The six habits of slightly unscrupulous recruiters

First of all, a disclaimer. In anticipation of a rush of recruiters seeking to defend their profession, not everyone engaged in recruitment is guilty of the actions below. The very, very vast majority of recruiters are perfectly professional, perfectly pleasant, and perfectly scrupulous.

A spokeswoman for the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) agrees: "It really is the case that the few rather than the many engage in activities contrary to our

code of conduct."

However, it is equally the case that not all recruitment firms are members of the REC and that unscrupulous recruitment practices do occasionally take place. Here's what to watch out for.

1) Sending out multitudes of unauthorised CVs to hiring managers

From a candidate's perspective, the key thing is clearly to ensure that your CV is only sent out in relation to jobs you're actually applying for. From a hiring manager's perspective, the key thing is to ensure that you are not bombarded with CVs you don't particularly want.

Hence one former banker recalls receiving his own CV for a vacancy he was trying to fill. And senior line managers' inboxes are occasionally rendered inaccessible by the receipt of too many emailed CVs.

Unfortunately, it is in recruiters' interest to send out as many CVs as possible. As this recruiter blog post elucidates, once a hiring manager has received a CV from a recruiter, the recruiter is owed a fee if that candidate is placed - now or in the near future.

2) Asking candidates where they're interviewing and pitching alternatives

We've had an interesting debate about this in our Answers area. The truth of the matter is that if a recruiter asks where else you're interviewing, he or she may be doing so out of idle curiosity. Equally, however, he or she may well be fishing for leads. In the latter case, it is almost inevitable that he will get in touch with the line manager in question and suggest some of the other candidates on his books. Evasive action is therefore advisable.

3) Trawling for CVs

The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate specifies that agencies, "must not place an advertisement, which includes details of positions unless it has information about all the specific positions included in the advertisement; and has been given authority by the hirer concerned to find workseekers for the position advertised."

However, this does not preclude recruiters advertising jobs which don't include any specific details, and which may not exist. By advertising non-specific jobs, recruiters are able to gather CVs, which they can then despatch to banks which might possibly be hiring.

4) Adapting CVs

It's not uncommon for recruiters to adapt CVs to fit their own templates. Spelling and formatting mistakes can be introduced in the process. At the more unscrupulous end of the scale, recruiters may take it upon themselves to compensate for gaps in your employment.

"I had someone on my team who turned out not to have worked for one the employers mentioned on his CV," says one banker-turned-recruiter. "It transpired that he'd been in prison at the time and that the recruiter had covered it up for him."

5) Exaggerating roles

Ensure the recruiter is as specific as possible about the role they're placing you into. If not, you may be disappointed.

"There's an awful lot of sexing-up that takes place," says one recruiter. "For example, if a job description says you will be working 'with' traders, that does not mean that you will be joining a trading group."

6) Trying to poach recently placed candidates

In most cases, a candidate is off-limits for 6-12 months after he/she has been placed; if the recruiter moves them again during this time, the recruiter will be forced to relinquish his fee.

After 6-12 months, however, the candidate can be moved again, for another fee. Expect, therefore, to be contacted by some recruiters frequently. Bear in mind that they may not have your best career interests at heart.