Ask HN: How to respond to recruiters who barely speak English?

7 points by feybay 11 years ago | 7 comments

I'm currently in the process of looking for a junior development job. As such, I have my resume up on a bunch of different sites (Monster, indeed, etc.)

I've lately been getting many calls from recruiters I think are in California (that's what caller ID said) who can barely speak English.

I'm having a hard time understanding what they are saying or asking me, and talking to them seems like a waste of time. Would it be poor form to tell them I don't want to chat, or what?

JSeymourATL 11 years ago |

> How to respond to recruiters who barely speak English?

Ignore them; overseas recruiters are indicative of low-rent clients and bottom feeders. Having your CV associated with them damages your brand.

A few suggestions-- Remove your resume from the job boards immediately. Instead, focus your search on companies and senior executives who you can help. Linkedin is good for this. (BTW, I'm assuming you've punched up your profile.) Do look for seasoned, established stateside recruiters who focus on your industry or market. Reach out to them selectively. One way to get on a serious recruiters side-- show interest in what they are working on, ask how you may be able to help them. There is power in a networking relationship.

feybay 11 years ago | |

Alright, thanks for the advice. I had similar thoughts but wasn't totally sure.

informatimago 11 years ago |

Ask them their native language, and start talking in it, of course.

gesman 11 years ago |

One of the best job offer I got was from recruiter that was exactly like that. He was some sort of front line caller that was hired by pretty decent enterprise.

In fact some of my worst interactions (lots of time wasted) were from perfectly english speaking, good looking recruiters.

Go figure, but as a rule of thumb there are not hard and fast rules here :)

chrisbennet 11 years ago |

"I'm sorry, I can't understand you. Just send me an email thanks. Gotta go. Click"

sarciszewski 11 years ago |

The correct answer is to not respond.

Seriously, they're not going to be able to sell you to a prospective client if their English is clearly that terrible. It does more harm than good to have your name associated with them.

notahacker 11 years ago |

Don't?