You're going to do WHAT?

Counter-offers. The bane of any recruiter's existence. Every one of us has had a great deal fall through at the eleventh hour because our candidate got a counter-offer. I vividly remember the first time I celebrated a closed position only to have the candidate call me the next day and say, "My employer gave me a raise to stay so I'm not going to take this position after all. Sorry."

It happens to the best of us and in my experience candidates fall into one of two categories when it comes to counter-offers.

Candidate 1 - This candidate insists they really, really, really want to leave their current position. They list dozens of reasons why they Must. Leave. Now. They happily proceed through the interview process and aggressively pursue feedback and are quick to respond when you call them. They get the offer and give notice. Then they receive a counter and decide to stay with their current employer. It can't be proven, but it seems like this candidate was riding the whole process solely to get the counter-offer and have no intention of changing jobs.

Candidate 2 - This candidate insists through the process they are absolutely ready for a change and their employer certainly wouldn't dream of giving them a counter-offer. They go through the entire hiring process, get an offer, accept the offer, give notice and when the counter comes they are shocked. SHOCKED I tell you! They are also pleased as punch and since they are obviously so appreciated and valued by their current employer they certainly couldn't change jobs.

These candidates may have different starting points, but they end up in the same place. Still working for the same company they started out with.

As a recruiter that is obviously frustrating. Most likely you have stopped seeking new candidates and once the offer came in you probably cut loose anyone else in your loop. You have start to all over with recruiting and that is IF the client doesn't decide you are to blame and pulls the req altogether.

So, how can you maintain some control over the counter-offer and your candidate's response to it? YOU TALK ABOUT IT. Right from the start you address the issue of counters and how your candidate would respond to it. Don't just ask them once. Ask them at each step of the interview process. The more you talk about it the more prepared you are and the more your candidate is prepared to handle the counter-offer.

I generally do several things to determine whether or not my candidate is a fit AND whether or not they are interviewing for the sole purpose of getting that counter-offer.

1. All of my interviews include questions regarding what they like about their current role, don't like about it, would change about it, etc. Why are they looking to leave? What one thing could they change that would keep them there? Would higher pay get them to stay? Would a different boss keep them there? Would a promotion keep them there?

2. In the first interview I ask them if they would accept a counter-offer if they received one. I am interested in how they handle that question. Are the quick and concise? Do they seem unsure? Their response at this point isn't the end of the road for that candidate, but it is certainly something to keep a finger on as you progress through the interview process.

3. After every interview a candidate has with the client you are most likely doing a debrief. In every debrief you need to gauge their commitment and you need to ask them again about a counter-offer.

4. I remind all of my candidates that statistically speaking an employee that receives a counter-offer and accepts it will be gone from that position inside of a year. Their current employer doubts their loyalty. They are wondering if every time they call in sick or show up late or leave early, "Are they at an interview?" The first time the company does lay-offs? They are on the chopping block.

If the company doesn't get rid of them it is likely they will end up taking another job later. Why? Because all those things they told you they didn't like about their current job? Those things haven't changed. Hate your boss? Well, they're still your boss. Hate your team? You guessed it. Still your team. Hate the politics? Still there and probably worse because now? You're a traitor.

5. When the counter-offer comes and my candidate wants to take it? I ask them if their current employer valued them so much why did they have to give notice to get the raise/promotion/pat on the back they deserved? If they are so quick to give it to you now why didn't you get it all along? Don't you want to work for an employer that recognizes your value during the interview process?

You can't guarantee that your candidate won't accept a counter-offer when it comes. You are dealing with a person that is likely to behave in ways you could never even begin to predict; however, if you keep the topic of counter-offers as a regular part of your interview process it will decrease the odds that the last minute counter-offer will throw your deal into a tailspin.

There IS enough room for everyone. I promise!

Over the last few years I have had the opportunity to work with the same hiring manager at one of my clients. He and I have developed a great relationship - one of my favorite things about him is that he still likes me and still gives me reqs even when I am not exactly on my game. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate that kind of loyalty and understanding.

Why am I telling you this (besides to make sure everyone knows how great I am, of course!)? I am telling you this because my hiring manager accidently put me in a situation where I got in big, big trouble BECAUSE of how much he likes me.

Now...I don't want to wax all philosophical about how agency and corporate recruiters are all recruiters and there really is no need to be rude to one another, but seriously? In the immortal words of Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?"

There seems to be a hierarchy in the recruiting world. I have no idea how it got started, but anyone in the industry will tell you it exists. Working from the "bottom" to the "top" it looks like this:

1. Staffing firms that do the whole "work today, paid today" thing with manual laborers.
2. Agencies that do admin and clerical staffing.
3. Technical and professional recruiting firms that do things like IT, Finance, etc.
4. Executive search firms.
5. Internal corporate recruiters.

I must interject that I have been both a corporate AND an agency recruiter. I understand that both have challenges and my intent here really isn't to pick on anyone. Really. I would never pick on anyone. Well...not unless they really deserved it. Anyway - back to challenges:

Agency recruiters deal with a need for speed that most corporate recruiters don't understand. Agency recruiters deal with not always having access to hiring managers and, very often, incomplete job descriptions. Agency recruiters deal with (some) internal recruiters burying their candidates.

Corporate recruiters have to deal with...ummmm...hmmmm...hang on...I'm thinking...

OK - in all seriousness - corporate recruiters who have never worked on the agency side have challenges, but from where I sit the corporate recruiting gig is less stressful for a myriad of reasons. They have access to hiring managers, they work for the company they are recruiting for so they have an edge on culture knowledge, candidates are more likely to call them back, they have more candidates apply directly so they have to do far less actual recruiting.

Maybe that isn't fair and hopefully I don't have a mob of torch-bearing corporate recruiters show up at my door, but once you have been a recruiter in a fast-paced, high-stress agency environment almost anything else seems...well, it just seems easy.

SO...that brings me back to my hiring manager and the hot water.

I have been working on both contract and direct hire positions for this hiring manager and one other in the same department. I have had great success finding candidates for positions that have been "difficult" for the internal recruiting team to fill. My success put me on an internal recruiter's radar and she was not happy about my sudden insertion to her nice, neat corporate recruiter world.

Suddenly I was notified that I was violating my contract with the client because I was **gasp** TALKING TO THE HIRING MANAGER!!! I should be shot! Immediately and without due process! This led to my almost losing the account, but thankfully the internal recruiting team wants to have happy hiring managers and so they let me stay on the vendor list since I make the hiring managers happy. They didn't have to do that and even if I am being a little tongue-in-cheek here I am truly grateful.

There is a lesson in all of this.

If you are an agency recruiter it is hyper-critical to understand the contract parameters. You HAVE to make sure you are following the rules because, unfortunately, the internal recruiters generally hold all the cards. You also have to make sure that the hiring managers understand the rules because they can get you into trouble by calling you when they aren't supposed to and the recruiter can't kick them off a list! You will take the fall.

If you are a corporate recruiter you need to remember that the agency recruiter has the same goal you do - FILLING THE POSITION. They often have a wide network and can present some stellar talent that you would never find. Not because you aren't talented, but you are often sorting through resumes from direct applicants. The agency recruiter is out there finding the people that haven't applied to your company and won't apply to your company and will likely never, ever hit your orbit if not for the agency recruiter.

If internal and agency recruiters can learn how to work together there will be a lot of happy candidates and a lot of happy hiring managers. There really is no need whatsoever for a recruiting hierarchy unless you are talking about a good recruiter vs. a bad recruiter and in that case I am all about hierarchy.

I just want to be at the top of it!! Hee!

Orthopedic Shoes Optional...

An interesting topic was brought to my attention a few days ago by one of my readers...what agencies are out there recruiting for older candidates? I had to admit that I was stumped. ARE there any agencies out there for an older demographic? I wasn't sure...and I said as much. I guess the upside of not having an answer is that it got me thinking about my approach to candidates in the "older demographic."

What is my approach, you ask? Well, my approach is that I am looking for the absolute best candidate to fill my client's open position and I don't really give two figs how old you are, what brand of shoes you prefer or how you take your coffee. What I care about is:

ARE YOU A FIT FOR THE JOB?

As a recruiter it is important to consider many things during the screening process and your skill set is only one of them. When I talk to my candidates about a job I want to know many, many things and your age...well...let me repeat: I.DON'T.CARE. And any recruiter worth the paper their business card is printed on doesn't.

OK...I'll be me and you be the candidate. I'll ask some questions and you think about the answers:

--- What are you doing in your current role?
--- What do you like about it?
--- What would you change about it if you could only pick one thing to change?
--- What do you want to get out of your next job?
--- If you could go back to school and study for any profession you wanted to then what would it be?
--- If you were in charge (assuming you aren't already) what would you change about the corporate culture specifically?

I bet I know what you're thinking..."What's with all the 'touchy-feely,' 'let's sing a song by the campfire' crap? Pony up some technical questions Ms. Technical Recruiter." I do actually ask questions about the skills you bring to the table, but in my not-quite-as-humble-as-I-probably-should-be opinion, your technical skills are secondary once I get past the resume review part.

What good are your skills if you hate the work environment my client offers? No good at all I tell you. No.Good.At.All. You won't be successful if you prefer a board shorts and flip flops environment and I put you into a boardroom and suit environment. You'd probably rather hang yourself with that tie. Right?

Where does age come into all this you may possibly be wondering right about now...well, it goes hand-in-hand with the environment you prefer. If I know my client has, for whatever reason, a team that is all "down with the man" and you ARE "the man" then you may possibly be heading into a lion's den. If you are someone who has never worn a suit - much less actually knows how totie a tie - well, it is very possible your co-workers could end up hanging you with the tie.

I guess what I am saying is that age is irrelevant to me. I only care that you are going to absolutely love the culture I am hoping to put you into and that you can do the job I am hoping to put you into. My advice to any job seeker is to find a recruiter that feels the same way I do.

I encourage you to identify a recruiter that both specializes in your career field and who you build a positive rapport with. That recruiter is going to see your value and they are going to work hard for you. Ask the recruiter this: "Are you looking to fill your open position with A person or THE person."

When the recruiter talks to you about a job you need to pay attention. Do they ask you about the kind of culture you like? Do they tell you anything about the company with the job opening or just the job itself? Do they ask you what you want to be doing or just what you are doing?

Those distinctions matter...A LOT. So, in answer to my reader's question about whether or not there is an agency out there specializing in an older demographic...well, I still don't know the answer to that one. What I do know is there are a lot of really good recruiters out there specializing in making the best match between their clients and their candidates and those recruiters make age irrelevant.

Do I have to control everything around here?

Candidate control.

Sounds like a painful thing to acheive, huh? In all actuality it is more painful to live without it. I am not talking about "fetch me a latte" kind of candidate control - I am talking about control disguised as setting expectations. It is the best way to foresee potential problems and close deals.

In the recruiting world it can be very difficult to manage all the moving parts of a placement. You have the recruiter (you), management (yours AND your clients), the specific hiring manager you are working with, the candidate and if you are a really unlucky recruiter then you have to deal with your client's HR department to boot. At any point the deal can get blown out of the water. Setting expectations along the way can help you get your placement more easily. What?! An easier path to revenue? Whee!

You have to set expectations for each and every person through each and every step. No small feat. I know. You don't have to tell me twice. But trust me...it makes a difference. You just have to commit to adding the steps into your recruiting process. It can be time-consuming on the front-end of your deal - again, I get that, but put the work in at the beginning and get an easier, faster close on the back-end.

From the very beginning it is critical that your candidates understand exactly what you will be doing for them and what you expect them to do for you. You have to, absolutely have to, make sure your candidates are on board every step of the way. Ever try to close a deal when your candidate has gone MIA on offer day and you never get them to return your call again? I have and THAT is a party and a half! Whee!

I have found that interviewing in stages is one way to get candidate buy-in along the way and ensure their commitment to the process. I conduct a short phone conversation to pre-qualify the candidate and then schedule a longer phone interview - or an in-person if the candidate is local to me - for later in the same day or the next. I can't tell you how many times the candidate who looked great on paper was the candidate who bailed on the phone interview and therefore, saved me A LOT of time and energy.

After the phone/in-person interview is complete I will either submit my candidate to the client or have the candidate provide me with additional information through written responses to questions pertaining to the job. Those responses are a great tool to get the hiring manager excited about your candidate. It many cases it has allowed me to skip my candidates past a client phone interview and straight to an in-person interview. See! Faster! Hee!

You have to set your candidate's expectations on salary and as the interviews progress you have to make sure your client is on the same playing field. There is nothing more frustrating - or more detrimental to your reputation - than getting to the offer stage and being blindsided by an offer that is never going to lead to a close. I vividly remember working my tail off on one of my first big deals and finally, through blood, sweat and tears, I got the offer. An offer that was about $10,000 less than what my candidate needed before he would even consider taking the job. We spent a few days trying to meet in the middle, but it was an utter disaster. My candidate lost faith in me, my client lost faith in me, I lost the deal and I learned a very valuable lesson.

You.Must.Set.Expectations.

The key to candidate control is to discuss each step of the process as each step is completed. At the end of your first conversation tell them the next step and let them ask questions. At the end of your interview tell them the next step and let them ask questions. What happens when you submit them to the client? What is the interview process at that point?

You have to find out what their concerns are if you want to put together a deal your candidate can't say no to. And let's face it - you want an offer they can't say no to!

See? Piece of cake!

Mmmm....cake....

I have organizational skills...you just don't get my filing system!

I am messy.

There. I said it.

I am a messy worker.

My desk is a pile of papers and folders and half empty water bottles and pens with no ink and random items buried under the piles of paper and folders.

Don't believe me? Well, take a look:

That's just one half. Here is the second half:

It isn't that I try to be messy, but in the course of an average day I have about 6 seconds that can be devoted to cleaning up the chaos. I tend to use that time to go to the bathroom. Sue me.

Anyway, even thought I am not the neatest person on the planet I do want to point out for all the other recruiters out there that this is not the optimal desk situation. For one thing, if I get hit by a bus, it is unlikely anyone else will be able to decipher my unique filing method. Secondly, it can sometimes make for awkward pauses when a caller asks me a question and I am digging for the piece of paper I scribbled the answer on.

"Ummm...hang on a second...(nervous giggle)...I know it's here somewhere...(tick tock tick tock)...so...how's the weather? (dig dig shuffle shuffle)"

Not always the professional, sharp, prepared, ready-for-anything image most recruiters (me included) like to present to candidates and clients. As an example of a desk that is likely to produce needed documents quickly I present you with Exhibit A:

In my own defense I have to point out that all employee files and other documentation I am responsible for as the HR Director is very carefully filed in a legally compliant manner so all the auditors out there just back slowly away from your "ticket books."

The problem for me is the stacks of things I need to read, edit, review, call about, give to someone else, etc...those items tend to get stacked and stacked and stacked.

Last week my admin actually drove me from my desk and closed my door. When she let me back in my desk was spotless. It was beautiful and shiny and I think I actually heard angels weep. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a dang thing and in the 6 seconds I would normally use to go to the bathroom I managed to return it to the original, "threw up on itself" state it is normally in.

Not the most effective or efficient manner for me to operate and I strongly encourage all recruiters to develop a filing system, in/out system that works for them and try and keep their work space as clutter free as possible. I promise to try and practice what I preach.

I am sure my admin will thank me.

What do you mean "headhunter"?

It is never easy to take on a new career, but when you make the leap into recruiting you face a particularly difficult task; albeit, a worthwhile one. I am currently working with a new employee who is training to be a recruiter and it has brought back to me all of the trepidation I faced when I started in this industry.

I started in recruiting in 1999. I was a bright eyed and bushy-tailed new graduate with a degree in Communications. I was going to work for a PR firm and I was going to conquer the world. Two months later I was losing hope because I was not prepared for how competitive my chosen field was. Fortunately, I got a call from one of my sorority sisters. She was an HR graduate and had just gotten a job with a recruiting firm in Seattle. According to her, I was perfect for it and should apply. Thus began my career in recruiting.

As a completely green recruiter I was given an area to focus on – in my case, information technology – and instructed to learn as much as I could as fast as I could about technology. Techweb became my new best friend as I sat for hours reading resumes and looking up every term I didn’t know. There were a lot of terms. One spiral bound notebook full of them. Most days I went home with a headache and a sense of complete and utter stupidity. It took only a few interviews with highly talented folks to figure out how much I didn’t know and, at the same time, how much information had actually stuck.

At the same time I was suffering through the eternal vocabulary lesson, I was learning how to find candidates: sourcing resumes, data mining and formulating emails/phone messages most likely to get a response. I was also being trained to call in and direct recruit candidates out of specific companies. I vividly remember sitting in front of a phone with the trainer and a couple of other new recruiters. The trainer would dial a number on speaker phone and each of us took turns trying to get past the receptionist and into a specific department. Our trainer, who was clearly the anti-Christ, always called Amazon.com for these little ego-boosting exercises. The receptionist at Amazon had some kind of freaky 6th sense that a recruiter was on the phone. She would play little games with us like acting like we were being transferred to our target department and then leaving us on hold indefinitely. Looking back I would be willing to bet that the receptionist and the trainer were in cahoots, but I can’t prove anything.

The experience was vicious, but the lessons learned were priceless. To this day I can call anyone, anywhere, about anything…and I can do it without batting an eye.

It wasn’t long before the bottom fell out (thank you dotcoms!). Recruiting firms went out of business left and right, recruiters changed career fields and a few of us diehards hung on through the resulting requisition drought. Years later, I am still in the industry and those early lessons in headhunting help me more now than they did then. I have perfected my technique and lost the nerves. I have figured out what techniques work for me and further adapted them to my personality. I am “old school” and that gives me an edge.

The average burn-out rate for a recruiter is approximately 3 years (up from the 2 years back in the hey-day). That means the majority of recruiters in the field now were hired into firms and trained during a time where jobs were scarce and candidates plentiful. The skills used to match a candidate to a job have been, to a large extent, simple paper shuffling and basic screening.

Times, they are a’changin’.

As our marketplace shifts we find ourselves in a time where requirements are plentiful and truly skilled candidates are scarce. The good candidates are working. They took a package and moved to Tahiti. They certainly aren’t trolling job boards and applying to anything and everything that is remotely close to their skill set. You want the top talent now? You have to find them where they work. That is what us “old folks” know how to do. We cut our teeth on direct recruiting and we are experts at it now.

Thankfully, many of the less ethical recruiters jumped ship and they took their unethical recruiting practices with them. A good recruiter, a tried and true, old school headhunter like me, determines who your competitors are. We ask you which competitors we should leave alone. We call into your competitors and get the information we need without ever disclosing the client or lying about who we are. Good headhunters will get past the gatekeeper politely and ethically. They will talk to your competitor’s employees with respect and will identify those who are truly looking for a change. It is a skill that was lost when the “big box stores” of the recruiting world decided to build their very own assembly line of placements. A good headhunter will never “throw resumes at the wall” in the hopes that one of them will stick.

If you are a hiring manager wanting to work with a recruiter, take the time to find a recruiter you are comfortable with. A good one will meet your needs with great people and they will do it quickly, ethically and with enthusiasm. A good recruiter drops the smoke and the mirrors and they simply find talent so you don’t have to.