When I’ve received an unexpected phone call at work about an ‘opportunity’ which I may be interested in, I’ve been able to remain calm and confident in my answers to the caller, even if they are limited and brief. I can quite coolly provide alternative contact details for the headhunter or be courageous enough to give a firm yet polite ‘no thanks, but keep in touch.’
I can’t however; say this has always been the case. My career in Recruitment started at a young age and when I was a teenager I remember how excited I was when I had managed to find the perfect candidate for one of my senior roles I was looking to fill. Mr. Perfect-Candidate’s name was Dave Smith and called me to ask if I could help him find work; I remember I was ecstatic that he asked for me specifically; I was becoming a well known recruiter and he recognized I was the person to speak to! I quickly grabbed my pen and started frantically scribbling down everything he was saying to me. He was in my client’s right price range, he had more degrees than a thermometer and his personality would fit right in with my client’s team. He was also, unfortunately, a lie.
I sat and watched my inbox like a hawk all afternoon for his CV to arrive; I couldn’t wait to show my boss and my client, both would be so pleased! As far as I was concerned, this was a done deal. The afternoon passed and still to my disappointment, there was no email from him. I got my hopes up however, when I picked up the phone and I recognized his voice straight away.
‘Is this Jessica?’ he asked.
‘Yes it is, is that you Mr. Smith?’ I questioned, he must have written my email down wrong I thought.
The next couple of minutes I can remember to be one of the worst experiences I have ever encountered at work. It turns out that Mr. Smith, wasn’t actually a Senior Engineer looking for work, he was a headhunter from a competitor, and this phone call, was in fact a test. He started asking me all these questions about my job and ‘current situation’. Was I happy in my current role? Would I be interested in hearing about the positions his company has? What drives me at work? Someone was interested in my experience, they even went to the inconvenience of calling me at my desk to try and tempt me into working for them. He was impressed with my technical knowledge and wanted to find out more. I should have been flattered, right?
Wrong. I was completely thrown-off and confused. I didn’t understand what this man was thinking! Did he not realize I was at work? I felt myself get really embarrassed and nervous, my boss was sitting right beside me! Is she going to think I’m looking for a job? Will she be annoyed? And more importantly, why had this man lied to me? I felt deceived. Lying is wrong.
I quietly and nervously told him that I was happy at my job, said goodbye and put the phone down. I turned to my boss as I started to explain in a panicked matter that I didn’t want to leave the company, but she just laughed. ‘Being headhunted already? I must be doing something right!’
So this is how it works, I thought. I was headhunted. This is a recruitment method used, when the applicants just aren’t hitting the mark. It’s all about trying to target the ‘non-passive’ candidates. It made sense.
A couple of years have passed, and through a recommendation, I have now managed to land a new job for a global oil company, assisting with their recruitment. It’s faced paced, and the projects I am recruiting for are exciting and have many requirements. I am constantly on the phone and trying to come up with new ways of sourcing and attracting candidates from our competitors. I am always analyzing LinkedIn and thoroughly scrutinizing local oil and gas news for any interesting names. I keep my network of engineers open, and love finding out juicy pieces of information through the grape-vine that I can use to target certain individuals. I am also, of course, calling and emailing people at their work.
Does this make me a hypocrite? The answer is no, and I’ll tell you why.
I don’t lie to anyone. I am honest and upfront. I tell my prospected candidate, who I am, why I am calling, but unlike most people, I make sure they are free to talk confidentially before this. I am polite and I want to flatter someone and boost their confidence. I am not calling to push someone into a role, which they are not interested in or bully someone into giving me names. I am calling because I have a requirement for a Senior Engineer, and according to my research, the person I am calling has all the right skills my company is after. My polite and professional manner ensures that I do not upset anyone, if they are not interested, that’s fine. I can send them my contact details and should the time come when they are looking for a move, I am hoping that my kind and courteous manner has just giving them a reason to call me.
So the answer to my question is yes, head hunting can be ethical. We don’t have to lie or be devious and pushy to attract talent. Yes, my competition is vast and yes the recruitment industry can be referred to as a ‘dog-eat-dog world’, but in my experience, honesty is, and always will be, the best policy.