Slogans are for people who need to be told what to think.
First of all: this is not about #alltherecruiters.
Several years back, while wrapping PhD and sort of desperately seeking a position outside academia, I had my share of recruiters. Funny enough, for the most part, my experience has been remarkably positive - which is why some of the most recent calls have just ticked me off. I am not sure whether the growth of the recruitment industry is resulting in the drop in quality, but certainly, in comparison to my previous experiences, something is amiss.
So, here is my little list of suggestions for anyone working or planning to work in recruitment industry.
(1) Schedule or confirm appropriate time to call:
- I am not sure whether it is due to all "working-from-home" novelty, but if you are recruiting a laboratory-bound, biotech worker, there is a high chance they are in the lab or in the "no phone" area during a working hours. I know - it sounds obvious...
(2) Afternoon means after...noon... not before...noon....
- This actually happened. Today. I went to my email, re-read what I've written in response and sure, there it was "afternoon". Imagine my surprise when I saw missed call at 11:20...and my annoyance when I saw another email asking for "appropriate" time. That said: please, read carefully your emails or, if unsure, clarify in advance.
(3) Honesty is the best policy
- I know everybody seeking, connecting or offering job is trying to present themselves in the best possible light. Sometimes, that means stretching the truth. However, it should never mean lying. That said: I told recruiter I would consider applying for the role, if the role meant a step forward in my career - which in my scenario is at least a path to the lead role. Well, the recruiter assured me that I would most certainly have my chances...Imagine my surprise when, at interview, the role presented to me sounded very associate-entry level...My dear fellow, not only that I will not proceed with the role, but I will probably never work with you again. I am still considering whether to send you a bill for wasting my time...
(4) Do not bother fully-employed, experienced scientist with associate-level position below average pay grade
- I've been in the position of unemployment, where I was ready to consider both entry position and lower pay grade - just for a chance to work my way up. Well, I am not in that position anymore - as it says on my LinkedIn profile and my resume, and the good recuriter should be able to read it. And no, I am not being unrealistic; recently, I declined a job offering the sum I am currently asking. Why? Well, it has something to do with whether it would be a step forward...That said: if you are not able to judge correctly the range of my pay grade, using my resume, I do not trust that you will be able to negotiate me a fair salary.
There...hopefully, someone learns from it.
PS I do adore some of recruiters I previously worked with. There are some great people out there, but unfortunately, there are also some who do them disservice.
This was a very late recording contrasting two news articles about Omicron - so called "Covid super-strain".
I know I haven't been around lately...work...life...However, the 12-years-old clip popped into my feed and I wanted to share it. The reason? This clip provides the great basic understanding into what are the issues with so-called "evidence" related to anthropogenic (human-induced) climate change and the lack of logic when it comes to the interpretation of such evidence. The sad reality is that even after 12 years from this clip, we are still forced to endure nonsensical conclusions that hurricanes hitting Florida are caused by big bad climate change.
The mainstream media is doubling down on the alarmism, and it is not hard to guess why. However, to be fair, consider my little observation an educated guess, an opinion, rather than the fact. Time will show whether I am right.
(1) 'Climate change affects everyone': Europe battles wildfires in intense heat by Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/spain-portugal-battle-wildfires-heatwaves-scorch-southern-europe-2022-07-17/)
If you spent time in Southern Europe, Mediterranean, during summer season - July and August in particular - you probably know that heat-induced wildfires are nothing new. In fact, they are quite common and remarkably devastating for the affected communities, and I have witnessed several in person. Most of the time, the wildfires occur due to heat igniting grasses, especially in the areas where there are broken glass or broken bottles. The glass serves as an amplifier for the sun rays, especially, in the vicinity of dry grasses, or even dry pine needles, and as ...
