100 Resumes Isn’t Recruiting - It’s Spamming

If your recruiter brags about how many resumes they’ve sent, you don’t have a recruiter — you have a spammer.

Recruiting isn’t a numbers game; it’s a precision exercise. And when you work in specialized industries like RV, Marine, Powersports, Heavy Truck, and Heavy Equipment, volume doesn’t just fail — it backfires.

Let’s call this what it is: “spray and pray” recruiting.

When Recruiters Confuse Activity with Results

A recruiter who sends you 100 resumes is signaling one thing loud and clear:

“I don’t understand your role well enough to narrow it down.”

That’s not productivity — it’s proof of a broken process.

If you’re measuring your recruiter’s value by how many resumes hit your inbox instead of how many qualified hires they help you make, you’re focusing on the wrong metric.

Because here’s the truth: the best recruiters don’t need to send 100 resumes.

They might only send you five — but one of those five will be the hire.

Why Quantity Fails in the Skilled Trades World

In white-collar corporate recruiting, a “resume blitz” might occasionally get you somewhere.

But in skilled trades? That approach collapses instantly.

Why?

Because most skilled tradespeople don’t even have polished resumes.

They’re in the field, on the road, or in the bay — not sitting at a laptop updating bullet points.

The best diesel tech you’ll ever hire might have a one-line Indeed profile or a Facebook post that says:

“15 years turning wrenches. Looking for steady hours and good benefits.”

If your recruiter’s strategy is to keyword-match and mass-send, they’ll never find that guy.

What 100 Resumes Really Mean

When you get 100 resumes, what you actually have is 100 chances to waste time.

That recruiter probably:

• Scraped job boards instead of sourcing passive candidates.

• Used generic filters like “mechanic” or “technician” with no nuance.

• Never picked up the phone to pre-qualify experience, certifications, or fit.

• Didn’t understand your shop, your fleet, your brand, or your equipment mix.

And when they don’t understand the work, they can’t speak to the right people — and good technicians can smell that in the first 10 seconds of a call.

Targeted Recruiting: Less Noise, More Hires

Targeted recruiting is the opposite of spam recruiting.

It’s slower on purpose — because it’s deliberate.

It means your recruiter:

• Knows the industry language.

• Understands the difference between a Cat engine tech and a Cummins field mechanic.

• Recognizes that a marine technician isn’t interchangeable with a diesel technician.

• Knows which certifications actually matter and which are fluff.

In other words: they’re not sending 100 resumes — they’re building a short list of five people who could realistically start next month.

And when you hire in the skilled trades, that difference matters more than anything.

Why the Best Technicians Aren’t Applying to You

If your recruiter is blasting out resumes, they’re fishing in the wrong pond.

Because the strongest techs — the ones keeping your fleet moving or your service bays full — aren’t actively job-hunting.

They’re working.

Targeted recruiting means finding those people anyway:

• Reaching out through trade networks, referrals, and niche job boards.

• Talking to parts reps, vendors, or service managers who know the best talent in town.

• Building real relationships instead of scraping data.

That’s how you land hires who stick — not just candidates who click “apply.”

Stop Paying for Busy Work

Here’s a reality check: if you’re paying a recruiter to send resumes, you’re paying for busy work.

A recruiter’s value isn’t in inbox volume — it’s in outcome quality.

You don’t pay a mechanic by how many wrenches they own.

You pay them for the precision and experience to fix the problem right the first time.

Recruiting is no different.

When you hire a recruiter who understands your industry, you’re not buying resumes — you’re buying insight, access, and strategy.

Finding Great Talent Isn’t Luck — It’s Strategy

Good recruiting isn’t luck.

It’s knowing where to look, who to call, and how to get skilled trades professionals to take your call seriously.

That’s why SourceLine doesn’t measure success by resume count or email volume.

We measure it by offers made and hires completed — because that’s what actually grows your business.

Takeaway

If your recruiter is sending you 100 resumes, they’re either guessing — or panicking.

And neither of those fill your bays with the right technicians.

The right recruiter won’t flood your inbox.

They’ll bring you a small, strategic shortlist that proves they understand your business, your roles, and your industry.

That’s the difference between recruiting — and spamming.

About SourceLine

SourceLine is a flat-fee direct-hire recruiting agency specializing in skilled trades and technician staffing.

We recruit for the RV, Marine, Powersports, Heavy Truck, and Heavy Equipment industries nationwide.

Our model eliminates commissions and percentage-based fees — every hire is a transparent, fixed cost with a 30-day replacement guarantee.

From diesel techs and equipment mechanics to service managers and regional operations roles, SourceLine connects employers with qualified talent fast.