I'm preparing myself for a bazillion downvotes and angry messages, but I feel I need to post this at least once in this sub.
I've been (mostly) lurking in this sub for a while now. I'm seeing an alarming increase in the amount of posts of people patting themselves on the back for being absolute jackwagons to the recruiters they're speaking to if the recruiter doesn't offer pay information up front. Or just generally shitting all over recruiters they have to talk to in order to find work.
Yes, I understand that it's frustrating to talk to someone who gives you awful, vague answers. But it's frustrating for recruiters, too. In most companies, recruiters are just the messenger for policies they often don't agree with. It's only just in the last couple years that *some* companies are treating recruiting like partners instead of tools. We're told not to discuss ranges (because people tend to hear the highest number in a range and expect that), and the reality is that, at least right now, there are compensation ranges that companies adhere to. Recruiters don't set the salaries. I repeat: recruiters don't set the salaries.
I am fortunate enough to work for a company where it's allowed, and even encouraged, to tell a candidate what we're looking to target for their salary for the role. I would share that info anyway, and I've done it in previous companies I've worked at (and pissed my manager off in the process). I would encourage recruiters reading this to do the same if you don't already (if you can get away with it). I personally wish every single state in the US required that companies publicly post/disclose compensation ranges, because that'd make my job a hell of a lot easier.
I'm not looking for a back pat here, I'm not looking for a medal, an award, or a sarcastic “good for you”. But I am looking for empathy for my fellow recruiters. They're getting absolutely torn up in here. And there are horrible recruiters out there, just like there are horrible cashiers, and horrible doctors, and horrible CEOs. Turns out, we're all human, and some humans are bad at their jobs or frustrating to interact with. Your bad experiences with recruiters doesn't give you license to dehumanize them and proudly share how you really stuck it to 'em during your phone screen.
Recruiting is, often, a thankless job on both ends of the spectrum (from the people they work with, from the candidates they talk to). We're often some of the first ones to get laid off when a company has a hiccup, and treated like we're the actual devil by the people we're trying to help. I've had so many great experiences as a recruiter, and I love the message of r/antiwork. But damn, people taking out their job hunt frustration on the people in my line of work is such a bummer.
Please be kind – we're all just out here trying to find jobs that don't suck and make enough money to make ends meet.