(preview) What Not To Put Up With

I've been putting together thoughts on "what not to put up with" (mostly in your job search, but in some cases on the job), for a while.

For example, I often post or comment on LinkedIn about not EVER consenting to preemptive reference checks (before the offer stage of the hiring process - as has been the industry standard etiquette for decades - let alone before you've even gotten an interview), because they exponentially increase your references' exposure to calls (and at that, often just as shady lead gen tactics by account managers, disguised as reference checks). You depend on these people, so you need to protect their time whether staffing agencies respect it or not. They should reasonably expect one reference check call (maybe two, absolute max) per job SEARCH, not per job APPLIED TO.

A post on LinkedIn today, about those offering advice for job seekers, reminded me that I need to put together a more comprehensive guide on these thoughts, as such practices are only going to get worse as the pandemic rolls on. This is my way of reminding myself to finally get around to just that.

There will be tales of rockets, and buggy code, and lives saved, and... You'll never look at the staffing industry the same.