What goes through a person's mind when they buzz off a recruiter's call?

[Dave Jensen]

I'm sure surprised at the way some people respond to a recruiter's call or email asking the famous "Who do you know?" question. That's what we do when we're looking for leads on an open position we're filling for a client. It's indirectly a call to ask you if you are interested, but it's also a very sincere attempt to get a suggestion or two.

Before I was a recruiter, I would get these calls and say, "Well, you might try talking to so and so. Or, try this guy as well, here's his phone number." I knew that those were confidential referrals, that my friend wasn't going to be getting a call from someone who used my name. And as a result, I would always hear from recruiters. They called me to tap my resources whenever there was a need. That's how I would hear about new job openings.

That's still, years later, the way that recruiting calls work. It's an opportunity to open a connection for you . . . the recruiter may not be calling about something that you are personally doing, but don't you know someone who could be more valuable for the caller? Why wouldn't you want to at least plant the seed with that headhunter that you are a valuable source of information? Even if you have to ask for a phone number and call that person back after assembling a few leads for him or her -- that's helpful. And you'd sure get more job opportunities coming your way.

That's why, when I make contact with someone and they say, "No, I'm not interested in moving to Philadelphia" and hang up without a lot of further discussion, I just don't get it.

Dave

[Dick Woodward]

Dave:

I would again refer people to our article on "The Care and Feeding of Executive Recruiters, which can be found at http://www.contractpharma.com/issues/2008-01/view_managing-your-careeer/the-care-and-feeding-of-executive-recruiters. Buzzing off a recruiter's call just does not make sense at any level, and people only do it at their own peril.

Dick

[Parker]

Perhaps you caught them at a bad time? Maybe while they were at work with the boss present and they were caught off guard. Still not an excuse to hang up and be rude. Also, a lot of people are clueless and shortsighted and don't consider the possibility that maybe they don't want/need a job right now, but who knows what might happen in 2-5 years? Never burn a bridge or shut a door.

[Dick Woodward]

Parker:

You are quite right. However, if the person is busy, or the boss is within earshot, ask if there is a number that you can call back on, and set up a convenient time - ideally when you can call from a private setting. The recruiter will certainly understand.

You are also correct about the shortsightedness of some folks. This is what actually led to the article that Dave and I wrote. The fellow who "never took calls from recruiters" actually exists, and when the company was going down the tubes, really did come into my office to ask why they would not take his calls. Remarkably, this was a fairly senior fellow who should have known better.

However, senior people do not often think as clearly as one might expect. A high-end recruiter (i.e., only C-level people) of my acquaintance once told me how he wrote off a candidate who was perfect for the position that he was trying to fill. When the candidate sent his resume, he sent it over the company e-mail system, leading the recruiter to question (rightly, in my opinion) the good judgement of the candidate.

Dick

[Dave Walker]

Not sure if I thanked Dick last time he posted that article, but I think it's a great one, and thanks for sharing it!

I think that the reason this happens is due to a lack of perspective, at least initially. When it first happened to me it felt like I was cold called by a telemarketer: interruption at a random hour asking for personal information with unclear motive. My initial impulse was to be afraid that my boss might find out, and "how did this person get my cell phone number?" Which is of course ridiculous, but there you have it.

This is why I think Dick and Dave's article is so great -- it puts everything into perspective. Of course the best headhunters I know are very good at disarming the initial response. A message on LinkedIn gives me time to set things up, and a little small chat on the phone builds a relationship. And as has been mentioned, recruiters are an excellent source of job opportunities and the pulse of the job market, and the best ones know this and work to grow the relationship.

Finally, I think that most people don't interact with recruiters much for the early parts of their career, so habits and opinions are formed in a vaccuum of sorts. By the time they interact with one maybe they think the recruiter's job is unnecessary, having gotten so far as they did by themselves. This too is foolish, but with perspective could change over time.

[Parker]

Yes sadly I had a friend who was using the company email to send her resume to other companies (I found out because she asked for my opinion on an HR response she had gotten and she showed me the email). I thought it was very bad and when I pointed it out to her, she said "it looks more professional". Again I think their thinking might be that in academia, you wouldn't think twice about sending your resume to someone from your university address. So they may extend that logic when they are working for a company.

[Dick Woodward]

A major issue with the use of company e-mail is that they invariably specify, usually in the employee handbook, that you have no right to privacy in company e-mail. They often have filters to block adult sites, on-line gambling and the like - it is simple to also put in filters to look for words like resume and such. I cannot put it more succinctly than DO NOT USE COMPANY RESOURCES FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH!

In this day and age, everyone has a personal e-mail - use it. However, make certain that your address is professional - redhotlover@whatever.com or hotpartygirl@whatever.com don't cut it. (In fact, I once rejected an applicant for having a similar e-mail - gave me serious concerns about his judgement.) Get a free g-mail address for your job search if you must, and have it say something like yourname@gmail.com. In the increasingly rare case that a fax is needed, go to the local copy shop and send/receive it from there.

Parker is correct that academics think nothing about using their institutional e-mail for things like this, and there seems to be no problem with this. However, even in the academic setting, I think that it is preferable to use your personal e-mail. That way, there can be no question of misappropriation of resources.

Hope this is useful.

Dick

[BMK]

Parker is correct that academics think nothing about using their institutional e-mail for things like this, and there seems to be no problem with this. However, even in the academic setting, I think that it is preferable to use your personal e-mail. That way, there can be no question of misappropriation of resources.

Dick

I agree with everything Dick said above except with one caveat to this statement, postdocs and students (grad or undergrad) are almost invariably better off using their institutional email to job hunt. Since they are training positions and expected to be a stepping stone to a real career, it adds legitimacy (i.e., by the form of an academic affiliation) and the university career offices themselves will tell you to do it.

FACULTY looking to switch institutions on the other hand...