We received an email this morning from a recruiter we have never worked with (we won’t name and shame). Now, this is itself not out of the ordinary – we receive fishing emails from recruiters every day (do these emails ever work?! Anyway, that’s for another post).

What is out of the ordinary is the unashamedly emotional blackmail being used.

The usual email of this type talks about the greatest candidate you will ever meet, available now, contract or permanent – get in there quick before he/she is snapped up!

Apparently, the rules of the game have changed. And not for the better.

This un-named recruiter has not only divulged some of his candidates most personal details, but instead of promoting him in a great light and highlighting his fantastic skills, has resorted to a begging email asking someone to hire him out of pity.

The awfulness of this tactic has not only forced us to black-list ever working with this agency, but made us want to share this to show candidates what they are up against.

We wonder if the candidate knows that his current situation is being exploited in this way?

With only the candidates name removed, this is the message we received:

 

Please find attached XXX who is now considering both contract and permanent opportunities, due to having an offer suddenly retracted from one of my clients within the area.Christmas is on the horizon, and with this unfortunate circumstance, this leaves him out of work and out of pocket.

Please let me know immediately, if you have any vacancies within the business. He is desperate to start work in order to provide for his children.

Best Regards