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Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on August 22, 2011 at 7:58pm

we like to call that "karma"

 

Problem w/ a guy like that - is he willing to let you work on his behalf, or will he be out throwing his resume at everything that looks halfway decent, thereby almost guaranteeing you that any company you present him to will say "he's already applied"?

 

Not realizing of course that you'll do a much better job presenting him, thereby upping his chances at being considered... I might do a courtesy submission but at the first sign of him not playing by the rules just walk away.

 

I also don't buy the "no warning no nothing" - in fact he could have been picking up on the impending doom, and that's why he wasn't responsive the last couple of times you worked with him.  He had bigger issues, as it were.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on August 22, 2011 at 10:37pm

I would call one of the people i placed with his company and find out what happened to him and why.  I suspect since you have placed with him in the past those people can and will give you the real skinny.  I agree with Amy that it may have been in the works that he knew he was under the gun and didn't want to hire anybody knowing that he might be on the way out the door.

The fact that he called you means that he thinks you are a good recruiter based on his past interaction with you so he feels you may be able to place him.  Get him in the door and find out what is going on with him.  If he is shotgunning his resume to every recruiter in the phone book interview him then if you don't have a good place to go with him put him on the back burner.  How or if i worked with him would depend on what the people i placed with him have to say about him and what color of a duck he is.

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Permalink Reply by lisa rokusek on August 23, 2011 at 10:22am

Whenever my substantial ego gets involved in my decision making I need to pause and take a breath.  Bill is so right - a lot of people only talk to us when they need us.  It might not be what we'd prefer but if I refused to work with anyone who disrespected me I'd be broke!  ;-0

 

I'd evaluate based on him as a candidate not on him going incommunicado.

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Permalink Reply by Paul S. Gumbinner on August 23, 2011 at 10:37am

Clients do strange things, probably because few really understand how recruiters work.  I would consider working with this client/candidate; he may have something that one of your clients is looking for, but I certainly would not market him.  Give him an interview and then see what happens.  I just blogged last week about a client who turned into a candidate; it was meant to be humorous.  Here is the link: http://t.co/iWxYZmK

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Permalink Reply by Marcia Tiemeyer on August 23, 2011 at 10:47am

I think you're biting off your nose to spite your face on this one.  You actually made 2 hires from this guy!  So he wasn't the most responsive manager you ever worked with, you don't know what was going on internally with him, especially since he lost his job.  You say you could probably place him, well what if you place him in a position where he once again is a hiring manager?  Then you have a leg up on all the competition, he will work with you because he owes you a big one.  You now have an opportunity to educate him on how important it is for the hiring managers to stay in touch and give you feed back, he is the one looking for the job and the reponses.  You are passing up a huge opportunity for yourself if you don't work with this guy, or at least give him the benefit of the doubt before you throw his resume away.  You know, it's really nice, great, very much appreciated and the right thing to do, for people, clients, hiring managers to show courtesy when we work with them by responding and communicating, but get real, they are the client and we can't control them.  Dealing with difficult hiring managers is part of the job, and I can't let my ego stop me from doing business with them. 

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Permalink Reply by Suzanne Levison on August 23, 2011 at 11:16am

Yes, work with the former client contact, I agree with the others' comments.

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Permalink Reply by Terence on August 23, 2011 at 11:26am

Hi Amber, I love this situation treat him professionally and courteously and serve him large portions of humble pie, if you treat him well and place him you should have a friend for life and potentially a line into a new department or business.

 

Also a bit controversial but if you feel you can trust him in the future and you want to take a gamble also let him know about positions that arent using you, I did this recently and have secured a massive account by letting a senior manager I was working with know about a position with a company that has never used me in the past he applied directly got the job i'm know their #1 choice for recruitment.

 

This is a great position to be in with this guy, skilfully handled you can reap great benefits down the line. 

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Permalink Reply by Richard Cialone on August 23, 2011 at 11:31am

Amber, trust your instincts.  Unless you have no other work to do that will make you money, don't waste your time on this person.  He is a "taker", and always will be.

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Permalink Reply by Mary Ann Fenters on August 23, 2011 at 11:34am

I agree with Bill.  Evaluate your former client as a possible hire and perhaps he might become a client at another company and perhaps with a little more respect for you and what you do.  Ask yourself this question, "Do I consider myself to be a professional".  If the answer is yes then you will know what the right thing is to do, regardless of your ego or upset feelings.

 

Side note, Twist of Fate:  I once hired a Bernie, a long standing client of ours who retired.  He became my Account Rep at the place he retired from.  Worked out wonderfully until our company was sold to a competitor, the two local offices merged and I was laid off as branch managers.  A year later I went to work for another agency and Bernie became my competitor.  How's that for a twist of fate?

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Permalink Reply by Amber on August 23, 2011 at 12:33pm

Thanks for all the great responses, lots of good advice (and a bit of a kick in the butt from Marcia!). It was a bit of whining on my part, needed to vent it. I am adding some of the suggestions I got here to my gameplan of how and/or why I will choose to work with him as a candidate. I think I'm ready to let go (mostly) of his past rudeness; he does have a good background and also industry connections that I will ask him to share with me.

I'm waiting to hear back from the 2 people I placed there, see if they have the scoop on what went down.

 

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Permalink Reply by Pacific Recruiting on August 23, 2011 at 3:22pm

Having a “leg-up” is dubious at best.

I placed an HR manager some years back, that should have been the ultimate leg-up, and his first decision was to eliminate paying recruiter fees!

 

 

Marcia Tiemeyer said:

I think you're biting off your nose to spite your face on this one.  You actually made 2 hires from this guy!  So he wasn't the most responsive manager you ever worked with, you don't know what was going on internally with him, especially since he lost his job.  You say you could probably place him, well what if you place him in a position where he once again is a hiring manager?  Then you have a leg up on all the competition, he will work with you because he owes you a big one.  You now have an opportunity to educate him on how important it is for the hiring managers to stay in touch and give you feed back, he is the one looking for the job and the reponses.  You are passing up a huge opportunity for yourself if you don't work with this guy, or at least give him the benefit of the doubt before you throw his resume away.  You know, it's really nice, great, very much appreciated and the right thing to do, for people, clients, hiring managers to show courtesy when we work with them by responding and communicating, but get real, they are the client and we can't control them.  Dealing with difficult hiring managers is part of the job, and I can't let my ego stop me from doing business with them. 

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Permalink Reply by Mary Ann Fenters on August 23, 2011 at 3:58pm

Talk about the ultimate twist of fate.... sorry that happened to you PR ! 

Pacific Recruiting said:

Having a “leg-up” is dubious at best.

I placed an HR manager some years back, that should have been the ultimate leg-up, and his first decision was to eliminate paying recruiter fees!

 

 

Marcia Tiemeyer said:

I think you're biting off your nose to spite your face on this one.  You actually made 2 hires from this guy!  So he wasn't the most responsive manager you ever worked with, you don't know what was going on internally with him, especially since he lost his job.  You say you could probably place him, well what if you place him in a position where he once again is a hiring manager?  Then you have a leg up on all the competition, he will work with you because he owes you a big one.  You now have an opportunity to educate him on how important it is for the hiring managers to stay in touch and give you feed back, he is the one looking for the job and the reponses.  You are passing up a huge opportunity for yourself if you don't work with this guy, or at least give him the benefit of the doubt before you throw his resume away.  You know, it's really nice, great, very much appreciated and the right thing to do, for people, clients, hiring managers to show courtesy when we work with them by responding and communicating, but get real, they are the client and we can't control them.  Dealing with difficult hiring managers is part of the job, and I can't let my ego stop me from doing business with them. 

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