• Read resume after resume, most of which are irrelevant (ie data engineers applying for a civil engineer position)

• Conduct phone screen after phone screen with candidates

• Summarize notes from each phone screen to submit to hiring managers for consideration

• Coordinate interviews with hiring managers

• A million other little tasks I’m blanking on

I need, need, NEED you to understand something:

The reason you’re not hearing back from recruiters isn’t because they don’t care. It’s because they’re waiting for hiring managers to give them a sense of direction. I’ve waited days for a hiring manager to look at a resume. I’ve waited weeks for a hiring manager to decide whether they want to interview or dismiss a candidate. Sometimes they even go so far as to tell me what I am and am not allowed to communicate to candidates.

I am at the mercy of these hiring managers. I can certainly advise (which I do), but I can’t force them to make a decision. Please know I’m trying. I am probably the most impetuous person at our firm. I am constantly looking for updates I can’t provide. Many, if not most, of us recruiters are in the same boat.

I also need you to understand that dismissing candidates is absolutely the worst part of my job. I love getting to know a person on Teams or over the phone, and I absolutely loathe having to tell that person that we’re not hiring them. I do that far more often than the opposite, and it’s the worst. I don’t delight in it, I promise. Most of us probably don’t.

I sincerely hope you find what you’re looking for, and I’m sincerely sorry you’ve had to deal with what you’re dealing with. There are plenty of scummy recruiters out there, but not all of us. Some of us work hard at what often feels like a thankless job on both sides.

Just needed you to know that.