with a client, they will have sent it.
But if they can’t help a candidate, they should point them in the direction of who can. That would be in the candidate’s interests.
You know what isn’t? A recruiter glorifying themselves as a candidate ‘owner’, as they spec out his/her CV to multiple companies.
This is lazy ‘recruiting’, using the candidate as a sales tool for a quick fee or a new client.
Recruiters are paid by clients to solve a problem. We (should) solve a problem by searching for a solution, but we should also add value. We should be offering the client a solution that they cannot find themselves.
Instead, on so many occasions, the agency regurgitates a substandard job advert, crosses their fingers, and then, if they get luckier than the client, charges them for it.
“I’m exclusively representing a candidate” is nonsense.
All it amounts to? “I have a solution… god knows what the problem is… but I want paying for it!”
