I Need The Advice of Experienced Recruiters--QUICKLY!

Okay guys...here's my issue. I have a candidate interviewing for a Sr. Risk Analyst position at a good client of ours in NY. My candidate is in southern Cali but open to relo. During his first phone interview with HR he mentioned he would have to hold onto his house in California (because the housing market in southern Cali is so bad) but he did not explain why he would hold onto his house. The HR interviewer took it as a flag that he would take the first plane home if a position came up back in Southern California, which the company has had happen before. So, long story short, they shot him down but my candidate and I worked on a letter requesting to be considered for a second interview and explained his reasoning behing keeping the house.

It worked! We have a second interview with the hiring manager set up next week. My problem is...I just got some really sweet Sr. Risk Analyst positions in Maryland that pay better and my candidate would be great for the role! So what do I do??? Do I tell my candidate about these roles and get him excited about them but risk having him be less excited about the position in New York? Or do I not tell him about the jobs and risk having him shot down after the second interview with the bank in New York and the positions in Maryland could get filled in the meantime? HELP!!!

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on March 13, 2009 at 10:57am

Who are you working for?

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Permalink Reply by See_Jane_Recruit on March 13, 2009 at 11:11am

In the end, my candidate. If he's not happy it's going to reflect wherever he is...but is there strategy to this? Should I wait until after the second interview with the company in New York? I want him to be focused for that.

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Permalink Reply by M A on March 13, 2009 at 11:12am

powerful question Maureen :-)
Exactly, depends on who *your* client is, or at least who you consider him/her to be.

Maureen Sharib said:

Who are you working for?

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Permalink Reply by Greg on March 13, 2009 at 11:22am

There is nothing wrong with sending a candidate out on multiple opportunities. In the current market, there is always competition, so you know your candidate is going up against other candidates so there is no guarantee the NY spot will work out, especially considering there are alot of people out on the market in NYC.
From a strategic standpoint, the only time i have held off on discussing other opportunities with a candidate is at the final interview and things look like a serious lock.
Give yourself and your candidate every chance to close the deal. Multiple opportunities.

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Permalink Reply by Ryan Leary on March 13, 2009 at 11:26am

Touchy situation. I always say that in the end, the candidate is my money. Without the candidate you have no placement. On the contrary orders will always be there. I would look a few thing regarding the candidate. One being the location.

- Which location is going to work for him? California is a world different than these two areas.

- What are his true motivations for making a move in the first place? Is it career related? and what environment will work better for him? i.e. I 100% need to be a in a creative place that rewards an entrepreneurial spirit, else I cannot function my best, period.

Also, there is no law against having him interview at both companies and letting him decided. After all, it's up to your client to make a decision, and client #1 already passed once, so they may pull back anyway (could be a courtesy 2nd interview...) If they want him, they have to move quick, end of story. Leverage the power of your talent in hand, it's ethical and the client will respect you for giving them the opportunity to hire someone of great caliber.

In the mean while source some more candidates and fill both positions....

My .2 cents!

Email if you want to chat, I’ve been in this place a bunch…

Ryan.leary@kenexa.com
www.CruiterTalk.com

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Permalink Reply by Ryan Leary on March 13, 2009 at 11:29am

Hey, I work about 15 20 minutes from you! Interesting.... I am in KOP at Kenexa

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on March 13, 2009 at 11:32am

Who is paying you?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on March 13, 2009 at 11:39am

If the candidate is working in risk management I suspect he's able to identify and weight the variables that will impact the decision. If not, he's probably not a great candidate...

Salary isn't everything; lots of variables to consider. Why not talk to him about his model?

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Permalink Reply by Ryan Leary on March 13, 2009 at 11:50am

Very True, just do not limit yourself. Look in the end you have 2 roles to fill. GO get another candidate. Forget relocation and call the big firms in the area that have had recent cutbacks. Talk to HR and get the names. They are very very helpful and love to get people jobs. The market is flooded now.

I look at it this way. He is actively interviewing and 25% * 2 is a ton better than 25%

Good Luck!

Rayanne said:

Who is paying your fee? If the candidate is paying you then send him to the best job for him. But most recruiters are paid by the client or the company they work for. Your job as a recruiter is to bring the best, possible placement to ensure the satisfaction of your client. I call it pretention.

Scattering a candidate is like trying to hit the bull's eye with a shot gun. Doesn't happen.

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Permalink Reply by See_Jane_Recruit on March 13, 2009 at 11:55am

All good points, everybody. I think that I have a latent fear that once he hears about the positions in Maryland he's going to make them interest #1 and the NY job will become his second interest. Right now he's the only candidate we have going for a second interview with this client and they aren't the type to "courtesy interview." The client actually put the order on hold yesterday because they feel their pipeline is full enough but then they came back and decided to schedule my guy with the hiring manager. I don't want him to pull away and burn a door with the client...I guess my strategy is going to be to make sure he knows that he is not guaranteed anything and should treat all opportunities seriously.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Glenn on March 13, 2009 at 11:59am

Push the interview in NY first. Tell your client that he is GOING to be submitted to another opening, but they have first dibs on him. AFTER the second phone interview, send him to the other client ASAP.

Tell your candidate that you have another position with another client AFTER the 2nd (phone ?) interview.

If the NY client wants to interview him f2f - try to maximize his time and get him a f2f interview with the Maryland client.

May the best man win!!!

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Permalink Reply by Ryan Leary on March 13, 2009 at 12:04pm

Good call! Take what is clsoest to the money...

See_Jane_Recruit said:

All good points, everybody. I think that I have a latent fear that once he hears about the positions in Maryland he's going to make them interest #1 and the NY job will become his second interest. Right now he's the only candidate we have going for a second interview with this client and they aren't the type to "courtesy interview." The client actually put the order on hold yesterday because they feel their pipeline is full enough but then they came back and decided to schedule my guy with the hiring manager. I don't want him to pull away and burn a door with the client...I guess my strategy is going to be to make sure he knows that he is not guaranteed anything and should treat all opportunities seriously.