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I used some recruitment companies when I was unemployed and also had my CV on publicly accessible profiles on the internet.

Once I found a job I set all those profiles to private or deleted them (if the website didn't allow hiding them) and I also made sure to notify several recruitment companies that contacted me afterwards that I had found a position and were not looking for offers.

It has been more than a year since then but recruitment companies still call me, send me e-mails or try to connect with me on LinkedIn, either to ask what I'm looking for or whether I'm interested in a position they're advertising.

At this point in time I am satisfied with the position I do have and, although I keep telling that to recruiters, they still ask about others. I understand that they expect a better offer may make me want to try for it, but currently I want to stay where I am.

On one hand I don't want to be bothered by recruiters when I know beforehand that I'm going to say no to whatever they're asking, but on the other hand I don't want to "burn my bridges" with them, in case I need them again in the future, when I will be looking for a new position.

Should I keep ignoring them or is it possible that this will make them reluctant to work with me in the future? Otherwise, how I can make it clear to them that I don't want them to ask me about anything until I say I am available again?

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There are thousands of recruiters out there. They are combing databases and sites like LinkedIn looking for people that meet the range of parameters for the positions they are trying to fill. They know that if they bulk contact all these potentials a small percentage will reach out to them, then they start the next phase of the recruitment process.

Letting the emails and the LinkedIn connection requests expire quietly is not a problem. They don't put all the non-responses into a database and never contact them again. I have been contacted sporadically by a handful of recruiters despite no encouragement from me. Sometimes multiple companies have contacted me for the same position. Remember they are all trying to get enough responses to get 10 qualified candidates.

One good part of this from your perspective is that if you need to kick start a job search you can always look at the recruiters that contacted you in the lat week or so, and reach out to them because their faux interest in you is still fresh.

I wouldn't worry about keeping an active relationship, nor would I feel an obligation to respectively respond to each request: silence is golden. Now If I was actively searching, and they sent me info on a position that was almost interesting...

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Should I keep ignoring them or is it possible that this will make them reluctant to work with me in the future? Otherwise, how I can make it clear to them that I don't want them to ask me about anything until I say I am available again?

This one is easy.

You reply to them and say something along the lines of "Thank you so much for considering me, but at the moment I'm not looking for a new position. I'm very happy in my current job."

You could add "Feel free to check in periodically." if you don't mind staying on their list of potential clients.

If you prefer not to receive periodic emails, @Hazel wisely suggests adding something like "I'll let you know when I start looking for something new".

This keeps you in a positive light, and lines up the possibility to work with them again at some point in the future, should you need their services.

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    I usually add something along the lines of "I'll let you know when I start looking for something new" if I want them to stop e-mailing. It doesn't harm any potential future contact, and anyone who keeps e-mailing or trying to add me on LinkedIn at that point is just spamming, really. – Hazel Jul 16 '15 at 10:44
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    Personally I always reply with essentially your first two sentences, but never bother with any of the rest. All that other stuff kinda goes without saying. – jhocking Aug 12 '15 at 2:21
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You are not giving a complete answer. Telling them I am satisfied with the position I do have and, although I keep telling that to recruiters, ... is insufficient.

The thing to say (add) is: Please do not contact me in the future. I will contact you if anything changes..

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Recruiters are a fact of professional life. They're a dime a dozen. You can't avoid them and you can't hide from them. You can run from them but that takes energy out of you. I decided that I might as well work with them - they can be a pretty good barometer of what's hot and what's not and whether my credentials need an update.

I simply email them my resume, specifying that I am not looking at the moment. Unless you are dealing with the occasional head case who can't take "no" for an answer,most recruiters will be happy to collect your up to date resume and go for other potential candidates. Remember, they are in it for the money and the minute you say "no", they usually know better than waste their time on you.

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