Every year, between June and September, 15-20 of my favorite candidates send me a 2 paragraph email.
After the usual pleasantries, the email has one paragraph that describes what they've been doing for the last year.
The second paragraph describes what they'd like to do next year. That could be searching for a job in a specific industry or geography, or it could be continuing in their current role.
A resume is attached (in .doc format, because these people know me well).
These candidates will always refer a colleague to me.
And they'll give me a heads-up when there is an opening at the firm.
And they expect that when they call me I won't have to access my database to figure out who they are.
These people have decided- with minimal effort- to make the most our of their relationship with their recruiter.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The Other Side of the Desk
A recruiter called me this morning.
No seriously.
"Hi, Noah. I'm calling from Acme Recruiting (I'm going to change the names to protect the guilty). You sent us a resume in 1955, and I was wondering if you are still interested in hearing about opportunities."
Despite thinking, "Who taught you to presumptively close?", I say, "I'm always willing to listen."
"Our client, 'Web 1.0 Co.' (protecting the guilty again), is looking for a new COO who has an MBA, experience in a tech startup, and at least one successful exit. Are you interested in considering this opportunity?"
"No, thank you."
"Can I ask why you're not interested?"
I think, "You can ask..." but I say, "Well, I don't understand their value proposition. They were a market leader in 1998, but have made no compelling technology break-throughs since then, and I don't understand how they hope to monetize."
And I almost fell off my chair when she said...
"I understand. People have been telling me that all day."
Let's just say, this comment brightened the day of a certain candidate development associate at Hawkes Peers & Company who has been struggling to source candidates for our very own turnaround client. No, Shira. You are not alone.
Now if only I could figure out why the recruiter didn't ask me to refer some colleagues... Who taught her how to be a recruiter anyway?
No seriously.
"Hi, Noah. I'm calling from Acme Recruiting (I'm going to change the names to protect the guilty). You sent us a resume in 1955, and I was wondering if you are still interested in hearing about opportunities."
Despite thinking, "Who taught you to presumptively close?", I say, "I'm always willing to listen."
"Our client, 'Web 1.0 Co.' (protecting the guilty again), is looking for a new COO who has an MBA, experience in a tech startup, and at least one successful exit. Are you interested in considering this opportunity?"
"No, thank you."
"Can I ask why you're not interested?"
I think, "You can ask..." but I say, "Well, I don't understand their value proposition. They were a market leader in 1998, but have made no compelling technology break-throughs since then, and I don't understand how they hope to monetize."
And I almost fell off my chair when she said...
"I understand. People have been telling me that all day."
Let's just say, this comment brightened the day of a certain candidate development associate at Hawkes Peers & Company who has been struggling to source candidates for our very own turnaround client. No, Shira. You are not alone.
Now if only I could figure out why the recruiter didn't ask me to refer some colleagues... Who taught her how to be a recruiter anyway?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)