Originally published Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Job Market
Get written agreement before résumé is sent out
Q: Can an agency submit my résumé to companies without telling me? I told a recruiting firm very clearly to get my consent before...
Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist
Q: Can an agency submit my résumé to companies without telling me? I told a recruiting firm very clearly to get my consent before submitting my résumé to specific companies. Now I find that this agency has submitted my résumé to companies without notifying me. I'm very worried they may accidentally send my résumé to my own company. How can I avoid this in the future?
Nick's reply:
You are smart to realize that recruiters and agencies should not distribute your résumé without your explicit permission. You are right to worry that the unthinkable might happen — the agency might thoughtlessly send your résumé to your boss.
Indiscriminate circulation of your résumé could also damage your reputation. If you don't exercise control over recruiters, some will even use your résumé as a marketing tool to pitch their services. (Yep, if you're an attractive candidate, you become the bait to entice employers to sign up for the agency's services.)
That's why it's important to have a written agreement. If an agency doesn't immediately provide you with one, ask for it. (If it doesn't have a standard agreement, reconsider working with that agency.) Check to see what rights you are granting. It's always wise to stipulate in writing that they must get your approval — at least by phone — before sending your résumé to specific employers.
In the future, if you want to really protect yourself, withhold your résumé until an agency gives you a signed letter agreeing to terms that are acceptable to you.
With regard to the firm in question, I'd contact the owner and complain. This may have been an honest error, but it's a serious one. If that doesn't get you an explanation and an apology, I'd contact your state consumer-affairs office. That'll get the agency's attention.
I'm not a lawyer. But whether this agency's actions are legal or not, uncontrolled résumé distribution is not a legitimate practice. I can't stand unethical recruiters. You shouldn't put up with them, either.
Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job," and host of www.asktheheadhunter.com.
He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.
2008 Nick Corcodilos Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
RealNetworks makes key play with Rhapsody spinoff
Alaska Air dropping Jones Soda beverages, going back to Coca-Cola
Lots of Buzz over Google latest bid at social networking
Cheaper brands of liquor taste better in tight economy
NEW - 10:04 PM
Dendreon revving up drug plants ahead of FDA decision

general classifieds
Garage & estate salesFurniture & home furnishings
Sporting goods
just listed
3 Wheel Mobility Scooter - $450
6 Sets of New Guitar Strings by Markley, D' Addari - $39
60" Toshiba Television - $400
More listings
POST A FREE LISTING
shopping
events for Tuesday, Feb. 9
- Valentine's Offer at Eat Local
- Sales Bin-Mania at Sandylew
- Sultry Shopping and Chocolate Tasting Event a...
- February Specials at Mimisan
editors' picks
More shopping guides- Steve Kelley | My treatment of Bedard has been unfair
- Is Washington's tax exemption on bullion a gold mine?
- 747-8 soars smoothly on first outing
- Alaska Air dropping Jones Soda beverages, going back to Coca-Cola
- Super Bowl ads: Betty White, Bud Light, big laughs
- Man found shot dead in pickup truck in Seattle
- Sex, drug rumors swirl about N.Y. Gov. Paterson
- Seattle is first U.S. stop for Picasso exhibit
- Lewis-McChord soldier charged with abusing 4-year-old over alphabet lesson
- Husky Football Blog | Pac-10 expansion to get consideration over next year
- Republicans may be no-shows at health-plan summit
277 - Pac-10 expansion to get consideration over next year
249 - State Senate votes to clear way for tax increases
237 - Lee undergoes foot surgery
219 - Obama: GOP and Dems together can spur job growth
209 - Fort Lewis soldier charged with abusing 4-year-old, holding her head in water
193 - Rivals names Martin one of Pac-10's best recruiters
143 - Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
127 - White House mocks Sarah Palin from podium
91 - Tobacco ban in Seattle parks affirms citizen right to breathe smoke-free air
83
- Seattle is first U.S. stop for Picasso exhibit
- 747-8 soars smoothly on first outing
- City, Vulcan push higher South Lake Union height limits
- Commentary: Microsoft's creative destruction
- Snap out of your photo funk: How to make sense of all those piles of images
- Wine Adviser | Oregon's quality pinots join the bargain ranks
- Belltown boulevard could be completed by early next year
- Jerry Large | Learning not to copy China
- All You Can Eat | Portage chef Vuong Loc takes Cremant space in Madrona
- Rigorous college-prep classes skyrocketing in Washington state

