A question from a job seeker about a perceived “red flag” during their job search has left a Sydney recruiter surprised.

Tammie Christofis Ballis, a specialist recruiter and career coach at Realistic Careers, frequently provides guidance on social media to individuals navigating the job search and interview phases.

During one of her recent live Q&A sessions on TikTok, there was one question in particular that caught her attention.

“Would you consider a recruiter call at 7pm a red flag?” one social media user asked.

“Absolutely not. Why would you think that’s a red flag?” Ballis responded.

Christofis Ballis highlighted that if a recruiter is contacting you at 7 p.m., it signifies that you are considered the ideal candidate for the position, and they are eager to progress your application promptly.

Speaking to news.com.au, Ballis said recruiters often work outside of normal hours in order to find the right candidate.

Calling outside of regular work hours also means they aren’t interrupting you at your current job if you have one.

“So it’s absolutely not a red flag, if anything, it should be flattering,” she said.

The response to the video left the Sydney-based recruiter even more baffled. 

Even after explaining why this situation, an evening call, was a positive sign, many people were still adamant it was a red flag.

“Huge red flag. Don’t disturb people’s free time outside of business hours. Call during normal hours like everybody else. The audacity of these people,” one said.

“Nah I’d be pissed. After hours is family time. It sets up unhealthy expectations that I’d be expected to work overtime for nothing?” another wrote.

Many claimed it showed a lack of respect for personal time and poor time management on the recruiter’s behalf.

Others also wrongly claimed having a recruiter call after 5pm violates the new Right to Disconnect laws.

The new laws only relate to employees having the legal ability to ignore contact outside of hours either by their employer or a third party relating to their current job.

While people can certainly refuse a recruiter’s call if they wish, it has nothing to do with the Right to Disconnect legislation. 

Ballis said this type of thinking “breeds entitlement and laziness”.

However, there were those who agreed with Ballis, saying they would be happy to take a call later in the day if it meant advancing in their job search.

One person said they would “gladly” receive a call at 7 p.m. if it meant someone was offering them a job.

Another said it was “not a red flag at all”, saying they recently received a call in the evening from a recruiter who was excited to know their application had progressed.

“He apologized for the after hours but said that generally most candidates can’t take calls during business hours as they are working, so he saves his calls for after hours,” they said.

Another agreed, questioning why anyone would want to take a call about another job in front of their boss and colleagues.

“Entitlement that they can’t take a call at 7,” another added. “I got a call at 9.30 p.m. after a text message the other night about booking a final interview for a job! Hell yes I’m now preferred candidate and I slept well without worrying! Stop being precious.”

The job market is tight right now, with Ballis saying there are often hundreds if not thousands of people applying for a single job.

And, in her experience, if people are complaining about something as simple as answering a phone call outside of work hours, then its only going to harm them in the long run.

“When everybody’s whinging that 1,000s of people are applying for jobs, if you’ve got an attitude problem that someone is calling you at 7pm … you’re not going to succeed at life. It’s literally that simple,” she said, adding that this type of behavior just shows a recruiter that this particular person is going to be difficult to work with.

In fact, the Sydney recruiter said if she tried to contact someone and they asked her to call back during work hours it would raise a red flag for her.

“It shows that they really don’t want the opportunity and I’m not going to waste my time on someone who’s telling me how to do my job,” she said, adding that she would instead invest her time in an applicant that appreciates her following up. 

Though, she did add that it “goes both ways” and it is “absolutely” OK to call a recruiter after standard office hours.

Ballis has had people call her on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and she knows it just comes as part of the job.

“People like to bash on recruiters but the agency ones, at least, they’re the ones they work outside of normal hours. It’s not uncommon for them to do 12 or 16 hour days, but that’s why they make the big commissions.”