No one likes us, we don't care

This Week’s Breakdown

_{As we Dive into this issue, I want to put a warning that their could be minor Spoilers for Squid Games in this issue. I mean it’s mostly just gifs and memes, so probably not, but just laying it out there}

Is there any job with less real power (yet more assumed power) than recruiting?

People act like we’re puppet masters, meanwhile we’re actually just trying to get the puppets to stop canceling 30 minutes before their interview.

Every day, recruiters get painted as the villain:

• The ghoster

• The resume gatekeeper

• The reason someone didn’t get the job

• The reason someone did

• The person who lowballed the comp

• The face of every bad hiring decision made by someone with “VP” in their title

Of course we know that for the most part:

• We don’t control comp.

• We don’t approve headcount.

• We don’t decide who gets hired.

• Sometimes we can’t even get feedback from the manager who did all those things.

But sure User20898790, go off in the comments about the power you wish I didn’t have and that I wish I did!

Being a recruiter in 2025 feels like playing Squid Game, but instead of the green jumpsuit we get a company branded fleece that doesn’t fit.

You’re handed a vague task, unclear rules, and a smiley Slack message that says:
“Find someone technical, creative, senior, diverse, under budget, and onboarded by Friday.”

One wrong step? You're eliminated.
But don’t worry, the VIPs (aka meme accounts and LinkedIn influencers) are watching. They know more than us about our jobs, and they’re loving the show!

I DID NOT GET PAID TO POST THIS

This is not sponsored, and I receive no type of commission or affiliate bonus, but I have been working with Fide doing live events since January and am a pretty big fan of the app. I do livestream resume reviews or job interview advice for their users about twice a month, and have seen people really appreciate it. They also have a roster of other experienced recruiters and managers who do live events as well.

They are currently looking for more TA pros to do live resume reviews, and they pay! The commitment is small (an hour each time), and there is no real prep or extra work to do beyond that. I work closely with the team and they asked me if I knew other recruiters I’d recommend so I figured I’d put it out here for any of my users looking for some extra income.

If so, send your Linkedin profile or resume over to them here 

As a final reminder: I am receiving no incentive for recommending this other than that I like the team and would like to see them add some more experienced recruiters to their live events.

Recruited in the Wild

Seen on LinkedIn, overheard in Slack, or posted without shame.

It started with a silly meme on Instagram and Threads. A picture I saw and thought, well that’s a funny joke, no need to worry about anyone thinking it’s real because everyone with any kind of critical thinking skills will know this is fake immediately!

And that was my mistake, because…well I’ve been online long enough to have known better!

But instead of a collective “lol, nice try,” what followed was a tidal wave of outrage.
Thousands of shares, think pieces from creators with massive followings, people quoting it like gospel, duets, stitches, RAGE, RAGE, RAGE!

And here’s the kicker:
It was posted by a satire account. Literally one named “CorporateDudes” That’s not a clever branding, it’s the actual account name. An account that sells viral content to businesses!

But it didn’t matter. Because as I wrote about on Linkedin this week, the internet loves nothing more than some juicy anti-recruiter porn.

It’s some of the easiest content on the internet to go viral with:

• No one asks questions

• No one wants nuance

• And everyone has just enough bad experiences to fill in the blanks

This meme hit the r/recruitinghell jackpot:

It played perfectly into the fantasy that recruiters are cold, petty, corporate gatekeepers who punish curiosity and transparency.

It didn’t need to be true.
It just needed to feel true.

Because this wasn't about one bad recruiter or one weird company.

This was about everyone getting a moment to feel rightfully angry — even if the story was 100% fake.

And we all know this won’t be the last time, it certainly isn’t the first time? Remember this one about a whole HR department getting fired all based on an anonymous reddit comment that nobody in the media even bothered to source?

I had some fun with that one trying to disprove it and landing at the top of Google a while back, but this time I just feel tired.

Horror Stories

True recruiting nightmares from the field.
Want to share yours anonymously for a future issue? 

Submit your story Here - It won’t even ask for your name or email don’t worry!

(All stories in this section are submitted anonymously and potentially edited for clarity, removal of trackable information, and length. I can not verify the truth of any of them)

It’s funny how for a profession everyone hates, we somehow are also a therapist and best friend at the least appropriate times. But also, I don’t want to call this person out, but it may have been avoided if you didn’t ask them about their career gap to begin with!

Cope of the Week

Because we’re 1 viral meme away from losing it

Being a recruiter right now is not what most people would call fun. The name of this newsletter is not just a funny joke about how we all start every job interview with the same line, it’s a real question for us.

 IS this still a good time?

If you’re subscribed to this newsletter it’s because you do care about the job, and you are trying. There are bad recruiters just like there are bad people in every profession, but I know this about you

You try to be helpful.
You try to do right by the candidate.
You try to protect your hiring managers from themselves.

And in return, many days you get:

• Blamed for every rejection

• Dragged by fake screenshots

• Sent job reqs that contradict themselves in the title

So this week’s coping mechanism is simple:

Remember that most of this job is out of your control.

You probably don’t own the comp bands.
You’re Not the one who thinks career gaps make you unhirable
You didn’t make that super silly rejection decision.
You’re just the one still standing when the ride ends and the music stops.

So take a breath.
Mute a few threads.
Send one less comment on that post about ATS bots and the Hidden Job Market
And repeat after me:

“Humans are…”

 Forward this to someone in TA who's barely holding it together.

Did you have this newsletter forwarded to you? That person cares for you and feels bad for you. You should Subscribe in honor of them!