Recruiters should NEVER send your resume or other identifying information to employers without your express permission. Feel free to spread the word far and wide.
Beware! If you are working with a recruiter they should NEVER send your resume or any information about you to a potential employer without your permission. In fact, in legal recruiting it is almost always a REQUIREMENT that the recruiter have your permission in WRITING (e.g., email confirmation) BEFORE they send any information about you. It is incredibly reckless behavior since they have no idea how that employer may be connected to your boss or other colleagues at your current place. Imagine your boss’s spouse or sibling is the hiring manager at the other firm (oops!) or a former colleague you’d prefer not to work is on the receiving end of that submission (oops!). Will that person keep your confidence? The fact that you are looking for a job in the first place is confidential and should always be respected and guarded carefully. If you are working with a recruiter that does that, STOP working with them immediately, and tell them (in writing) that you are no longer interested in working with them. Also, make it clear that they are no longer authorized to send your materials to ANYONE! If they’ve actually sent your resume or other materials to employers that you did not authorize instruct them to withdraw their representation of you with that employer and copy you on that withdrawal. This is nothing to take lightly, as it is a breach of your trust for nothing more than their benefit. There are so many reputable recruiters out there, so there is never a reason to work with someone who participates in this unethical practice. Here’s hoping the message spreads far and wide. Be careful out there!