This is a guest post by StlRecruiting Blogger and Durbin Media CEO Jim Durbin , as part of the recruiting blog swap.
I'd like to thank Steven for allowing me to guest post on his blog. While I can locate New Zealand on a globe, my knowledge of Kiwi is limited to a fruit, not a culture. I do like Kiwi, and I hope to correct my ignorance in the future. My name is Jim Durbin, I write at StlRecruiting.com, and I approve this post.
New Zealand or the US, certain topics are universal to recruiting, and so I'd like to cover how to handle a typical cold-calling problem - what to do when the target of your call asks if you can find him a job.
Recruiter: Mr. Executive, this is (insert name here) from Search Niche and I was calling to determine your need for a product manager in your Hong Kong office. I understand your company is looking for top notch talent, and my network in your area seems to match your company profile very well.
Executive: So you're a headhunter? I'm glad you called. I have a job for you.
R: That's welcome news, why don't you tell me a little about your hiring needs.
E: My needs? I need to get a new job, and I want you to go out and find me one.
At this point, you have to make a decision - are you going to take the time to help this executive? Are you going to believe what he's telling you? Are you going to call back in three months and try to fill his position?
I don't want to frighten you, but how you carry yourself at this moment can determine your future success. It is not easy to find a job for an executive (remember, in our industry, we find executives for jobs - a much different animal). The chances of your clients needing the skill level and salary range of your cold call are weak, and at this point, you know nothing about the character or suitability of the executive to determine if you would place them.
To make it worse, agreeing to work with a candidate can shut you off from the client company you just called. If you help him, you've turned a prospect company into a target company. That's if you can help him.
So what do you do? Most recruiters will offer some kind of weak response like the following.
Recruiter: Well sir, I'd be happy to help. We have lots of contacts at the deepest level, and I'm sure some would be willing to meet with someone at your level. I'll make some calls and see what I can accomplish.
The recruiter will make some calls? To what end? So now you've wasted your time and given the executive false hope about a "headhunter" making calls on his behalf. Chances are you'll never get ahold of the executive again, because without an interview in hand, he's not going to return your calls.
But what if you were bold? Really bold? The next time you get the question, "Can you find me a job?" Answer it this way.
Recruiter: John (use his first name), I can help you but not in the way you might expect. I'm a headhunter. I find people for jobs, not the other way around. That means the chances of me having a client I trust ready with a job for you is very low - anyone telling you something else is lying to you. At the same time, I don't yet know you. I wouldn't pass your name on to my contacts without conducting a full interview on your strengths and weaknesses.
You're a busy man, and you can't afford to meet every recruiter who might find you a job, so let's do something truly effective. Let's sit down for dinner next week and talk about what you're looking for and develop a strategy that you can use to find that job you're looking for. I may not be able to place you, but I can teach you over a meal what you need to know to discretely perform a job search.
At the end of the meal, if you feel I've helped, you pay. If not, I pay. It's real simple John. I can teach you to do what I do, and if I'm successful, well, you now know a great headhunter to use when you assume your next position.
This approach is direct, honest, and will tell you if this executive is willing to work with you in finding him a job. Even if he says no, he will never forget the call.
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