HH shares CV with clients without permission - how to react?

Hi, I have been in touch with a very large and known HH firm in London. I sent across my CV, the recruiter arranged an interview with a client he had discussed with me prior. Wasn't the right thing, we left it at that, nothing unusual. Fast forward a couple months, he contacts me out of the blue about one of his clients (major bank) who wants to have an interview with me, for a role I have never heard of before, though he claims we discussed it back then (we definitely did not).

I asked to speak with him to understand what this is about and why my CV was shared without my knowledge, but he always comes up with a new excuse as to why he couldn't return my call.

Not sure how to react here. I'm certainly not looking to continue working with this firm. I gave them my CV in confidence and not for them to share it with random clients without my knowledge. I also don't want them to have my details/info anymore. Any advice as to how to handle this is appreciated.

3 Comments
 
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You're right to be unimpressed - this is definitely unprofessional by the HH firm. Unfortunately the reality at the junior level is that a lot of HH firms are volume shops and will do this. My advice would be (if not done already / in the past) to have in writing when you send across your CV that you don't want it shared externally.

My other advice is to not be too upset at least externally. The people you're working with now are junior but (like us) they will grow and develop, and there's a chance he becomes a senior recruiter making matches at the senior finance levels, and you might one day need him. If it were me, I'd just leave it as it is (he probably isn't going to bother with your profile anyway at this point), but if you do feel strongly about it, I'd write a polite and even friendly email kindly asking him to please remove your profile from his records.

 

Hey, thanks a lot! Indeed I didn't express in writing that I don't want my CV to be shared externally, my assumption was that they would discuss an opening with me first before introducing me to the client, without me having to say so...

And the thing is, the guy is not junior, he's been in recruiting for decades in fact.

But yes, I will certainly have them delete my records.

 

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