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A Member of the Bottom Feeding Fraternity of the Awful Recruitment Industry - Compliments from a Candidate


We recently took a registration from a new candidate who indicated that he was looking for work in a high street law firm covering general practice fields. As it happens, we occasionally recruit on behalf of an offshore law firm recruiting general practice solicitors and we included the candidate in a mailout in case of interest. He initially sent back a message "please remove me from your database so I stop getting this utter nonsense". We emailed back to clarify that we had only sent him one email and he replied "I applied for specific positions about which I have heard nothing. Instead I get some utter guff about [an offshore law firm]. I have NO relevant skills for that post whatsoever, as any even slightly completed (sic) agency would immediately appreciate. In spamming all those whose applications you have completely ignored, you have simply identified yourselves and (sic) yet another c.v. harvesting member of the bottom feeding fraternity of the awful recruitment industry. I would have more chance of flying to the moon for a job than you have of ever finding me one."
We really enjoyed this email - it reminds me of the immortal Monty Python insult "your mother is a hamster and your father smells of elderberries". We considered emailing this back to the candidate but then decided it was unprofessional. However we did look up the definition of "bottom feeder" in the Urban Dictionary (www.urbandictionary.com).
Bottom Feeder equates to "leech", or in other words a total lack of responsibility to provide for oneself. Relies heavily upon friends, neighbors or anyone really for sustenance. a slacker through and through.
There is an example of the terminology, which illustrates it well:
"Bart wakes up and thinks to himself, "dang, I don't have any money still" so he leaves his wallet at home on purpose and later says to his friends, "Whoops, I forgot my wallet today again, could you please buy my lunch again?" what a bottom feeder." (Urban Dictionary).
I would probably agree with the candidate, he does have more chance of flying to the moon than us getting him a job..


Jonathan Fagan is Managing Director of Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment and a non-practising Solicitor. Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment provides online Legal Recruitment for Solicitors, Legal Executives, Fee Earners, Support Staff, Managers and Paralegals. Visit our Website to search our Vacancy Database.
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Location: London, UK

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