I have received recruiter InMail that states not to apply through the website. The person reaching out has an amazon.com addresses. It has that third-party vibe to it. I’ve got InMail from Microsoft that’s had the same vibe to it— where it seems like an internal recruiter, but it’s actually contracted out. I’m Microsoft’s case, it was someone who said they were a talent source with Microsoft engineering, but had a “searchwizards.com” email address.
Is their title "recruiter", or are they trying to find a match for an opening on their own team and hunting for a referral bonus?
These emails are almost never from engineers trying to hire for their own team.
We do have contract sourcers in some orgs, yes. But they should have amazon.com email addresses.
Microsoft uses V- or vendor recruiters. amazon uses FTE recruiters
Microsoft also has FTE recruiters
I feel less motivated to work with a contract recruiter vs a FTE. I feel that an in-house recruiter would care about making sure I’d find the right team, etc.
Definitely apply on the website