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Twice I've received e-mails from recruiters with wording along the lines of this quote

... your name has come to me highly recommended by one of my contacts in the ...

I'm of course curious who the recommending party is. The first time I asked in my reply, the question was simply ignored.

Before I ask this second recruiter, I'd like to ask if there's a general rule that such information is secret, for some reason?

Should I just be grateful and not pry?

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I will be honest. I have recieved many of these types of emails and in most cases, they were "cold calls", in that sense its just a line they use to get you to reply. Furthermore often is the case, when asked "what skills percisely caught your eye" you won't get an answer, funny how that works. – Ramhound Jul 12 '12 at 12:07
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@Ramhound is right. I set a filter for such mails - send them to thrash.. – Ashwin kumar Jul 13 '12 at 5:18

2 Answers

up vote 34 down vote accepted

There's no reason not to ask. If they're telling the truth, they'll tell you, and you have a right to know -- especially if you're not actually looking for a position but some of your recommendation-givers (or co-workers or friends) think you are and you're not.

However, "your name has come to me highly recommended by one of my contacts" typically means (in my jaded experience) "I scraped your address from somewhere and am spamming you with my positions". In other words, their statement is unlikely to be true.

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Agreed, it's probably BS. I've seen that opening salvo more than a few times. – Iain Holder Jul 11 '12 at 14:11
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Indeed, a recruiter may "have heard great things about you" even if you are fictional. ewherry.com/2012/06/the-recruiter-honeypot – Nathan Long Jul 11 '12 at 16:04
I was called once by a recruiter using the same line. I asked cheerfully, "Oh, who recommended me?" After the short, uncomfortable-to-them pause, they mumbled something like, "Oh, I think it was [unintelligle mumbling]," and I said "have a nice day." – Wonko the Sane Jul 11 '12 at 16:53
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As it turns out, you were all right, which he admitted when I asked. – user50849 Jul 11 '12 at 16:53
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Oh, and one possible reason not to ask (or to respond) - it's really just another form of Spam. Responding confirms your address. – Wonko the Sane Jul 11 '12 at 16:55
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up vote 13 down vote

I would assume that this is maybe just a set phrase recruiters use to get you interested, if your question is ignored. If it is for real then you have a right to know who recommended you (and passed along you personal data).

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It is generally "small talk" when recruiters say this. They'll also throw in, "Your reference wanted this to be confidential." You can't get offended by this. It's like the doorman at the Four Seasons - do you really think he's sincere when he makes it seem like you made his day by giving him your luggage? Of course he's not sincere, but you appreciate it anyway. – MathAttack Jul 12 '12 at 1:52
@MathAttack - Depends on what you mean by sincere. Its perfectly possible to actually by happy in a situation like that, perhaps you didn't ACTUALLY make his day, but he could be perfectly happy to carry your luggage for you. – Ramhound Jul 12 '12 at 12:09

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