More About "Respecting The Headhunter"
I received this anonymous comment regarding my last installment on respecting the recruiter. It reads as follows:
I am guilty of treating some recruiters abruptly - I'll admit it. But that's usually because they have made me feel like just another name on their list - they didn't bother to gain any knowledge of my experience or what I have to offer before they picked up the phone to call me. Some barely looked at my resume. It turns me off completely.
However, Mr. Yurman, I have talked to you on the phone and I was pleasantly surprised. You were personable, you related your own experiences to draw out mine, and you kept me on the phone longer than any recruiter ever has. I was obviously impressed because I've visited your site and now I'm blogging!
Your comments about getting too comfortable with the recruiter have me pondering something. Did you consider it a faux pas on my part (or anyone else's) when I candidly discussed the pros and cons of work, etc.? Seems to me that your relaxed, buddy-type demeanor is very deliberate - to coax information out of job seekers. And it's effective. So why wouldn't you expect us to be relaxed and at ease with you? Wouldn't you consider that a form of respect?
I appreciate your comment, and would like to clarify...
When I referred to "recruiters" I was not necessarily referring to myself. That is, not all recruiters are like me. Some are very distant, and are just looking at words on a resume, or not even that. Some will only speak with candidates who have exactly the right credentials for a particular job assignment. Others are very "professional," and are really judging you from your very first word to them, treating each interaction just like an actual job interview. It all depends on who you meet.
The basic fact is that a management recruiter's first priority is to represent the client (the hiring company) and to establish reasons to either consider - or not to consider - any given candidate. My advice is, if you do want to be considered, do not reveal anything to a "headhunter" that you would not reveal to the actual employer until you are absolutely comfortable with that person.
But I know it's not easy. Job seekers are in a difficult spot. They want and need someone to talk to. They are scared or frustrated or broke or all of the above. It is very tempting to unload all of that on the recruiter, but it is a bad idea because recruiters are not representing you, they are representing the client.
If you have, in fact, been able to establish a more "human" relationship with a recruiter over a period of a few days or weeks, I see nothing wrong with getting more familiar with that person - but it is unwise to completely open up to anyone from the very first contact.
To answer your question, I personally do not try to coax information out of anyone by taking a more familiar tone. I simply like to help people, and I am a more informal, friendly person by nature. I also believe that what goes around, comes around. If I can help you by sparing a few minutes of my day to advise you, perhaps you will help me or want to do business with me someday. For the most part, though, I just want to help. That is why I write this blog!
So in a nutshell, until you can really, really trust a headhunter, keep a lid on it. Why take the chance of blowing your opportunity?
Thanks!
I am guilty of treating some recruiters abruptly - I'll admit it. But that's usually because they have made me feel like just another name on their list - they didn't bother to gain any knowledge of my experience or what I have to offer before they picked up the phone to call me. Some barely looked at my resume. It turns me off completely.
However, Mr. Yurman, I have talked to you on the phone and I was pleasantly surprised. You were personable, you related your own experiences to draw out mine, and you kept me on the phone longer than any recruiter ever has. I was obviously impressed because I've visited your site and now I'm blogging!
Your comments about getting too comfortable with the recruiter have me pondering something. Did you consider it a faux pas on my part (or anyone else's) when I candidly discussed the pros and cons of work, etc.? Seems to me that your relaxed, buddy-type demeanor is very deliberate - to coax information out of job seekers. And it's effective. So why wouldn't you expect us to be relaxed and at ease with you? Wouldn't you consider that a form of respect?
I appreciate your comment, and would like to clarify...
When I referred to "recruiters" I was not necessarily referring to myself. That is, not all recruiters are like me. Some are very distant, and are just looking at words on a resume, or not even that. Some will only speak with candidates who have exactly the right credentials for a particular job assignment. Others are very "professional," and are really judging you from your very first word to them, treating each interaction just like an actual job interview. It all depends on who you meet.
The basic fact is that a management recruiter's first priority is to represent the client (the hiring company) and to establish reasons to either consider - or not to consider - any given candidate. My advice is, if you do want to be considered, do not reveal anything to a "headhunter" that you would not reveal to the actual employer until you are absolutely comfortable with that person.
But I know it's not easy. Job seekers are in a difficult spot. They want and need someone to talk to. They are scared or frustrated or broke or all of the above. It is very tempting to unload all of that on the recruiter, but it is a bad idea because recruiters are not representing you, they are representing the client.
If you have, in fact, been able to establish a more "human" relationship with a recruiter over a period of a few days or weeks, I see nothing wrong with getting more familiar with that person - but it is unwise to completely open up to anyone from the very first contact.
To answer your question, I personally do not try to coax information out of anyone by taking a more familiar tone. I simply like to help people, and I am a more informal, friendly person by nature. I also believe that what goes around, comes around. If I can help you by sparing a few minutes of my day to advise you, perhaps you will help me or want to do business with me someday. For the most part, though, I just want to help. That is why I write this blog!
So in a nutshell, until you can really, really trust a headhunter, keep a lid on it. Why take the chance of blowing your opportunity?
Thanks!
posted by Clifford S. Yurman, President at
5:36 PM
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