I had the misfortune of working with George Rutter, a “professional” recruiter for the American Association for Cancer Research.
He not only ghosted me (three times), but then only responded after I threatened to out him online, giving me a lame excuse for doing what he did.
I applied for a position with the AACR on June 10, including a cover letter followed by a two-page resume.
I was contacted by George Rutter on June 20, saying he had looked at my resume and wanted to present me to the hiring manager. He said the process required a cover letter and asked me to send one.
I had.
It was the first page of the submittal.
How could he have reviewed my resume and not seen my cover letter?
I replied and explained that my cover letter was the first page of my submittal, but separated it and re-sent it.
He confirmed receipt, then on July 7 said he would be talking with the hiring manager the next day. Keep in mind that I had more experience in magazine publishing, editing and writing about cancer than they required.
On July 18, I checked in for a status update.
George Rutter did not reply.
On July 23, I checked in again. Again, no reply.
Finally, on August 5, almost seven weeks after he personally reached out to me, I sent him an email telling him I would be posting my experience with him and the AACR online.
It was only then that he deigned to respond to the lowly applicant, saying, “I understand that communication is important while searching for a job and I regret I did not hold up my end.”
No, you ghosted me. And how many others? You know how difficult job searches can be, and yet you ghosted me. Over and over.
Like this was the first time George Rutter ghosted a candidate – one that HE had reached out to. For a six-figure executive position.
A snake rots from the head down. Would George Sutter act like this if he feared/respected his boss at the AACR? Has Vern Mitchell set clear guidelines for treating candidates with respect, and does he audit his staff’s behavior?
Does Robert Kruger know how editorial candidates are treated? Has Margaret Foti set clear guidelines for handling job applicants?
How hard is it to send automate emails to applicants letting them know their application status? How hard is it for a recruiter to follow up with the three or four rejected finalist candidates for a high-level position after the hiring manager chooses someone else?
And by the way, despite my stellar qualifications and experience and the fact that the AACR’s recruiter reached out to me after seeing my CV – I wan’t even given an interview.
FYI, I’m a 64-year-old boomer.
I am not impressed with the ACCR, George Rutter or its leadership. I’ll be updating this post with the age and credentials of the person they eventually hired.