At Bruce Tait Associates we work hard to behave with the highest possible ethical standards and are disappointed when we get "tarred with the same brush" as some poorer recruiters. Here is Jorgen's take in on how to spot the differences:

The tell tale signs of a recruitment cowboy:

The trouble starts when the recruitment bottom feeders cut corners. This article is about knowing when you are dealing with an unprofessional recruiter, allowing you to filter these out in favour of the top recruiters you should deal with.

Insufficient information When the recruiter cannot give you the right information about the company that is recruiting for, the job itself (such as salary, tasks, reporting lines), and sometimes even about the industry.

There could obviously be legitimate reasons for this but in general this will be a bad sign. Bear in mind that a good recruiter would not work a vacancy without this information.

Contingency assignments This means they have never actually been given the formal instruction to work on behalf of a company). They are instead sending some candidates over for a job with the hope that the client will want to interview. Clients rarely accept candidates on this basis, and it actually damages your reputation to be part of this process. You may also have lost the chance to apply for the job through the proper recruitment process.

Not telling you who they are recruiting for This is usually when they are working on a contingency basis and don't want to alert people as to what they are up to. If the recruiter was genuinely working for a company to fill a vacancy, they would have no reluctance to advertise who their client is, unless for some reason there was a need to keep the post confidential.

Only ever speaks with you when they have a role that fits If you are not interested, they quickly move on to the next person on the list. Although this is the nature of the beast that is recruitment, a good recruitment company should stay in touch with people on their books regularly. This is essential for really understanding a candidate and knowing exactly what you are looking for.

Not specialized in your field There are many generalist recruitment companies of size that try to break in to niche job markets. Although the recruitment company may be well known, the recruiter may know nothing or little about your market and might be working on their own and tasked to "build their market" which is not easy and will certainly not help you.

Focused on salary Concentrates on wages and other cash remuneration as opposed to what should really matter to candidates, e.g. growth, training and promotion opportunities. Again, a good recruiter would take a more holistic approach and see what will really make you happy with a new position.

Very pushy Tries to talking you into taking a job, sometimes not giving you enough time for your decision making process. This will inevitably lead to candidates making the wrong decisions and changing their mind shortly thereafter.

Asks YOU for money You should never have to pay for the services of a recruiter as the client (hiring company) pays the fees. If you are asked for money by a recruiter, ask exactly what it is for and then tell them where to stick it.

If you come across recruiters like these, politely tell them you are either doing your own search or that you are exclusively working with another recruitment company. If they keep contacting you, ask to be removed from their books. By law they have to remove you and even send you a letter confirming the removal.

Please note that the vast majority of recruiters out there are very professional and work hard on your behalf. And believe me when I say they are just as weary of cowboys as you are!