Another angry post after another frustrating day talking to another bumbling idiot in the world of hiring. Once again my focus is on recruiters who somehow believe they carry value in this world. What purpose do they serve? If you’re a sexy candidate then you don’t need a recruiter to find you a job that you could get on your own with probably a higher salary than they can obtain. If you’re struggling to find a job, who needs some jerk store who doesn’t possess your credentials describing the water as wet.

“It’s a tough market out there,” I’ve heard since graduating from undergrad and grad school. Really? It’s been almost two decades and it’s still a tough market? The dollar is at record highs, the DOW is up, and the economy is moving. It is not a tough market.

‘Tough market’ is a term recruiters throw around to justify their laziness. They know they possess the power to at least get you an interview but why should they take the extra step when there are cookie-cutter candidates that they could place more easily. I don’t blame them at all for this strategy. What I blame them for is how they try to sugar-coat (that’s two cookie references) why they won’t do their job.

I find myself thanking them for their useless advice and being grateful for their sage words- “You have to stay aggressive and keep applying,” when I really want to say, “Get ducked!”