I got a call this afternoon from an IT recruiter who had found my profile on the ‘net and was looking for a SQL Server developer to fill a role. I politely told him that he obviously had not read much about me and that I don’t know very much about SQL Server (or development).
I found it all a little strange because I’m reasonably easy to track down but the call had been routed to me over my employer’s voice internal network – not to my personal phone or e-mail – but thought nothing more of this until I received a call to tell me that someone was repeatedly calling the company switchboard and claiming to be me in order to obtain various contact details.
Whilst some might consider this to be an ingenious form of social engineering, I consider it to be an underhand technique which is analogous to the current IT menace of phishing.
Reputable recruitment staff will not use such techniques (generally, they will not call you at work). If I find out who this guy is, then I will make a formal complaint to his employer. You have been warned!
Wow sounds like something out of Kevin Mitnicks Book (The Art of Deception)
I must read that book sometime!
Hey Mark you’re absolutely right. I attempt to rate IT recruiting firms and let me tell you, there are so many shady ones out there. Another common practice I see used for “phishing” out potential employees is that some IT recruitment firms will make fake job postings in order to have people submit. Then they will just save their resumes on their file. There are many legit and ethical firms but like you point out, many others are not!