It was, but in a different form. This is the first I've heard of a random recruiter bonus.
Companies often work with more than one job search agency but there they hired people to find someone - and they often found the same people. There was some incentive to find a good candidate as a bad reputation means you don't get hired to find the next.
I did have recruiters yell at me because I applied for the same job via multiple different recruiters. As if it was my problem to figure that out.
Finding a job when you don't know someone already there has always been a mess for both sides.
ngruhn · · focus · HN ↗
bluGill · · focus · HN ↗
Companies often work with more than one job search agency but there they hired people to find someone - and they often found the same people. There was some incentive to find a good candidate as a bad reputation means you don't get hired to find the next.
I did have recruiters yell at me because I applied for the same job via multiple different recruiters. As if it was my problem to figure that out.
Finding a job when you don't know someone already there has always been a mess for both sides.