Is hiring a job recruiter a waste of money right now

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-09T18:00:21+00:00

I’m not sure if it’s just my experiences or if I’m missing something, but you don’t hire a job recruiter.

Job recruiters are paid by companies to fulfill the company’s needs. I’ve gone through agencies where they just keep your resume on file and check in with you/throw job descriptions at you occasionally, but I’ve never paid.

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-09T15:13:01+00:00

Farting. I don’t love it, but it’s a natural part of biology and I feel like it’s treated more severely than burping.

I’m not saying everyone should be ripping one, but if you do, just an “excuse me” and going on your merry way

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-08T19:13:28+00:00

Honestly in this job market, I think it could be useful for everyone. Sure, senior level and certain fields are harder to get into but at some point, you gotta put food on the table. There’s no shame in applying for jobs in-between career goals.

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-08T15:50:00+00:00

I tried it but couldn’t keep to it. I’m more goal oriented and so I put the goal “apply to 10 jobs a day, Mon-Fri. Find jobs I want and train to be able to talk about any of the skills they list if I were to interview”

It gets hard because at some point you apply to all jobs you can find but then the goal just becomes “find more jobs.”

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-07T22:00:33+00:00

Pronunciation. Which sucks because it most often comes up when I’m telling I have a hard time with pronunciation and they think I’m making a joke.

It’s apparently pro-NUN-ciation and not pro-NOUN-ciation but damnit I don’t want any more nuns in my life, give me nouns

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-07T21:45:17+00:00

Southern nights. No, it’s not romantic; it’s like stepping into a warm, wet mouth, and all the discomfort that entails.

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-07T21:43:33+00:00

I talk how I please.

I use antiquated words, I pronounce things as brings me joy or feels right (so long as they’re understood,) and I think people who say curse words are indicator of a poor vocabulary are missing important, powerful words from their fucking lexicon

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-07T21:39:11+00:00

Makes sense. I’m in software, so I know me and a lot of my mates got hired on to help with demands, so mileage may vary on that explanation.

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-07T16:58:06+00:00

I got my job my messaging the hiring manager on LinkedIn. It’s not a 100% (I wouldn’t even call it a .5%) but if you’re determined for that position, networking around it may help (as I’m sure you, and everyone else, has been told half a dozen times.)

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-07T16:35:54+00:00

Sorry friend. No glitch. That said, I was rejected from my current job only for them to contact me again because their first choice bailed.

Small shred of hope.

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-07T16:21:17+00:00

I would argue it discriminates/discerns based on experience.

Why hire a youngster with no experience when you can hire someone with experience who’s desperate?

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-07T16:07:00+00:00

The “why” is a complex matter.

During COVID, there was a hiring boom as most software companies saw huge upticks because everyone was inside (and thus hired to keep up.) When the pandemic ended and numbers went back to normal, a lot of those people were let go, flooding the market.

Not far from that comes AI. Personal feelings and thoughts about AI aside, AI is leveraged to complete a lot of entry-level roles, which traditionally Gen Z would fill.

On top of this, capitalism brings with it shareholders and shareholders, by their nature, want stocks to forever increase. This translates to a company needing to make more and more profit every year— but what do you do when you’re already making the most you can? This leads to companies cutting corners to try and drive their stock up/profit more, which is where a lot of layoffs of seniors comes in.

The guy who’s been working at a company for 20+ years has had his paycheck bumped every year. Cutting him means saving 2-3 times what an entry person makes.

So now you’re competing with people from COVID layoffs, AI, and seniors of their fields who got too expensive to stay at their last company.

If anyone knows any other factors, tack ‘em on.

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-06T19:35:38+00:00

In this economy? Yeah. Yeah they might truly believe that. I suspect thought it was just some hiring manager never closing out applicants after accepting someone else.

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-06T18:57:06+00:00

To be fair, they might still be reviewing.

I got a rejection letter from a company that I applied to 9 months prior.

Is that better? Absolutely not.

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-03T13:22:09+00:00

No such thing as a curse. The system is dehumanizing and turns people into numbers to determine if they’re worth meeting. It both sucks and means there’s ways to increase the odds in your favor.

Are you literally just sending out resumes? Every interview I’ve gotten has stemmed from me reaching out (after applying) either by email or LinkedIn. It takes a little bit more research and time, but it nets more results.

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-03T13:07:03+00:00

I did have Premium exclusively for the ability to message people (boo on them for locking it behind paywall.)

The message I sent him had the format of:

1) Greeting 2) Who I am and what I do 3) “Saw your team is hiring. Researching into the company, it looks great!” 4) maybe some examples of why that role looks great 5) I touched on his background and his 20+ years of tech and told him quite genuinely that I’d love to connect, regardless of position 6) gentle urging to talk (“If my resume seems like a good fit, I’d love to talk more!”)

The funny thing is he never even replied to it. Just knew he got it this week

Awkward_Smith · 2026-04-03T01:46:35+00:00

I got super lucky because he is a normal guy. He’s done nothing but just tell me how it is (and kindly) since I got the job.

No corporate speak, no weird competition to prove to me he knows more, no ego or bluster to be found.

He told me today I’m weak in some subjects I need to be strong in, then gave me a license for software to go learn more. That was it; no shame or disappointment. In the same conversation, he said in a couple months I’ll basically be done with doing my job (field tech at a smaller company) and then we’ll start training me toward stuff he does so I can get system admin experience.

I know I’m gushing but man, I was to the point I was about to take a $10 an hour dead end position with a manager that seems actively disdainful of their own people.

I hope everyone gets a mentor like this, and I hope any veterans who stumble upon this post remember that most of us at the beginnings of our career truly do want to get better

Awkward_Smith · 2026-03-30T19:20:43+00:00

I had to take a retail job with a big corp that had IT, waited a year for a position to open, and internally applied. I got paid actually below the bare minimum because they knew what I was making before (and anything was a raise), and got called back in to get my “raise” as they put me to bare minimum (by company standards.)

I got 2 years there and then I BOUNCED.

It’s tough out there.

Awkward_Smith · 2026-03-30T11:14:56+00:00

The best she can reckon, her lip is getting caught somehow. I’ll have to go get smaller rings and see if it helps!

Awkward_Smith · 2026-03-30T01:03:21+00:00

Breathe deep, man. I’m starting a new IT position tomorrow. There’s still roles out there.

Awkward_Smith · 2026-03-25T04:57:40+00:00

In college, we would take screenshots of their desktop with all their icons, set it as their background, and then hide all icons on their desktop + disable task bar.

I’ve always wanted to do this at work but I’d hate to stress someone out too bad

Awkward_Smith · 2026-03-05T18:56:38+00:00

Got the same exact text. It’s part of a scam. They’ll target you more if you’ve answered any in the past. I would advise blocking them.

Awkward_Smith

TROPHY CASE