Feeding the hand that bites you

Not content with ringing you to talk about the weather and remind you they haven't gone bust (yet), they're now blatantly fishing for new-lead-generating information saving them doing the legwork themselves. Often they'll dispense with the convivial preamble of pretending to be working on your behalf, and cut straight to the chase; "so, which companies have you applied to?", "which agency recommended you, or was it a direct application?". This is purely professional curiosity of course, that and an exercise in keeping their writing wrist supple. "Jane Taylor is in charge of recruitment there isn't she?", they'll say exuding that smug I'm-in-the-loop vibe, then pausing with baited breath for you to interject with a correction. "Oh really? She must have left the company since we last spoke". Yes, that's it I'm sure.

For my own entertainment I've decided I'm going to be as vague as they are when posting their fictitious vacancies. I helpfully informed the last consultant to ask this question that I've "applied for a position with a well established, prestigious, market leading, multinational, blue-chip, progressive, dynamic and fast expanding company in the commercial services industry, who have a venerable history of providing efficient commercial service solutions to clients in many private and public sector organisations", and also that I'd sourced the vacancy with the assistance of "a trailblazing global recruitment specialist dedicated to - who excel at even - placing professional candidates in permanent, temporary and interim positions".

I hope they found the exchange as useful as I did.