One of the things i dislike the most about being a developer is dealing with recruiters. Even if you're not listed on any of the job-sites, these people still call you, often in the middle of the workday. I generally feel uncomfortable when you have to deal with a call like that while you're at work because i don't want people to think i'm looking for another job (which i'm not). So i keep the sound of my phone off, and i only answer calls from numbers that i have in my contacts or recognize. If i don't know the number, i divert the call to voicemail (and i don't really listen to those messages either).
So today i noticed that a certain number tried to call me 4 times. Of course, i don't pick up. Tonight after work though, i was expecting a call from someone else and i accidentally answered a call from the same number that had tried to call me today. Turns out it was some recruiter.
Him: "Hi I'm So AndSo from DevelopersMeatMarket and i was wondering if you were looking for a new career opportunity" Me: "Nope, not interested" Him: "I actually tried calling you a few times today, don't you even wanna hear me out?" Me: "Not really... I actually try to avoid recruiters, to be honest" Him: "Well, you do realize that recruiters are an important part of this business, right? After all, we're the people who get developers great jobs. Answering those calls is very important for your career."
owkey... if there's one thing i dislike more than dealing with recruiters, it's dealing with recruiters with an attitude.
Me: "Oh really? So tell me, what do you say to your customer when he starts complaining to you that i'm spending too much time dealing with recruiters for my next job?"
At that point he sounds uncomfortable, as if he had no idea how to respond to that.
Me: "Or should i start ignoring other recruiters once i start working for your company?"
Him: "Well, umm... "
Again, silence.
Me: "Right, i think we can wrap up this conversation... good luck finding somebody"
And then i hung up. When will they learn?