Is it OK to meet with outside recruiters when I'm happy with my current job

Question

We live in an age where professional recruiters have a lot of resources to track down candidates with precisely the qualifications they need. LinkedIN has expedited this with smart algorithms to connect recruiters to potential candidates with keywords and mutual interests.

I am currently happy with my job. I do, however receive messages from recruiters regularly on my LinkedIN account and email. These messages usually go along the lines of:

Hi there, I wanted to get in touch to discuss about your current work situation and future opportunities. I work for a large recruiting firm in engineering and tech. If you are looking for an exciting new opportunity, or simply willing to discuss current trends in the job market, I would be happy to get in touch. Please provide me with a copy of your Resume and let's talk soon.

I'm particularly interested in the

discuss current trends in the job market

and not so much in the

looking for an exciting new opportunity

However, I want to avoid the following:

• misleading the recruiter into making him think that I could be a potential candidate, thus wasting their time
• causing problems with my current employer and jeopardizing my current position

I want to meet this recruiter with the simple idea of extending my network and knowledge in the job market such as salaries, hot areas where lots of jobs are available etc. Just to keep my eyes open.

How do I respond to persistent recruiters positively without endangering my current job?

Answer 1

They're just there to find potential earns by placing candidates. Not to chat, or be your friend, or anything else. For information on trends or anything else a search engine would give you much more information.

Answer 2

They are mostly trying to find out whether you would really be a good fit for the company, and they are most likely willing to make a person who's a good fit an interesting offer that could at least start them thinking about changing jobs.

People with experience who aren't actively searching for a job aren't looking to escape any kind of trouble (potentially caused by themselves) and thus are pretty good potential candidates.

I'm not sure why you think you would jeopardize your current position, you can meet the recruiter without letting anybody know.

As for the recruiter, let them know that you aren't looking for a new job. If you don't want to mislead them and you aren't willing to change jobs in any circumstances (maybe you can try telling them if that's the case), then don't mislead them and do some research on the current job market yourself. You can also say that you would like to stay in touch and you will let them know when you'll be looking for a new job.

Answer 3

How do I respond to persistent recruiters positively without endangering my current job?

Responding to a recruiter will not generally put your current job in jeopardy, unless you are responding to somebody who is in direct contact with your current employer. The average recruiter has no incentive to do things that cause potential clients to lose their jobs. If they did, and you knew, you would never use them to find you a job.

The purpose of the message to you is to get you to contact them. They might have a position they can submit your resume for, they might be looking for a batch of contacts they can use in the near future, or they may just be trying to be productive today.

I want to meet this recruiter with the simple idea of extending my network and knowledge in the job market such as salaries, hot areas where lots of jobs are available etc. Just to keep my eyes open

So contact them if you want, ignore them if you want. But if you do contact them realize that any information about the job market and salaries is based on their data and opinions and may not be useful or accurate. Their goal is to get you to give them your resume.