Recruiters: Pimps, Flesh Peddlers, Scum of the Earth

The original version of this page went on a bit of a screed about how scummy some recruiters can be, and how they're known as "pimps" by a lot of IT professionals as a result. Unfortunately, that was before I got laid off from WPI. So, uh, until I manage to find a job again, this page is at least temporarily closed and won't be linked to from my front page.

In the meantime, I am keeping the archive of the, well, one example I have of the sort of behavior that this page was initially created for:

• Cathy: Cathy of [REDACTED] is the first recruiter whose story I'd added in creating this section of my site, and is a classic example of a recruiter in need of a clue. Her attempt to contact me took place by e-mailing me at my work address. Yes, that's right, she was trying to scalp people out of their existing employment without even having the courtesy to track them down outside of their job! Good going, Cathy! So, I broke open the can of vitriol and launched my response. I was polite enough to not break down into swearing, but I was otherwise not exactly particularly kind when explaining to her just what I found wrong about her approach. Nonetheless, when she e-mailed me back, all that she seemed to pick up from my words was that I wasn't interested, and that "I'd had a bad experience with an incompetent or unethical recruiter in the past." She apparently didn't realize that I was calling her own conduct incompetent and unethical. I had intended to reply again and explain this to her, but I procrastinated too long.