I don't know how it is nowadays compared to 2~3 years ago when I searched for a job in UK but imagine that with stackoverflow careers, coderstack, linkedin (not groups), github jobs, monthly hn who's hiring posts the situation improved at least slightly.
Weirdest experiences I had were when recruiters would call from a blocked number and leave fart noises or some other idiocy on my voicemail. Or when one guy flat out said (and one implied) that if I don't give him all the companies I ever talked to, he'd not give me the "offer" he "had" for me.
Minority of recruiters were good but most pretty scummy.
Or when one guy flat out said (and one implied) that if I don't give him all the companies I ever talked to, he'd not give me the "offer" he "had" for me.
I've met more than a few recruiters who do that here too.
In fact, I think I have even worse stories to share: one recruiter who shall forever remain in my email blocklist took my resume, promised she'd ask me before sending it to any company, and then, naturally, sent it to a place where I was already having discussions, which led to quite a bit of unpleasantness all around.
I'm afraid I'm not. Guy was really pushy, when I didn't budge, he just said "good luck" and hung up. Then called me again in a month or so. Truth is I probably would've given him some leads if he didn't start off with demands and being a douche.
They want to make sure you haven't already applied to them, which rather than just telling you the name up front, they do by asking for a list of every company you've talked to. Logical, I know.
StackOverflow careers isn't massively popular in the UK, although there are some damn cool jobs on it.
The impression I've gotten so far (and please correct me if I am wrong - I am not long out of university) is that development just isn't treated the same way in the UK as in the US. When I talk with my similarly-aged peers across the pond, the situation is very different for them. (But perhaps they're just a lot better than me!)
Weirdest experiences I had were when recruiters would call from a blocked number and leave fart noises or some other idiocy on my voicemail. Or when one guy flat out said (and one implied) that if I don't give him all the companies I ever talked to, he'd not give me the "offer" he "had" for me.
Minority of recruiters were good but most pretty scummy.