Recruiter sends job-seeking employee’s CV to their current boss, leading to increased micromanagement and workplace anxiety

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Jan 29, 2025 10:00 AM EST

The job market is a treacherous battlefield where workers are foot soldiers in a never-ending war for survival. Bosses command from their fortified bunkers, wielding power like generals pumped on authority, while employees march in formation, trying to dodge the barrage of orders from above. Recruiters act as mercenaries, roaming the digital no-man's-land, luring unsuspecting troops with promises of better rations and cushy assignments. They offer mirages of greener base camps and bigger paychecks but often deliver nothing but false intelligence and wasted surveillance.

In this war-torn landscape, loyalty is as outdated as trench warfare, and job security is as reliable as a rusted bayonet. Workers are expected to charge into combat, sacrifice their mental well-being, and salute with a smile while being barked at like fresh recruits. Commanding officers demand unwavering obedience while offering little beyond the privilege of not being court-martialed.

The job market is hostile enough without recruiters sabotaging workers' missions. Enter our battle-weary soldier drowning in a dugout of workplace misery. Desperate for extraction, they reach for the lifeline offered by a LinkedIn mercenary. But the enemy, ever vigilant, intercepts the message.

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  • 01

    "Recruiter sent my CV to my current employer"

    "I can't believe people can be that low"
    via Yan Krukau

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02
    I received a linkedin message from a recruiter about a higher paying position in my field. I haven't been loving work recently (lots of crying, anxiety about my work place, constant check ins
    via Living_Cranberry1180
  • 03
    with my manager) so after researching the recruiter and company, we had a call and I sent over my CV. A week later, I received a message from my manager asking if i was applying
    via Living_Cranberry1180
  • 04
    to other jobs and that she'd been sent my CV from this recruiter. The original company i applied for was not my current company (obviously lol) and now i'm so anxious about being fired. I'm already not doing great at work
    via Living_Cranberry1180
  • 05
    and being very micro managed (i had a bad period with my mental and physical health and it really did impact how i was treated at work) and now this has really added to the anxiety. Any advice?
    via Living_Cranberry1180
  • 06
    Cheezburger Image 10460558848
    via designer491
  • 07
    Easy-Job3814 If you do get fired, prepare to sue the Recruiting agency. They should have never done that. Dumb move.
    via Easy-Job3814
  • 08
    freddyshare Former agency recruiter here. I've been asked by Client (company) partnerships to "run a sting" on current employees they felt were underperforming, potentially working two jobs or unhappy in
    via freddyshare
  • 09
    their environment. They wanted me to do exactly what OP said happened to them. Reach out to them proactively about a better job in their field to pique their interest and then let the Manager know if they took the bait.
    via freddyshare
  • 10
    I never, ever agreed to do this. It's the opposite of the transparent honest approach that's made me very successful in my field but I have terminated other recruiters/account reps that did this for customers thinking they were going to earn more business by being able to backfill the employee.
    via freddyshare
  • 11
    Dull-Worldliness343 I recently had a recruiter reach out to me- saying he found my profile on LinkedIn - and had a position that I'd be a great fit for. He included the job details, and asked if I was interested in pursuing it.
    via Dull-Worldliness343
  • 12
    Plot twist: it's an open position that I'm trying to fill (it will report to me). I almost wanted to see how far I could go with it... It would be fun to interview myself- right?
    via Dull-Worldliness343
  • 13
    Cheezburger Image 10460559616
    via tongstock
  • 14
    SoftMysterious7285 Never allow a recruiter to send your resume somewhere without the name of the company. If this ever happens again, I'd claim not to know how they got my resume and I that I keep it updated in case there is an opportunity at the
    via SoftMysterious7285
  • 15
    current job that I'd like to pursue. Maybe you could say that a friend helped you with your resume by giving it a second look and maybe that person shared it. Then clutch your pearls! :-)
    via SoftMysterious7285
  • 16
    Cutting EdgeRetro Recruiters do this all the time... they blindly send out your resume to all kinds of jobs. And when they get a bite, they call you and tell you they have an interview lined up for you already.
    via CuttingEdgeRetro
  • 17
    It sounds like the recruiter was too stupid to look at the last job on your resume. Or maybe you left out the name because it's your current job, which you should be able to do.
    via CuttingEdgeRetro
  • 18
    I would just tell your employer that a recruiter must have been submitting your resume to places without you knowing about it. And that's certainly true here. Had they checked with you first you would
    via CuttingEdgeRetro
  • 19
    have told them no because it's where you're working now. "Recruiters call me all the time. A lot of them are sleazy. You know how they are."
    via CuttingEdgeRetro
  • 20
    Investigator516 Sabotage. Someone wants your job. A "recruiter" contacts you asking for a resume. They may have you run through a bunch of assignments, or asks for access to your work samples.
    via Investigator516
  • 21
    Then you never hear from them again. Or they rat you out to your current employer. Or this "recruiter" or recruiter's friend applies for your current job that just got jeopardized.
    via Investigator516
  • 22
    I've seen different examples of this, and it s ks every time. But once an aHole then always an aHole and karma often gets these people.
    via Investigator516
  • 23
    samfishxxx I would own it, nofs given. Tell your manager that the working conditions have deteriorated and because of that you're looking. Lay this at their feet. Doubly so if you think your manger will use this as an excuse to fire you.
    via samfishxxx
  • 24
    They've either already decided that you're disloyal, or they'll be open to change if it means not losing another person. Either way, the weakest move is to grovel and/or basically apologize for looking and feeling like you did something wrong.
    via samfishxxx
  • 25
    apg001 As a manager, I always supported my team looking at the market and applying for other roles. This was not to lose good people, but for them to see what the market was paying for their skills. Often times, HR runs "salary analysis" but it's never in the employees favor.
    via apg001
  • 26
    However, having my team members who were instrumental in the company's success show they are getting offers above their current pay scale helped the whole team and having the real world data to fight the HR pay analysis.
    via apg001
  • 27
    notsosecretroom i had a recruiter contact me on linkedin for an available position at a client company. the client company was my current employer. my current employer was displayed on my linkedin profile.
    via notsosecretroom
  • 28
    inteller That's not a recruiter that's a spy. You need to sue them and sue your employer for hiring them
    via inteller

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management boss workplace-stories hr toxic-workplace manager bosses work PTO managers supervisor workplace Horrible Bosses work-life balance
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