Maybe it’s the Law of Attraction that draws them to me. It could be my unwillingness to turn them away, or maybe it’s that I sometimes feel so much empathy for them that I just can’t muster up the guts to use blunt force and shout the message they don’t want to hear.
Let’s face it – we all talk to candidates that fall into multiple “buckets” depending on search assignments we have (or know we will have soon). They include candidate skill set, qualifications, presentation and a whole host of other criteria that we have to evaluate in a particular search engagement. While some candidates may not be a fit for the assignments we have today, many could be under consideration for other opportunities if and when they become available.
Let’s get back to the “bucket” can we? Thank you. Then …there is what I refer to as the “needy candidate” (NC) who calls you from time to time just to hear your voice and to “stay in touch” as if you have somehow misplaced their resume and phone number. All of our resumes are logged and stored on our servers for future reference. We have multiple ways to search for candidates once they are in our database. However, more often than not - no search is required to “jog my memory” when they call.
A recent conversation with a well known (at least to my office) NC went something like this:
“Hi Tim this is Jason _________ (he did not need to re-introduce himself as the mere sound of his voice gave me all of the ID I needed) and I just wanted to give you a quick call to let you know that I will be off during the holidays between December 23rd and January 5th just in case you have a job that you think would be a good fit for me. Tim, you are familiar with my resume – right? Companies that you represent would be interested in me – right? I do have a good background – right? I know you will find me something – right?”
Stop it! Now! Somebody please just make it go away!!!
I have a tendency to encourage and give candidates hope that while they may not be a fit for a particular search assignment I might be working on – that they do have good credentials. I let them know that they will probably be a good fit for another organization. I leave no ambiguity once they have been eliminated from consideration. Yes…I do try to give them hope, so they will keep looking, expand their search horizons and cast out a wider net to attract more job opportunities. The classic diagnosis of a Chronic NC is they only want to work with me. Sometimes there is a certain connection (only) they feel and all of a sudden (in their mind) we’re off to the races together. Oh boy… My bad. They don’t get it, because in some cases I have been candid but nice – but apparently not blunt enough. Got it!
Well, we are all facing a New Year with goals and resolutions for 2009.
Here’s one of mine;-)
I plan to stop spending my time on the Chronic NC. Instead, I plan to find better ways to identify the classic NC early in the process and give them my competitors phone number so they can start calling them.
Yeah… that should work…
Haha! Caller ID has saved me from many an annoying conversation. I feel your pain, man.
Good article Tim. Guess this is part of what we sign up for when we want to recruit for a living!
While remembering that any candidate could be our next client, its still best to be clear upfront in the process with candidates (especially if you are a retained recruiter) that you work on behalf of the company, not the individual. This “just to be clear” moment will hopefully plant the seed.
I actually don’t mind an every 6-8 week reminder email or call. Database management or not, its good to have them be top-of-mind. There are times when a follow up call to check in has resulted in a referral to one of my colleagues who have something that fits the bill.
Agree with Tim on letting the Chronic NC’s know that they are good candidates even though they may not fit the current spec. On follow up check in calls I will ask them what kinds of things they have been considering with other firms/companies, have they had any change in career direction since we last spoke, and generally try to (briefly) brainstorm with them.
Still, Chronic NC’s will appear, asking for analysis on every little detail of their resume, probing why they don’t fit a spec which looks right on to them, quizzing you on every single engagement to see if they fit, and offering to buy you lunch as a thank you.
Just remember they are looking for live conversation, to feel like they are moving things forward. You are the industry expert – so they value your opinion, but don’t lead them on, be candid about their status, and if you have to, let them know if they are calling too often because managing YOUR time is most important!
Jason: Caller ID Rules!
Wally: I appreciate your comments and I do realize the role I play as an executive search consultant. When you have 30-40 calls in a given day and deal with all of the other aspects of the search business it’s painful when you hear from the same NC OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN! I get the picture and know why I do what I do – and trust me I enjoy my work very much. In 2009 I plan to work very hard on managing my time better. Let’s face it sometimes you have to say NO – there are only so many productive hours one can work each day. I must make each one of them count! Thanks again for your post.