Impact of Duplicate Candidate Submissions on Trust

🌟 Beware of Recruiters: Your Career Deserves Better Last week, I met with two fantastic candidates who were referred to me by previous candidates. Both were excited to explore new roles in the new year. We spent time getting to know each other, mapping out their goals, and deciding which opportunities and offices I could approach on their behalf now that they were ready. Here’s the kicker: both had already spoken to a different recruiter. They’d had initial conversations but decided to put their job search on hold until January. Imagine their shock when they found out their details had been sent to multiple employers—without their consent. This is a prime example of what’s wrong with parts of our industry. Candidates deserve better service and better respect for their privacy. 🌟 The Damage of Being "Shopped Around" When recruiters send CVs without permission, it does more harm than good: It damages trust. Sharing someone’s personal information without approval is not only unprofessional, but it’s also a breach of confidence. It puts their reputation at risk. Employers receiving duplicate applications might see the candidate as disorganised, desperate or, even worse, think they are lying to multiple recruiters. It wastes everyone’s time. Opportunities should align with a candidate’s goals, not just be thrown at them like a dartboard. 🌟 How, as a Candidate, can you protect yourself? If you’re working with a recruiter, here’s how to protect your career and your reputation: Choose carefully. Work with recruiters who come recommended by people you trust. Ask questions. Be upfront and ask how they’ll manage your application. Will they seek your permission before sending your details to a company? Set clear boundaries. If you’re pausing your search, say so. A good recruiter will respect your timing. If you are worried, make sure you put it in writing to them, too. Track where your CV goes. Keep a list to avoid confusion and ensure your details aren’t being shared unnecessarily. 🌟 And lastly to my Fellow Recruiters…. We have a responsibility to our candidates. They’re trusting us with their careers, ambitions, and futures. Let’s not take that lightly. Sending someone’s CV without their permission might seem harmless, but it can have long-term consequences for the candidate and their confidence in the recruitment process. Let’s commit to better practices—because when candidates win, we all win. #recruitment #construction #property #realestate #sydneyproperty #sydneyconstruction #melbourneconstruction #melbourneproperty #queenslandproperty #queenslandconstruction

If you're submitting candidates' resumes without their permission you're part of the problem. I recently got a call from a client saying someone had submitted the resume of a candidate I was representing. When I contacted the candidate, they confirmed they never gave permission to anyone else to represent them, nor were they looking to work with anyone other than my client. This raises a serious question: where else is their information being sent? This is no-good for everyone: -- It hurts the candidate. What if their current employer finds out they're "looking" when they're not? What if they want to apply to a company where their resume was already submitted without their knowledge—now they look like they're being represented by multiple recruiters. Their professional reputation takes a hit through no fault of their own. They lose control over their job search narrative and timing. And if multiple recruiters submit them to the same company, they might get blacklisted entirely from opportunities they actually wanted. -- It wastes the client's time. They might invest energy pursuing a candidate who isn't actually available or interested. They could be signing agreements or even paying upfront fees—all for someone who has no idea they're being considered. This creates frustration and erodes trust in the recruiting process. Worse, they might pass on other qualified candidates while waiting on someone who was never a real option. -- It damages our profession's reputation. It makes all recruiters look dishonest and unprofessional. Clients start viewing us as pushy salespeople rather than trusted partners. It perpetuates every negative stereotype about recruiters and makes it harder for ethical recruiters to build credibility. When one person cuts corners, the entire industry pays the price. Please, do better. -- #recruiting #comeonbro

Hiring Managers think about the below before you give your vacancies out to multiple agencies: 1. Candidate Duplication & Ownership Disputes Multiple agencies often submit the same candidates, which can lead to disputes and delay the process. It creates unnecessary admin and legal grey areas around candidate ownership. 2. Damage to Employer Brand Candidates may be contacted multiple times about the same role, which feels chaotic and unprofessional. It makes your company seem disorganised or desperate. 3. No Accountability When several agencies are working on the same role, none feel fully responsible for the outcome. You get a lot of activity, but not necessarily quality or results. 4. Lack of Deep Understanding Agencies won't invest time understanding your business or role deeply if they know it’s a race. You get surface level service and poorly matched CVs. 5. Wasted Time Reviewing Low-Quality CVs More agencies = more CVs = more of your time screening irrelevant or duplicate profiles. 6. Less Strategic Input Exclusive or limited partnerships foster collaboration and advice market intel, salary benchmarking, EVP feedback, etc. Multiple agencies compete rather than consult. 7. Quality Drops in a Speed Game Agencies rush to send CVs quickly to “get there first,” not because they’re the best match. It leads to poor candidate experience and short-sighted hiring decisions. 8. Reduced Influence with Candidates If a candidate hears about the role from multiple sources, it devalues the opportunity. A trusted agency acting exclusively can position your brand effectively and screen candidates properly. 9. Perceived Cost Savings = Hidden Costs You might think competition lowers costs, but hidden costs like longer time-to-hire, lost productivity, or bad hires often outweigh this. #d365hiring #recruitment #foodforthought

After years in recruitment, I thought I’d seen it all — until this. I recently reached out to a candidate who was a great fit for a role I’m actively recruiting for. She told me she’d already been submitted by another agency. Fair enough — sometimes someone else gets there first. But here’s the thing: I’m the only agency working with this client. Curious, I called the client to clarify. Not only had they never received her CV — they confirmed I’m the sole recruiter on the role. So, what was really going on? Turns out, the other agency was “speccing” her CV — sending it out speculatively to try and win business. There was no live role, no agreement, and no transparency. This isn’t just bad practice. It’s unethical. We’re dealing with people’s livelihoods — their rent, their families, their future. Behaviour like this damages trust and tarnishes the industry for all of us who are working to do things the right way. We have to hold ourselves — and each other — to higher standards.

🎯 Recruiter's Pet Peeve: “Have you applied to this company or been approached?” – Why Transparency Matters As a recruiter, one question I always ask candidates is: “Have you applied to this company before or been approached directly or indirectly?” And yet, too often, the answer I get is vague—or worse, intentionally misleading. Let me be candid: not being transparent about your prior interactions with a company doesn’t help your chances. In fact, it can hurt them. 🚧 Why this matters: Recruiters don’t ask this question out of curiosity. We ask it to avoid duplicating efforts, creating conflicts, or jeopardizing your candidacy. Here’s what’s at stake: 🔹 Double submissions can lead to companies rejecting a candidate outright due to confusion or internal policies. 🔹 Conflict of representation: If a candidate applies both directly and through an agency, many companies will refuse to work with this candidate. 🔹 Wasted time for both you, our client and us. If you’ve already been rejected recently or are already in process, we might be putting effort into something that’s already closed. ✅ What honesty gets you: Transparency builds trust. When you're upfront, you’re showing that you’re a professional who respects the process. That doesn’t go unnoticed. Recruiters want to advocate for you, but we can’t do that effectively without the full picture. 💬 Bottom line: If a recruiter asks, “Have you applied or been approached?”, don’t overthink it. Just be honest. Even if you're unsure, say so and you can go back to your files to confirm. Let's raise the bar together—candidates and recruiters alike. Have you ever been in a situation like this—from either side? Let’s talk about it. 👇 #Recruiting #JobSearch #CandidateExperience #CareerTips #TransparencyMatters #ThreeLinxSearch #SupplyChainRecruiting

📝 Why Transparency with Your Recruiter Matters One of the most important things candidates can do when working with a recruiter is to be upfront about where their CV has already been sent. Here’s why: ✅ It avoids duplication – nothing frustrates an employer more than receiving the same CV from two different sources. ✅ It protects your credibility – multiple submissions can make you look disorganized, even if it wasn’t your fault. ✅ It saves time – both yours and your recruiter’s – so the focus stays on the right opportunities. ✅ It builds trust – honesty sets the foundation for a strong candidate–recruiter relationship. At the end of the day, recruiters are your advocates. The clearer the picture we have, the better we can represent you and put your CV in front of the right people. Sometimes people act like we are going to chastise them for already applying for jobs but remember - we only need to know in order to best help you find the right role! 🔑 Tip for candidates: Keep a simple log of the companies and roles you’ve applied for. Share it with your recruiter—it’s a small step that makes a huge difference. #recruitment #recruiterlife #constructionrecruiter #recruitmenttips