By far the worst experience in my career, and one that has negatively affected my view of the organization. I was contacted by a recruiter. Incredibly brusque email tone, lack of human connection or care about the candidate. I was interrupted multiple times when answering their questions, and the recruiter seemed largely to be simply going through the paces. Then it got confrontational.
When the recruiter asked about my experience, they said (incorrectly): "So you only have one year of experience in your current job, and only three before that?" I tried to explain that I was nearing two years in my current role, three prior years in a similar role (with management and leadership responsibilities), and five years of experience prior to that (also in a management role) - all reflected on my resume. The result was a derisive snort. It got worse as we discussed pay; the recruiter felt entitled to my current (and past) salary information, and threatened to knock me out of consideration if I would not provide it, saying, "That is a STANDARD recruiting question," with no little contempt. That was a standard recruiting question in 1983; nowadays, candidates should have to provide no more than their salary target, and as a recruiter with years of experience, I know full well that you do not need that information, and should coach your hiring managers that salary history is not an appropriate question - but salary target is.
At this point the recruiter asked if I had questions, and I asked thoughtful questions about the challenges and strategic direction of Talent Management at Liberty Mutual. However, the recruiter had been with the company for *1 month* and couldn't answer any of my questions.
The kicker, though, was the fact that after being confrontational and contemptuous, the recruiter both discriminated based on my perceived age and again demeaned my experience. I currently recruit top-level IT positions across all functional areas, and have a wealth of knowledge and experience in talent management. I also happen to treat my candidates with respect. Yet the recruiter said, "You are a junior candidate in this role; most people have 10-15 years of experience, but I wanted to see the passion a younger, more junior person would bring."
...Younger than what? Seven years of related experience is not considered "junior." Passion doesn't have an age limit, but if this is representative of your recruitment team, I can tell you that it is experiencing a monumental deficit in passion, and a deficit in your recruitment funnel will follow. It also inspired me never to apply to Liberty Mutual again; if this is how you treat your candidates, I shudder to think how employees are treated.