How do I stop recruiters from contacting me?

Question

There is a particular recruiting company that continues to contact me. I have been unhappy with their performance in the past and have been clear that I am no longer interested in their services. I have had to inform them of this multiple times.

Whenever they contact me, I inform them that I do not want them to contact me further. They oblige for a few months, and then I get an e-mail or phone call from a different recruiter with the same company. Most recently, I expressed my frustration and insisted that I be completely removed from their database. Today, I received another e-mail from them after months of silence.

Is there any sort of legal grounds I can quote or anything else I can say or do to force them to actually remove me from their list of contacts and stop contacting me?

Answer 1

Unfortunately you've already violated the cardinal rule about dealing with recruiting companies:

1. Never, under any circumstances, give a recruiter (or anybody else) that you do not personally know and trust your phone number.

These people are tenacious, and many of them won't take no for an answer. It's best to deal with recruiters on an e-mail only basis (or not at all, if you have that option), since at least an e-mail received at 7:00 am isn't going to wake you up and since it's easy to set up filters for recruiters that can't take a hint.

Once I made the mistake of posting a resume containing my phone number and e-mail address on monster.com. The next day my phone rang about 2 dozen times with calls from various recruiters. The day after that I took my posting down, but the calls continued for months afterwards. And years later, I am still getting a few e-mails every week from these people.

Anyhow, in terms of what you can do about it, your legal options will depend upon your location. In the U.S. there is a national 'Do Not Call' registry. I'm not sure how/if that applies specifically in the case of recruiters, as there are a number of exceptions that exist. You can check with a local lawyer and see if they can come up with any other options.

Or the next time they call you, just calmly inform them "Look, my phone number is on the national do-not-call list, and I have repeatedly asked your company to stop calling me. If you continue attempting to contact me against my wishes I will have no choice but to seek legal action against your organization." That ought to resolve the issue.

Answer 2

I've been a recruiter for almost 15 years, and hearing stories like this make doing my job much more difficult (gives the impression that ALL recruiters act like this, which they obviously don't). aroth's note about not giving recruiters your phone number is one option obviously, but many recruiters will respect your desire for privacy. I almost always use email to contact candidates initially and for 'check-ins' occasionally, and generally only make calls when we need to discuss some specifics (beginning of the relationship requires screening candidates by phone, but once I know you pretty well we can handle most of our interactions via email).

I think in this particular situation, 'outing' the recruiter and company might be something that could get their attention (assuming you have some platform to do so). A recruiter's reputation is incredibly important, mainly because the recruiting industry has such a poor reputation overall that people simply assume you are unethical until you prove otherwise (guilty until proven innocent). I know I would be horrified if a candidate posted my name in a bad light to others in their network. That kind of thing might get their attention. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, user groups or professional organizations could all be places you could at least threaten to go public if they don't discontinue their actions.

The chances of you suing them or pressing charges that would actually hold them accountable are probably low, and they know that. The only real thing you can threaten is their reputation.

Answer 3

This sounds like a process problem and not just the typical behaviour of individual recruiters. The good ones never waste their time calling people with no interest. There are plenty out there who are.

Call their office and ask for someone higher up than a recruiter (manager, owner, partner, etc.). They obviously have a problem of not updating their databases. There needs to be some mechanism in their operations to prevent calling people who are not interested to the point you have to take such drastic measures. It sounds like they do a terrible job at this if they make any effort at all.

They're going to ask what recruiter called you; don't tell them. Here's another chance to point out the flaw in their systesm. Why can't they lookup who in their company called you? The goal isn't to punish the individual recruiters, but a company that has implemented poor policies and procedures.

I hate it when customer service people don't have the necessary information to do their jobs correctly and not waste my time.

Answer 4

If it's really bad, and yes I know a lot of the big tech recruiters are, you do have a legal option. Find their corporate address either off of their website or from your local Secretary of State's Corporations Office and send them a "Cease and Desist" letter. You can find all sorts of templates online for these letters but essentially you are sending them a formal written notice to be removed from their list and to no longer be contacted by them. You also need to mention that failure to do so will require you to proceed with legal action. Also make sure you get a delivery receipt from the USPS.

Either way you can send a cease and desist letter on your own, often without the help of an attorney. Its much a kin to a warning letter. If they still contact you after 20-30 days of getting the letter thats when you either talk to an attorney or visit small claims court.

It sucks when it comes to this but if you are repeatedly called and "harrassed" this is fully within your legal right to pursue (in the US). Harrassment is a crime, regardless of how it happens.

Answer 5

First step - Check the recruitment companies privacy and/or communication policy.

Second step - For most Western Countries, there will be a Privacy Commissionaire who you can report them too (just make sure you have documented proof that you have requested them to remove your personal details/information from their records)

Third step - Search out and contact the Association body for recruitment/staffing firms (NAPS, ACSESS, REC, etc... and Better Business Bureau).

Fourth step - Draw up a 'Cease and Desist Letter' - would strongly recommend using legal guidance (it might cost but if you feel this strong then it shows you are serious). Each state/prov/country has rules, terms, conditions, and you want to make sure you include terms such as 'breach or privacy', 'harassment' and 'feeling threatened' and 'mental duress'.

Additionally, if you are connected to anyone from that company on social media sites - communicate your intention and desire to be removed from their system, and go as far as disconnecting from them, un-following them, and blocking them.

Answer 6

Is your resume posted on a job board such as Monster? If so, I don't think the recruiter is keeping you in their database.

I get a lot of calls from recruiters, including those I've sent my resume to in the past. They often say that they found my resume on a job board, not in their own database. (I can confirm that, based on the e-mail addresses I use in different resumes.)

I'm fairly certain that this company really does remove you from its list, but a few months later their agents simply rediscover you, along with many other candidates.

I suggest that your resume (at least, the one you put on the job boards) have only a Google Voice phone number. Not only don't you have to answer it, but the voicemails can be sent to you as e-mail, so you don't have to play them back.

Answer 7

Recruiters are scum of the earth. Here are some ways to get removed:

1. Go on an interview with a company you are not interested in, and be the biggest ass you can be and say the recruiter told you things, basically sully their reputation.

2. Have them change your contact info to a temporary #, which you will then abandon in a few months.

3. Get in touch with their legal team and request to be removed, inform them you are on the do not call registry and you have no relationship with co.

4. Retaliate. Sign up for every online newsletter/spam service you can using recruiters email.