With all of the straight and narrow, by the book, out of the box, sane and insane, crazy and not so crazy personalities that make up the $500 Billion dollar Global Recruitment Industry we call home – I thought where is our Boiler Room, Glengarry Glenn Ross, Wall Street and of course, Jerry Maguire Movies depicting the ins & outs, the deal making, and the unspoken actualities that occur in our Industry.  Things that would make our past, current and potential clients shiver if they knew (some of the) the real deal behind the scenes that perhaps don`t occur as often now as they once did in the past.

I thought hmmm ..., if I were writing the script, what content would I use.  Would I stick with the straight boring and uneventful, non block buster making -7am-8pm recruitment grind cycle and routine ... or ..., would I delve into some of the drama that makes this industry so interesting, smart, insane and scary all at the same time? Would my script start with the headliner and the deep voice over...: “The names, locations and dates have been changed to protect the innocent.  These are their stories ...” Yes, Just like Law and Order the TV crime drama series...

With my entire content ready for my script, what would I include, would I focus my story around different characters or one central character?  Perhaps, multiple stories, multiple characters...

 ... My movie could start with a bull pen Manager throwing down a computer on the floor from the desk of a rookie shouting “this is not the phone ....” and picking up the Rookie’s phone to test it ...  “This phone still works ... use it” or ...,  a rookie working Monday thru Friday till 1am in the morning, posting all the Job  requirements in the office on job boards and tech bulletin forums - when Job boards were free – with the end result of having candidates waiting in the reception area, from 9am -5pm – the normal 1 hour interviewing session being cut back to 20- 30 minute back to back sessions.... and,  Client guys announcing their new Job Requirements in Job order meetings to the recruitment team - to get that response we love to hear “I got the guy” from a member of your recruitment team.   No one quite understanding why the rookie always had “the” guy or “a “ guy ...

... the super smooth Client Engagement guy on the phone to his client talking about the great weekend he had playing golf and the pool party afterwards and more bla bla blah...., everything else, except about the Job Order and the candidates he submitted - but not hanging up the phone through all the jokes and laughter before his client lets him know he has open times all week “let’s get those five candidates in for interviews.”

... Perhaps..., a flash back to the days when the phrases “Client and Candidate control” actually meant something, the Client guy like in Boiler Room,  shouting to his recruitment team “I got start times ready folks”  - not for interviews – but instead start dates when proposed, qualified and closed candidates actually start work.    Clients making hiring decisions on a resume submission – but more importantly on the trust they put on that Client guy to make the hire on behalf of the Client.  “Jane,  your guy can start on Tuesday, tell him to ask for Jim Jones he is the Manager for that department; he can get in for 10am on the first day.  Jim’s gonna show him around...”

I miss those days ... Recruiters scrambling over their desks to get over to the super smooth Client guy’s desk ... You did your job - qualifying and closing your candidate, you know he's done his - your candidate is getting hired no questions asked.

Or..., the really scary stories that make you say out loud “Nooo, No Way...” A candidate calls a  recruiter “ I have an offer through another recruiter,  and he wants me to sign and start next week, not sure  I can hold off the other recruiter  any more he wants me to sign the offer now, but I really want to work for your client- that job is really in-line with my next career move..”   Instead of getting the normal reply of “John you really need to make the decision that in the end, will be good for your future and your family, this is your life and I want you to be happy ...”   The actual response is “We can still do this ... John I want you to accept the offer – when my offer comes in you are going to give that employer 2 weeks resign and accept mine ... In the end I know you will be happy with this decision this is what you really want, I  know it is ...”

Perhaps we take it back to the early 90’s when recruiters would have competitions on who would have the fastest delivery time to: pick up a new client, recruit, close and place a candidate all in space of 2- 4 weeks.

What about, that call the President of a Recruitment Agency sometimes gets, from a VP of IT saying “Can you please ask your hounds to stop recruiting my staff, I can`t get any of our projects completed” and ..., in the same call “Do you have any opportunities for me  ...”   Did that company change technology direction you bet and in a hurry...  The scary question really is, did they become a client...? Yes recruiters can wheel that kind of power...

Or the Recruiters who only targeted receptionists just to get a company’s corporate employee list faxed or emailed over ... I will leave out the, the 2 hour super deal closes before the Steak is ordered ...  the after the deal is made late Friday night parties till the wee hours... 

Perhaps I`d have to leave out so much more ... Re-write my script... Would you...? Would you be brave enough to include all the stuff I am not brave enough to include?

If given the job, how would you write the Script for the movie ...., The Recruiters?