When last we left our recruiting hero, they had successfully completed their search assignment, cashed a fat check, and were on to the next search.

The question remains. Is it a good thing to be a firefighter for your clients? That's the crux.

Initially, it seems like something you want your customers to do-think of YOU first.
Since you're in the service industry it's logical and profitable to be perceived as responsive and customer focused.

Don't Be TOO Eager To Please.

The notion of being thought of first, is a fantastic aspirational goal and a nice ego-stroke. However, if you drop whatever you are doing to rescue your clients it inadvertently trains them that they don’t need to plan - or if they do plan, that they don’t need to inform you.

Food for thought: There is a saying that goes, “A failure to properly plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.” Like it? Steal it...I did.

Anyway, that begs the question: Are you a strategic asset (long-term benefit critical to overall success), a tactical asset (short-term fix), or a necessary evil (no other option)? Ponder that. This, right here, is a good indicator of how our clients perceive us. Not necessarily a deal killer, but it's a major consideration when deciding to accept a search or not. Remember: Not all business is profitable business. The corporate battlefield is littered with the bodies of companies who spent $2.00 to get $1.00.

Classical Conditioning

Truth is, clients will EXPECT this kind of behavior from you EVERY time they pull a match from their box, knowing full-well they are about to apply flame to gasoline. Thus, your "conditioned reflex" is to start donning your fire retardant underwear.

(mixing metaphors a bit) In this role you’re nothing more than an insurance policy. Think about it. Insurance policies are only used when disaster strikes. Is that how you want to operate? Is this how you want to be perceived? Is that how you want to be treated? Is it an optimal situation for you, your client, or candidates?

Think-Feel-Behave We Teach People How To Treat US

How people see/perceive us affects how they think/feel about us and ultimately how they treat/act towards us. If they see you act like a firefighter then they feel you are a firefighter and rightly treat you like a firefighter.

How your clients SEEs you affects how they FEEL about you and how they BEHAVE towards you...
To be clear, I am in no way advocating letting your clients swing in the breeze. Only that you should approach each search with objectivity, care and a discerning eye.

Teach Fire Prevention

Be proactive, instead of reactive. You get paid for your opinion. Be assertive. Explain why it is your client’s best interest to include you in planning. (Don’t forget their WIIFM-What In It For Me?) For example; “Mr/Ms. Client, with proper notice I will provide valuable insight about current market conditions and candidate suitability. Plus, this will allow me to allocate the necessary resources to the project thus reducing your time to hire and overall project cost.”

The benefit to you is clear: You get to take a logical steady approach instead of running around with YOUR hair on fire. You probably do your best work when afforded time to plan. This doesn’t mean that we move slowly. Rather, it demonstrates that we have a process and following it INCREASES the odds of success AND instills confidence in your client. Try this:

1 Objectively analyze the project. A couple of considerations: Urgency, Mutual Respect & Cooperation, Terms of Business, Process, Realistic Expectations
2 Co-create a recruiting plan (with your client) mutually determine expectations
3 Set a target date or NLT (no later than-date) to instill a sense of urgency.
4 Develop a recruiting matrix-a schedule of events from the beginning of the search to the end.

The above helps to eliminate confusion, set appropriate expectations, AND reduce the number of variables in the recruitment process. Oh yeah, it also makes you look good.

Consequences

If your clients flat-out refuse to cooperate or alter their behavior, it may be time to teach them consequences. (Didn't know you were a firefighter AND a teacher did you?) Yes, that's right Super Recruiter, you may have to let their house burn to the ground before they change. As painful and scary as it sounds, it truly works. Sometimes it takes walking through the smoldering ash for one to realize the error of their ways. The moral of the story here is: DON'T PLAY WITH MATCHES! If they even look at the match box they better call you.

Alternatively, if (in your best judgement) the client really needs your help they should prepared and willing to pay a premium (higher percentage, retainer, completion bonus, etc). This expectation MUST be set upfront. After all, firefighters can’t be two places at once.

On a tangentially related note; Easily won concessions are rarely fully valued and almost always result in additional demands. Just sayin'.

Bottom Line

If it doesn’t bother you to be a firefighter then by all means, be the best firefighter there is. There are a lot of search folks that have made mountains of money by enabling their client's behavior.

My advice: Take a thorough look at your current job orders and clients. You just may discover you are doing business with arsonists.

...CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! oh oh....there's the call...whatcha gonna do now?