Negative encounters with hiring managers are an unfortunately common occurrence, as the Recruiting Hell subreddit has amassed 285k members over the last 6 years. With the tagline “we’ll pay you in experience!”, the community states that it’s “for all of those recruiters and candidates who really don’t get it” and asks members to post their “horror stories” and “amazing” job offers. There are various issues that prospective employees often have with recruiters, but it appears that the nature of the job itself does not serve those being recruited. 

According to Brandon Savage, a full time consultant and blogger, a recruiter is the “nemesis of job searching”. Savage explains on his blog that recruiters are typically paid based on how many people they place and how high the salaries of those positions are. This means that since they’re essentially working on commission, they often have very little knowledge of the positions they’re hiring for and are willing to do or say whatever is necessary to fill roles.

Now, let’s not demonize every hiring manager and recruiter out there. I’m sure plenty of people have had smooth and positive experiences job hunting. Brandon notes in his blog that if a company has an in-house recruiter, “working with them is perfectly fine and normal”. When contacted by someone about an opening, Brandon recommends checking that person’s email address to see if it’s connected to the company you’re interested in working for.

He also warns job hunters to be wary of any uninvited solicitations from recruiters. If you’re contacted, out of the blue, by someone who compliments you on your skills and pitches another position to you, they're likely just looking for commission. If you're actually interested in the role, you can submit your resume the old fashion way and you're likely to have just as much luck. Don't give a misleading recruiter the satisfaction of making a profit off of you.

Even when you’re not dealing with an outside recruiter, it is common to encounter unrealistic expectations in job postings. In her piece for Forbes “Why So Many Job Postings Are So Ridiculous”, career coach Nancy Collamer provides this example: “Progressive employer seeks Harvard-trained neuroscientist and beauty pageant winner. Must be fluent in Mandarin and skilled at tribal basket weaving. Minimum of 10 years experience working for high-tech companies. Salary: mid-30’s.” 

While that’s an obvious exaggeration, many job postings might as well say that when they ask for laughable skills and levels of experience for puny salaries in return. Nancy lists several reasons why postings like this somehow make their way to the internet, including that the employer is inexperienced at hiring and they just don’t know better. She notes that in many companies, particularly small ones, hiring can get passed off to people who have no experience (and no business) writing job descriptions.

Another reason you might find unrealistic job postings is because an employer is willing to wait for the perfect candidate, regardless of whether or not they actually exist. There’s no problem with wanting to hire the best person for a position, but having a wish list with too many unattainable qualifications can actually deter candidates from applying in the first place. Nancy notes that these could also be “phantom postings”. These are created when companies are obligated to post open positions publicly, but they already know they want to hire someone inside the office. With an over-the-top job description, outsiders are less likely to apply, and the favored candidate on the inside will have an advantage. Phantom postings are a huge waste of everyone’s time, but unfortunately, they do happen.  

When it comes to responding to companies asking for far too much in their job postings, it can be difficult to know when it’s still worth it to apply. If you’re actually interested in the position, Nancy recommends finding someone within the company who you can talk to candidly about the role and what it’s like working there. Perhaps you have a friend or a LinkedIn contact there who would be willing to help. She also says that a good rule of thumb is the “70% rule”, meaning that if you fit about 70% of the requirements listed, it’s still worth it for you to apply. This is particularly important for women to keep in mind, as they tend to be more modest when applying for jobs. You can also keep an eye on how long a position has been posted online. If a company has been looking to fill a role for months, they might start to lower their expectations or be more willing to negotiate. If you submitted your resume months ago and no one has been hired yet, don’t be scared to circle back and see if you can still be considered.

The good news for those searching for a new job is that recently, hiring managers have had an increasingly difficult time filling roles. This means that applicants have more power than ever before, and they should take advantage of it. A month ago, Jane Thier published a story for Fortune titled “It’s a great time to be a job applicant—and the worst time to be a hiring manager” breaking down all of the reasons why candidates are now at an advantage over companies. Jane mentions that unemployment rates in the US are now the lowest that they’ve been since the beginning of the pandemic, and 84% of hiring managers report feeling burnt out, as candidates become more demanding in terms of perks and benefits. Not only are applicants asking for more, but they also have the power to tarnish a company’s reputation by discussing their interview experiences on social media and websites like Glassdoor. “As it gets easier and easier for individuals to find a new job,” Jane says. “The pressure on hiring managers only increases.”

In the 2022 Greenhouse Candidate Experience Report, Greenhouse CEO Daniel Chait discusses this recent role reversal between companies and candidates. “Companies have realized their potentially unfair hiring practices—or even just simple sloppiness like ineffective interviewing or a habit of ghosting candidates—is coming back to bite them,” he says. Applicants are apparently also expecting the process to move very quickly, so interested hiring managers have to make offers fast before another company beats them to it. Meanwhile, in the competitive job market, hiring managers have to focus on retention as well. Every time an employee leaves their company for a better offer, there’s one more role they’re expected to fill. I certainly wouldn’t want the job of a hiring manager or recruiter, but it’s encouraging to know that the ball is in the applicants’ court sometimes.

Pay transparency is one of the most important factors for many job applicants today. Just look at this list and all of the screenshots featuring hiring managers beating around the bush when it comes to salary ranges or explicitly telling applicants they can’t disclose that information. More progressive companies, however, are advertising high salaries to ensure they can attract talent. Erica Thomas, a technical recruiter in Florida, told CNBC that hiring for on-site positions is particularly challenging, but it can be done at the right price. “If I say, ‘you’ll be on-site and the range is $118,000 to $130,000,’ now we’re talking,” she says. “You have 4 to 8 seconds to catch a candidate’s attention. People want to know the bottom line: how much they’ll be paid.”

Bonuses are also getting better and better for applicants in the US. According to a 2021 Robert Half survey, 48% of companies are providing signing bonuses, 43% are offering more paid time off, and 40% are offering better job titles “to entice prospective hires”. Hiring managers have also resorted to casting a wider net when it comes to applicants because it has become so difficult to fill roles quickly with talent close to home. One woman, Lauren Rackley, told CNBC that she was given a $19,500 relocation bonus from her new job for moving from North Carolina to Florida. She noted that it was far more than any other relocation bonus she had been offered in the past. 

As companies become more desperate to hire and hold onto skilled talent, job applicants are finally being presented with attractive offers. Hopefully this combined with candidates holding companies accountable in communities like the Recruitment Hell subreddit will lead to permanently improved hiring practices. Enjoy the rest of this list of ridiculous messages and expectations from recruiters, and don’t forget to upvote the pics you find most appalling. Then let us know in the comments if you’ve ever had a terrible encounter with a recruiter!