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By Darlin Tillery
Life & Trends Reporter
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A Canadian public sector worker has turned to Reddit for advice after a recruiter she briefly spoke to months earlier contacted her through her government work email.
In her Reddit post, the woman and original poster (OP), user gringogidget, explained that she has been actively applying for jobs since the start of the year while keeping her LinkedIn profile marked “Open to Work.”
She estimated she had applied to seven to 10 roles directly through company websites, and said a recruiter from an agency had cold-called her around February 5 and was “pretty vague about how he got my information.”
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She did not respond after that initial conversation. Months later, however, she received an email from the same recruiter at her government work address asking for her resume.
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“My work email follows a predictable format, so I surmise it’s not hard to guess from my name,” she wrote, adding that she was “more concerned about the ethics of using it.”
She finished her post by asking whether the move was acceptable recruiter behavior and if she should ignore it, respond or escalate it to the agency.
recruiter emailed my work address asking for my
r/recruitinghell
Reddit users flocked to the comments to weigh in, with one writing, "Respond with 'Sorry, you must be mistaken. I have not had any conversations about employment at your firm.'
"Then call them and be pretty firm about that being unacceptable."
Another added, “Contacting a potential candidate at their current employer is not acceptable behavior. As you said, it could put someone out of a job. I would block them from sending anything to your work email from here on out.”
The Next Steps
In a follow-up comment, the original poster (OP) said she planned to formally challenge the agency under Canada’s privacy law.
She included a draft citing the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, or PIPEDA, which governs how private-sector organizations handle personal data in Canada.
She requested access to all personal information held about her and confirmation that her work email addresses would be removed from the agency’s records.
Due Diligence
Advice articles on recruiter outreach suggest candidates should verify legitimacy and keep communication professional.
In a guide on WikiHow, career expert Adina Zinn and co-author Hunter Rising advised, “Research the recruiter to see if they’re legitimate.”
The article adds that candidates should “Make sure the person is contacting you from a company email address,” according to.
'Should raise a red flag'
Concerns about transparency and communication are also cited as warning signs in the hiring process. An article from Europe Language Jobs states, “Avoiding clear and direct answers to your questions should raise a red flag, too.”
The piece advises job seekers to be cautious when recruiters dodge questions about roles or workplace conditions.
For the OP, the issue was less about how the recruiter found her address and more about the decision to use a government email account without her consent.
As she awaits a response to her request, the thread reflects anxieties many workers face when exploring new roles while still employed, particularly in the public sector, where outside communication may be more visible.
Newsweek has reached out to gringogidget for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.
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