Why You Should NOT Bypass a Recruiter

I’m not sure where the advice to bypass a recruiter came from originally.  I do know it’s out there.  Some candidates seem to think bypassing us doesn’t hurt anyone.  And if they do hurt us, it doesn’t matter because they’ll never need us again. So many of us have had to change how we interact with candidates in order to protect ourselves.

Why Recruiters Do Not Share Client Names

As a recruiter, I rarely share the name of my client (the hiring company) with a potential candidate. There are multiple reasons for this.

• My client is conducting a confidential search and doesn’t want anyone to know they are hiring for a particular position.
• Some candidates will decide to call my client directly to see what is happening. Some have called so many times that the words “restraining order” come to mind. When a client company uses a recruiter, the recruiter is the one who has to field all those follow up calls.
• Once a candidate knows the name of my client, they can bypass me and submit their resume directly.

This is bad for what I think is an obvious reason, but I’m surprised at how many people don’t understand why they should not do this.  Recruiters are paid on a commission-only basis. If we do not submit the resume for the person who is ultimately hired, we do not get paid.

In the instance where a recruiter does tell you who their client company is, this information should be respected and kept confidential. In addition to not bypassing the recruiter, you should also not tell everyone you know about the opportunity and the company. Why would you want to create competition for yourself?

You could, however, say “There’s a recruiter I know working on a terrific job opening and you should contact her.”

First Hand Experience

When I first started recruiting, I shared my client’s name a couple of times. I’ve since learned not to do this.

One day, I was on the phone with a candidate. We were discussing, in detail the requirements for a position. I was trying to determine if he was truly the perfect fit that he appeared to be.  I made the mistake of telling him my client’s name.

After we hung up, I forwarded his resume to my client. Within ten minutes I received a call from my client. Four minutes before my email arrived, the applicant I was speaking with had forwarded his resume. He was actually submitting his resume to my client while we were on the phone.

Technically, as I did not submit the candidate, I was no longer the recruiter on record and would not be paid a commission.

My client called me and said it was obvious to her that the candidate was trying to bypass me and that he had to have been talking with me on the phone while he was submitting his resume.

My client asked me to call the candidate back and tell him they were not interested in hiring someone with such low ethics.

Sadly, he was a very good fit, but at that point there was nothing I could do or say to save the situation.