Man, I've had to show people the chalky flakes to convince them.

Wow, 2,000 people for a zoning vote, sounds like a fluke.

Is it really worth the trouble though? I used to reply to every single recruiter with a polite no, and honestly it just opened the door for more spam and follow-up calls that never went anywhere. The silence works in your favor sometimes cause they move on to the next candidate and stop bothering you for months. Plus, that Cleveland recruiter just wanted to make her own job easier, not help you find better roles. I've gotten way more solid leads from ignoring the flaky ones and letting my resume speak for itself when I actually apply directly.