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A several weeks ago I was contacted by a recruiter about a job opening. I interviewed and was informed by the recruiter on Thursday of last week that the company would like to schedule a second interview next week (It is now Monday of "next week"). I gave the recruiter my availability within an hour but haven't heard anything since.

Would it be bad form to contact the company directly? I would like to know at least day or two in advance when the interview is so that I can prepare. It could be possible that the recruiter caught corona virus and is now too sick to reply to email or any number of other reasonable explanations. I'm just worried about missing out on a nice opportunity. This is the first time I've been head-hunted so if anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated.

tweirick
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    Sorry, unfortunately not. maybe I should have specified. The recruiter is from a recruiting agency not the company that I would work at. It seems that the deal with these situations is that communications go through the recruiter so that they get their cut once I am hired. – tweirick Nov 30 '20 at 06:26

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Yes - it would be bad form and would most likely hurt your chances.

The company has chosen to work with recruiters and bypassing them is risky, as it might be seen as an indication of you not knowing how to navigate in a corporate setting - instead of signaling your 'eagerness' which is probably what you are going for.

In addition, the recruiter is not really breaking any promises yet. Your first action should be following up with the recruiter - not bypassing them without a word. If you do reach out to them, merely state your continuing interest in the position; do not mention that you were promised an earlier reply.

morsor
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Yes it would be bad. The reason is, the hiring company paid the recruiter to manage the hiring process for them. They don't want to be doing it themselves.

It seems that the deal with these situations is that communications go through the recruiter so that they get their cut once I am hired

Actually the recruiter would get their cut anyway. Companies sign a contract with recruiters, so contacting the company directly wouldn't cut out the recruiter.

I imagine these contracts would prevent companies contacting candidates directly, so that's another thing to be aware of. You could be putting the company in an awkward position with direct contact.

I would suggest waiting, or contacting the recruiter again. Try phoning. After all it's only been a few days.

flexi
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