‘It's not up to you’: Job applicant goes over recruiter's head and submits her application directly, she gets the job, only for employer to demand she pays the recruiter a fee

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Sep 19, 2024 9:00 AM EDT

No matter how awful your job might be, you should take comfort in the fact that you do not have to look for one. It seems like every time we hear about the job market and the chances of securing a job these days, it just keeps getting worse and worse.

If you are looking for a job currently, take comfort, as this story might give you some tips on how to properly secure a job. OP (original poster) sent their application to a firm through a recruiter and was told by that recruiter that the firm declined their application. Despite that, OP had a gut feeling that the recruiter was not being completely honest and decided to submit another application directly to the firm, going over the recruiter's head. Fortunately for OP, that move was the right call, as they were offered the job a few weeks later. The only problem is, that the employer is persistent in paying the recruiter their fee, even if they didn't really do their job.

Keep scrolling to read the rest of the story and the helpful tips that followed, and you might get inspired for your next job search journey. After you are done, click here for a story of an entitled customer who demanded a grocery store employee for a non-existent delivery service.

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  • 01
    RESUME PROFESSIONAL PE LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT DUNT UT LAOREET DOLO TRUD EXERCITATION UL DUIS AUTEM VEL EUM IF EDUCATION LOREM IPSUM DOLO SIT AMET, CONSECTE DOLORE MAGNA ALIQ LOREM IPSUM DOL SIT AMET, CONSECT DOLORE MAGNA AL RK EXPERI PSUM DO LAOREE APPLICATION GENERAL INFORMATION FULL NAME BUT, PLEASE CALL ME E ADDRES MAILING ADDRESS HOME PHONE MARRIED SINGLE DEPENDENTS/AGES HOBBIES TAT HIGH SCHOOL TRADE/COMM.COLLEGE LEGEAINIVERSITY EDUCATIO MPANY WORK EXPERIEN CITY/STATE
    via witsarut sakorn
  • 02
    Recruiter said no, applied directly and got an offer
    via ren272
  • 03
    Title says most of it. A recruiter sent my application to a firm over a month ago and said they said no. However, the way she was speaking with me made me
    via ren272
  • 04
    question her efforts. So I ended up directly applying and received a call and 2 interviews later they want to offer me the job. Issue is they say they may be
    via ren272
  • 05
    contractually obligated to this recruiter. They want me to reach out to the recruiter and see if she would waive the fee they would have to pay her. They said my
    via ren272
  • 06
    compensation is dependent on this. I will reach out to her, however, I'm wondering if there is anything I can say to steer her in the right direction.
    via ren272
  • 07
    Edit: I have no contract with this recruiter. It was just someone on linked in who submitted my resume.
    via ren272
  • 08
    Proper_Definition197 • 1d ago What made you reapply? I can't imagine ever doing that.
    via Proper_Definition197
  • 09
    ren272 OP 1d ago Recruiter did not submit my cover letter. I was terminated from my last job and my cover letter explained why. I submitted with the cover letter
    via ren272
  • 10
    spaceecowgirl .7h ago Curious as to why you would explain that in your cover letter as that's not something you would usually want to advertise.
    via spaceecowgirl
  • 11
    ren272 OP 3h ago I work in a really niche field where truth is more appreciated than lying and it looks extremely bad to have gaps in my field as well. I couldn't say I took a 8 month gap. Also side note: I work in a small city and everyone pretty much knows eachother in this field.
    via ren272
  • 12
    jshmoe866 • 2d ago Yeah this doesn't make sense, it's not up to you to handle their negotiations with the recruiter for them. You are there to advocate for yourself. No one else. Tell them
    via jshmoe866
  • 13
    something along the lines of "oh I tried but they will only speak to the person at the company who hired them" Call and hang up so you have plausible deniability
    via jshmoe866
  • 14
    SarahHires • 1d ago • Edited 1d ago As an owner of a recruiting firm I am here to say this is a MASSIVE red flag. This employer is not only spineless, but also unethical. Please don't think you're exempt from becoming a victim to their suspect actions.
    via SarahHires
  • 15
    BoopCity McGee • 1d ago I would not work for this company.
    via BoopCityMcGee
  • 16
    Financial_Ad635 • 1d ago I've done that before myself. It was with Beacon Hill Staffing. I asked about an all remote role they had posted and the interviewer refused to allow me
    via Financial_Ad635
  • 17
    to interview for it. They kept pushing fully in office roles on me even though at the time I was already working fully remote.
    via Financial_Ad635
  • 18
    So I just went ahead behind the recruiter's back, found out the company and applied myself. Ended up getting the position. This was 2 years ago.
    via Financial_Ad635
  • 19
    ren272 OP 1d ago Did your recruiter have to get paid?
    via ren272
  • 20
    Financial_Ad635 • 1d ago Edited 1d ago Nope. But in my case the recruiter never submitted me. He kept refusing and saying I wasn't right for the role. Instead he kept pushing other 5-day a week in office roles on me that I wasn't interested in. I
    via Financial_Ad635
  • 21
    was already employed in a fully remote position. Why would I give that up to travel in a crowded subway 5 days a week for barely more pay? This particular recruiter was just an idiot.
    via Financial_Ad635
  • 22
    Instead of getting mad at him I just farmed as much info as I could during our interview to find out what company it was. It worked. Found the company and found the job on their website. I applied to them directly. The recruiter never knew what I did and since he refused to submit
    via Financial_Ad635
  • 23
    me, neither did the company. I never told the company that I found out about the role through Beacon Hill either, so they were none the wiser and got zero fee from my hire.
    via Financial_Ad635
  • 24
    • ProfsionalBlackUncle 11h ago Everyone in the top few comments is stupid. If you mentioned the recruiter during the hiring process, your employers probably wrongly* think that you
    via ProfsionalBlackUncle
  • 25
    signed some sort of contract with your recruiter. Thats not what happened. Those recruiter contracts have absurd things in them, most of them wouldnt hold up in court. Straight up Imao. Make it clear that to your employer that you have no contractual obligation regarding any recruiter.
    via ProfsionalBlackUncle
  • 26
    If they continue to push that you do, keep insisting that you dont... because you dont. Im pretty sure this is just a miscommunication and not a MAJOR HUGE RED FLAG!
    via ProfsionalBlackUncle
  • 27
    ren272 OP 3h ago Thank you
    via ren272

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