sashinka | observation orientated, with a twist of lime | a blog

Recurring Recruitment Rash
Here's a strange one: at the beginning of the year, I got in touch with the marketing division of a leading recruitment firm; they were advertising a job I thought I matched, and I met up with one of their consultants who basically said I was talented but not one of "their" candidates. He gave me some good feedback on my CV, and said he'd update it on their system - their last info was ten years old - and that I should talk to their professional service team. So I got in touch with consultant 2, who couldn't find my updated CV on the system, and asked me to send it again. I did.

A few months later, I saw another professional services job advertised. Now, I know how it works, and the fact that I'm on their system and they don't call me means they don't think I'm right, but hey. Talked to consultant 3 - no sign of my CV on the system. He was very apologetic, and asked me to send it through again. I did. He didn't think I was right for the job.

Last week, I saw another professional services/events job that I really thought I matched. I left a message for consultant 3 - whose colleague said he couldn't see my updated CV on the system, and when he didn't get back to me a week later, I called him yesterday. He was warm and friendly and said yes, he'd got my message, and had emailed me to say that the job had been put on hold, and I had, apparently, emailed back to say thanks, and bear me in mind for something else. No, he didn't know what email address he'd sent it to. Yes, he had my updated CV on the system. Weird; I didn't want to be rude, so I just swept under the carpet the fact that he was clearly thinking about someone else.

Today, I get a letter from consultant 4 saying "she is pleased to say that my updated CV has arrived safely.... and can I please contact her as soon as I am able to talk openly about my job search parameters, since they may have changed since the last time we spoke".

I have never spoken to hear before. Or sent her my CV. Or if I did, it was in April.

I'm just frustrated that I'm a fairly competent person who doesn't seem able to get a job, and then there's a bunch of people at this firm getting paid to, er, whatever it is they do. I mean, if they just told me to get lost, they were never going to help me, fine. But this good-guy bad-guy scenario is just too much.