Recruiters and the six month rule Forum

[Anonymous User]

So I’m not saying I’ve done this...I’m just wondering how it would play out given recruiters’ “six month” rule I keep hearing about:

Let’s say I direct submit an post clerkship Ap to a biglaw firm, and don’t hear anything for two months. Then i see that the firm posts a junior associate position and I don’t hear anything for another month (but I haven’t directly submitted to that position). Then a recruiter I work with mentions it to me and I neglect to tell the recruiter that I’ve already applied because maybe I think the recruiter has some connection to work that I do not. Recruiter submits me like 3 months after I first applied. Then I get an interview.

How does this play out? How exactly is the recruiter “six month” rule enforced? Would it annoy the firm or the recruiter when this comes to light? What if the firm likes me a lot? Would a potential offer be jeopardized because I wasn’t transparent about violating the six month rule?

What if I tweak the hypo a bit and say I got rejected for the unlisted post clerkship position a few weeks before the junior position is posted? Does that change things?

[swimmer11]

So I’m not saying I’ve done this...I’m just wondering how it would play out given recruiters’ “six month” rule I keep hearing about:

Let’s say I direct submit an post clerkship Ap to a biglaw firm, and don’t hear anything for two months. Then i see that the firm posts a junior associate position and I don’t hear anything for another month (but I haven’t directly submitted to that position). Then a recruiter I work with mentions it to me and I neglect to tell the recruiter that I’ve already applied because maybe I think the recruiter has some connection to work that I do not. Recruiter submits me like 3 months after I first applied. Then I get an interview.

How does this play out? How exactly is the recruiter “six month” rule enforced? Would it annoy the firm or the recruiter when this comes to light? What if the firm likes me a lot? Would a potential offer be jeopardized because I wasn’t transparent about violating the six month rule?

What if I tweak the hypo a bit and say I got rejected for the unlisted post clerkship position a few weeks before the junior position is posted? Does that change things?

What is the "six month rule"? I have used recruiters before, and I have never heard of this.

[Anonymous User]

So I’m not saying I’ve done this...I’m just wondering how it would play out given recruiters’ “six month” rule I keep hearing about:

Let’s say I direct submit an post clerkship Ap to a biglaw firm, and don’t hear anything for two months. Then i see that the firm posts a junior associate position and I don’t hear anything for another month (but I haven’t directly submitted to that position). Then a recruiter I work with mentions it to me and I neglect to tell the recruiter that I’ve already applied because maybe I think the recruiter has some connection to work that I do not. Recruiter submits me like 3 months after I first applied. Then I get an interview.

How does this play out? How exactly is the recruiter “six month” rule enforced? Would it annoy the firm or the recruiter when this comes to light? What if the firm likes me a lot? Would a potential offer be jeopardized because I wasn’t transparent about violating the six month rule?

What if I tweak the hypo a bit and say I got rejected for the unlisted post clerkship position a few weeks before the junior position is posted? Does that change things?

What is the "six month rule"? I have used recruiters before, and I have never heard of this.

I’ve heard from multiple recruiters that they can’t submit an applicant if he’s been submitted to the place within the past six months. What I’m just not sure about is how they double-check if the applicant says no.

[Anonymous User]

My understanding has always been that the problem is the other direction from OP's situation. I.e., if a recruiter submits your resume, they are owed a fee if you take employment up with the firm in the next 6 months. If you apply directly (where no fee is owed) and then resubmit with a recruiter, there shouldn't be a problem. The only problem is if a recruiter submits you and then a second recruiter submits you a few months later, as a firm will only pay one recruiter fee.

[Anonymous User]

Reviving this discussion because of the times we live in.

I've been told the recruiter rule is four to six months. Does anyone know which it is?

Additionally, if the specific recruiter you were working with left their outfit with no warning and gave no forwarding information, are you still bound not to apply to firms they submitted to?

[Anonymous User]

Reviving this discussion because of the times we live in.

I've been told the recruiter rule is four to six months. Does anyone know which it is?

Additionally, if the specific recruiter you were working with left their outfit with no warning and gave no forwarding information, are you still bound not to apply to firms they submitted to?

Not 100% sure, but I think you are misunderstanding this "rule." Firms dont like to receive the same resumes over and over again. Many firms keep resumes for some period of time and, when a position becomes open, will review those that were submitted in the last few months. Some firms say on their website, "Do not submit your resume if you already submitted a resume to us in the last [3 months/6months/year]." So i think you are pissing the firm off (which matters a lot to the recruiter).

When I worked with a recruiter, she would ask me, "have you sent them your resume in the past X months" before she would send it. It wasnt about her getting her cut, it was about firm policy so they dont get spammed.

[Anonymous User]

Double post

[Anonymous User]

Reviving this discussion because of the times we live in.

I've been told the recruiter rule is four to six months. Does anyone know which it is?

Additionally, if the specific recruiter you were working with left their outfit with no warning and gave no forwarding information, are you still bound not to apply to firms they submitted to?

Not 100% sure, but I think you are misunderstanding this "rule." Firms dont like to receive the same resumes over and over again. Many firms keep resumes for some period of time and, when a position becomes open, will review those that were submitted in the last few months. Some firms say on their website, "Do not submit your resume if you already submitted a resume to us in the last [3 months/6months/year]." So i think you are pissing the firm off (which matters a lot to the recruiter).

When I worked with a recruiter, she would ask me, "have you sent them your resume in the past X months" before she would send it. It wasnt about her getting her cut, it was about firm policy so they dont get spammed.

You think too highly of your recruiter. This is just about her getting her cut.