Why is it soooo hard??

As the interviews ramp up (I know I should be happy to get interviews but why does it have to be sooo frustrating…) so do the stories.

Today I got a phone call from a new agency as I had responded to an ad on seek. We had a basic chat and I said since I am responding to lot of ads etc would it be possible for you to tell me the company, fax me your confidentiality agreement if it worries you. ‘Oh no he says – we are recruiting for this role exclusively (that’s what you think buddy but I have been in this scenario many many times before)’.

I bit more back and forth til I said ‘Well at what stage will you tell me the company?’ his answer, ‘when you secure an interview’

What the?!

That is just not on, you cant do that there are some many reasons that is just not on.

1. I do not want to have my resume go out to every Tom, Dick or Harry or two-bit operation. I want my integrity as a Prime candidate to be maintained.

2. They receive my CV from 3 different agencies (I could have also responded to a direct ad), the agent doesn’t look like they did their research/background work very well. And I look like I am slutting myself around to every agency in the city…

3. Lets say they do send out my CV and they want me to come in for an interview and my agent calls and says ‘Congrats you have secured an interview with XYZ company’, And say ‘I am sorry I don’t want to work for that company’ how bad does the agent look, so it is best we have this conversation before we get to that point.

A list of potential reason I may not want to work for said company.

- Ethical reasons (it doesn’t bother me but I know a lot of people who refuse to eat KFC,
they wouldn’t want to work there either I would guess)
- I have an AVO out on someone who stalked me last year.
- My boyfriend works there
- My Ex husband works there

I could go on and on.

So after yesterday I thought I many have been being a bit over sensitive so I rang one of my preferred recruitment agents and told her the story. She totally agreed with me. And started listing her own reason why.

1. Without having met me (I mean what agent would have put me forward without meeting me?) how could they know whether I had a Mohawk, showed up to interviews in Jeans or worst a very short skirt with slutty heels?
2. Just plain unethical and lazy.