Take charge when a headhunter calls

Communication World, Dec, 1998 by Smooch S. Reynolds

The best rule to follow: Return call, return that call, return that call.

The second best rule: Be helpful and responsive, be helpful and responsive, and be helpful and responsive.

The Reality of a Recruiter's Call

In today's highly competitive marketplace, truly exceptional talent is a scarce commodity. And, with the increasing demand for top-notch professionals, recruiters are delving deeper and deeper into organizations to identify talent. As a result, the likelihood of your being approached and courted by a recruiter has increased dramatically in the past few years.

From the inception of the executive search profession, a high degree of mystery has swirled around the notion of what executive recruiters are and do, not to mention how they actually discover you, the candidate! So, let's strip the mystery from the scenario, and focus on the fundamentals of responding to any recruiter who may contact you. After all, the next such call you receive may be the very one that serves as a catalyst for catapulting your career to new heights!

Taking Charge When the Recruiter Makes an Overture

If you've never dealt with a recruiter, don't let the seeming awkwardness of not really understanding much about what they do turn you into a reluctant participant. Remember that whether you are gainfully employed and content (perhaps thriving) in your current position or seriously contemplating a job change, it will be to your advantage to accept the recruiter's call. View it as an opportunity - not an annoyance. Consider the call a chance to develop and build a relationship with an individual whose livelihood might bring you your best next career move.

If you have dealt with recruiters before, you probably have countless questions about whether interacting with them is actually a benefit or a hindrance. You are also probably wondering why the recruitment community has so many styles, approaches, and expectations in its dealings with professionals.

Let's address the most critical issue up front: Most recruiters are interested in engaging a prospective candidate in an earnest conversation that will enable them to become more familiar with that individual's career, and with his or her future career intentions. As a result, nearly every call and every interaction that you have with a recruiter can be beneficial to you in either the near term or the long term.

Dual Roles of the Professional Contacted

Critical to the success of your relationship with a recruiter is to recognize that as the professional being contacted by a search firm, you serve in a dual capacity - as a potential candidate for a specific position, and/or as a source of other candidates for that position. Regardless of which role you serve in, your positive interaction with an executive search professional will be one of the smartest survival strategies in today's competitive marketplace.

Taking charge in this relationship can mean a variety of things to both sides of the equation. On your side, when a recruiter calls, you should be prompt in responding and demonstrate some interest in engaging in an open, free-flowing exchange of thoughts and ideas. The conversation should explore everything from inquiring about the recruiter's firm (especially if it is an unknown to you), to learning more about the recruiter's own background and experience in the executive search arena, to listening thoughtfully to the details of his or her current search.

In most instances, a recruiter will be calling to inquire whether you are interested in a specific search that he or she is conducting. Some calls may pique your interest, and others may not. The most important factor to remember is that you must convey to the search professional precisely what your career aspirations are, and aren't. To accomplish that, you should take charge and outline your own parameters and limitations as a candidate without being concerned that there will be any negative repercussions at all. You must be candid and communicate directly and honestly. With this posture on your part, the relationship will evolve into one that is truly meaningful to both you and the search professional.

Should you decide that the opportunity the recruiter has described is not for you, don't feel sheepish about indicating that it is not quite what you believe would be your best next career step. More important, take advantage of the opportunity to shift your role in the relationship. At this point in the conversation you now have the potential to become, in the mind of the recruiter, a valuable source of candidates for his or her search. As a result, listen even more carefully to the specific details about the position, and volunteer to refer professionals who you deem highly qualified for that particular position.

The Value the Professional Derives beyond Serving as a Candidate

Now, let's address that very subject of referring candidates. Remember, everything that you say and do will reflect significantly on the recruiter's perception of your value as a source of candidates - and, more significantly, on his or her perception of you in general as a professional. Consequently, make sure that you do not recommend individuals of mediocre talent, or who only meet a few of the recruiter's criteria for the position. Only mention those you consider as "best in class" within your specific profession. A recruiter would much rather that you not refer any candidates than to have you recommend ones that will only waste his or her time. Poor referrals reflect negatively on your evaluative skills and your ability to make sound, objective judgment calls.