Adventures in Recruiting: I hate your Candidate

I thought I would start the year with a little levity.

All recruiters, whether on my side of the aisle or recruiters who work for companies, share one thing in common.  We often like (or dislike) people who are then seen by other people who have the exact opposite opinion.  This is a funny story about that.  

When Scali, McCabe, Sloves was in business, they had a wonderful HR Director. Al Swann was one of the best professionals I ever worked with.  We worked as partners.  Al gave me an assignment and often told me to deal directly with the hiring manager since he knew that I knew them all and he trusted my taste in people.  Once, he told me he was going away and that I should send candidates for a job directly to a new group head.  I didn't know the group head well, but I certainly knew Scali and who they hired. 

I sent the group head, we’ll call him Robert, a résumé of an account supervisor I really liked.  Robert liked the resume, called me and we arranged an interview.  We will call my candidate Peter.  Robert saw Peter a few days later.  Peter called me as soon as the interview was over.  I looked at my watch and saw that the meeting had started only a few minutes before. Because the meeting was so short, I knew it probably didn't go well..  Peter confirmed my hunch. The interview only lasted about twenty minutes and my candidate did not feel that he and Robert connected.  He said that it wasn’t a bad interview;  but there was just no chemistry.  We all know that that happens from time to time.

Within minutes my phone rang. It was Robert.  He bit my head off,  literally screaming and cursing at me.  He absolutely hated my candidate. As I recall, he didn't give me a reason, but he had a visceral negative reaction.  He was furious at me for sending Peter and told me that he was ripping up the résumé and would not tell Al Swann that I had sent him.  I was very perplexed by the reaction which was, to say the least, very strong. I really believed in the candidate and though he was perfect for Scali. 

I simply told Peter that there was no chemistry.  I was not going to tell him how I got lambasted.  It is a good thing I handled it that way.

About a month later, Al called me with another account supervisor job.  I thought Peter was even better for this one than for the first.  Robert’s rant did not deter my belief in the candidate nor did it dissuade me from thinking that Peter was a great match for Scali.  Al saw Peter and his comments justified my belief in the candidate.  He passed him to the account group and, within a couple of days, he received and accepted an offer.

However, Peter was concerned about bumping in to Robert and how he should handle it.  Based on what I know about recruiting and about people,  I counseled Peter that he should not let on that he had met Robert and that Robert would never remember him.  I was right.  There was no recognition the first time they passed in the halls or any time after that.

Now here is the best part.  Peter remained at Scali for many years; he was promoted a couple of times and was a star (I knew he belonged there).  Peter and Robert somehow met over the course of time and became really good friends. They had lunch together frequently.  Their first meeting was never brought up.

It was a good placement for me and a great placement for the candidate who went on to have a very successful career.  All professional recruiters know that this kind of disconnect happens frequently.   We just rarely have an opportunity to send the same candidate twice to the same company.

The Toughest Part of Recruiting

When I first started as a recruiter, my original premise  to clients (companies) was that I was only going to send one candidate – the right person for the job.  Within a few weeks I discovered that while it was a great sales tool and appealed to companies, it was totally impractical for me.  Candidates changed their minds, companies changed their specs, or companies neglected to tell me key aspects of their jobs which precluded my candidate from the opportunity.  Sometimes, really great candidates say or do stupid things on an interview.  So I had to abandon that practice.  However, to this day, I still send very few candidates to any given opportunity.

Because I send so few people, there is a very good chance that one of the people I send will get a job.  But that means that if I send two, I will have to tell one that he or she didn’t make it.

Like lawyers, there is an old axiom in recruiting that a headhunter should not get too close to his candidates.  But the fun and wonderful part of recruiting is getting to know people as I work with them.  So it becomes especially difficult to say no to someone I have grown fond of.

I have learned that the best way to do it is not to beat around the bush, to give bad news simply and directly.  It doesn’t make it any easier, but it insures that I give the right headline as quickly as possible.

Much of recruiting is about chemistry.  Candidates develop backgrounds which are easily discernible on their résumés.  They may be clearly qualified and interested in a job, but the key element is always going to be personality and "fit". Most people who interview and decide that they want the job believe themselves to be qualified.  Sometimes they really believe that they connected with the people that they met during interviews, so telling them no is difficult.

Saying no to people I have gotten to know well and worked with over an extended period of time is doubly difficult.  Over the years, I have had candidates who have had all kinds or reactions, including candidates who were actually angry with me when I told them they did not get the job. But, as they say, don’t shoot the messenger.  I can find the opportunity and send candidates on an interview, but I cannot get them the job.  They have to do that themselves.

So to all those people I had to say no to this year (and every year), I sincerely hope we can work together in 2012 and make something positive happen.  I would much rather say yes.