Would you try and place an HR Director/Internal Recruiter Who Eliminates Recruiters?

I had to laugh today. Gary Franklin's post "It's All About me" Job search 2011 hit the blogs.

He has done a great job eliminating the use of agencies, which of course is what a lot of companies want their internal recruiters and HR people to do. So be it, a noble undertaking.

When i asked if he would use a thrid party agency to assist in his job search he indicated he would and asked if i had something to discuss with him.

Making what i thought was a somewhat funny, tongue in cheek response, i posted , "No i make it point not to represent candidates whose claim to fame is that they want to eliminate my industry." Followed by a smiley.

Now Gary didn't like that or Paul's comment saying, "Sandra, you kill me." (Paul gets a kick out of my sense of humor. ) So Gary took both comments down and now is screening comments, which is certainly his right to do. I just reponded with a post that may not make it through the screening process. "It looks like i have been elminated."

Which brings me to the subject of this post. Once upon a time an HR Director walked in my office sat down and said. " I hate recruiters but i need a job, what have you got?"

Never having been approached for help in exactly that fashion i thought about it a minute then said, "Well Jim, let's think about this a minute." I represent a lot of companies who do like recruiters, why would i want to send you to one of my clients when i know that you are going to go in and sell yourself as the guy who can eliminate my client's need for me?" "If they didn't want to use a recruiter I wouldn't have a listing for an HR Director would I?" "But here's what i don't understand." "If you hate recruiters and your goal in life is to eliminate the use of recruiters why are you in my office wanting my help to find a job?"

His response: "Well i know you guys have contacts that i might not have."

Me: "That's true, What if i called you and told you that i didn't like HR Directors but i wanted to do business with your company, what would you tell me?"

His response: "I would tell you that i don't work with recruiters who don't like HR."

Me: "That's what i would expect you to say so i think we are in agreement here." "If i come up with any clients who want me to eliminate myself i will give you a call, thanks for stopping by."

I guess the headline, "It's All About Me" pretty well says it all.

I truly wish Gary the best in his search for a new position just as i did last year but still have to smile at an internal recruiter who puts it to a bunch of recruiters that he has eliminated 80% of agencies and is shooting for elimination of 90% before he looks for a new position.

I stand eliminated. Networking is a great way to find a new position.

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Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on July 20, 2011 at 6:07pm

I for one love your humor, Ms. Sandra. :) I had to go back and read the original post... and you know, the thing about contract recruiting - if you're THAT good, and the company still needs to recruit, they'll keep you. Oh believe me, they'll find a way.

Perhaps the contract is coming to an end because it's more cost effective to use a 3rd party recruiter...

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 20, 2011 at 6:48pm

Thanks Amy, my attitude is that if we can't laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at. It could be more cost effective in terms of full time perm recruiters salary and benefits with the expectation of annual raises, career advancement etc, to use a TPR. You are correct, if a contract recruiter is a superstar who can get along with everybody companies will find a way to keep them on board. :)

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Permalink Reply by Sarah Calverley on July 20, 2011 at 11:18pm

Wow. I struggle to believe that an HR Director at that level would be - stupid - enough to walk into stating that he wouldn't deal with you if you didn't like HR - seriously? Where did he think that would lead him when looking for a job through an agency? Some of these guys are just repeated cliche's of "do what you have always done, get what you have always got" Good on you Sandra!

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 21, 2011 at 1:03am

@Sarah, they do it a lot, there seems to be some sort of disconnect. I have one buddy whom I have worked with for years. This one got so excited about his importance that he insisted I work with one of his two year bimbos who would eat a good resume from a recruiter before she would put it in front of a hiring manager.

Now he wants to make a change of course on the down low. So I run across a top spot that is a perfect fit for him. I can't get the listing but he's a pal, so I tell him about it and tell him he is going to have to contact direct. He calls one of the executives who tells him he will have to send his resume to the internal recruiter. He calls me and says, "I am not about to send my resume to some little dolly with two years experience"

I could not stand it. Laughed so hard I had to hang up and call him back. He could not figure out what I thought was so funny. So I said, "well my friend, now you know what it feels like to be rick rolled down hill just like those candidates you put in the hands of an Inexperienced person and insist your experienced recruiters deal with them..". There was a long pause followed by "I'm sorry, I never thought about it that way".

Truly amazing. And we wonder how the candidate experience got so messed up.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Alfred on July 21, 2011 at 9:50am

Sandra .. Through all your jokes, sarcasm spins ... I keep forgetting you are very smart ... I was really just being funny and you were funny Gary Franklin needs to lighten up and just learn to laugh at himself sometime ... Quite frankly I really did not get the point of his blog and not sure what kind of response he wanted to elicit from the Ocean of Recruiters on the site ... In fact not sure if he even thought about the response to your power question wrapped in a joke :

"Making what i thought was a somewhat funny, tongue in cheek response, i posted , "No i make it point not to represent candidates whose claim to fame is that they want to eliminate my industry."

Perhaps as his Post Title clearly states "Its all about Me" .... and we stand eliminated. So much for networking.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 21, 2011 at 10:31am

@Paul, we were all being pointedly funny with him, perhaps it dawned on him that telling over 20 thousand recruiters that he was looking for a job or might be and beating the drum that he had eliminated 80% of agency hires might not be too well received by the members of the eliminated group. Who knows,but he picked up his marbles and went home when he couldn't control comments. We all understand that there are many companies who do charge their internals with reduction of agency fees but the smart money says one does not go back to the monkeys for help when your job has been to take their bananas away.

Bill's comment that he loved HR, they taste just like chicken and Tino's addition of them being delightful with fava beans and a good glass of chianti, I thought were hilarious. Perhaps the point is when any of us make it "all about me", we better be able to take some heat. Or a roast if you will.

It's been my experience that third party recruiters are like the elephant who was fed an onion. It won't kill us but we damn sure never forget it or the taste and smell. It doesn't make much sense to me for the guy who fed the onion to the elephant to come back around and remind the elephant that he was the one who brought the onions and be proud of it.

My song for the day. "You don't Tug on Superman's Cape"

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Permalink Reply by Paul Alfred on July 21, 2011 at 10:44am

Bananas Superman ... Sandra ok I am gonna get back to work ... U are too funny ... but i get the point LOL,

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 21, 2011 at 11:43am

Back to work myself. God knows i do not want to be a part of the final solution to the recruiting problem. :)

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Tipton on July 21, 2011 at 4:00pm

Sandra,

I love this post. How true! Your humor is great.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 21, 2011 at 4:23pm

thanks Barb, When one has been a recruiter for over 30 years one is either in the puzzle house or develops a somewhat irreverant sense of humor. I am going to write a book but i want to see how it ends before i decide what i am going to name it. We all should keep a journal of our funny, crazy stories. People peddlers are fun people. Sort of like watching a bird dog with a rock in it's ear. :)

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Permalink Reply by Tom Dimmick on July 21, 2011 at 4:40pm

If the original question is still on the table, that is, "Would I place an HR Director that does not want to use recruiters?" my answer would be OF COURSE! A fee is a fee is a fee.

However, my client is the firm hiring him/her not the HR Director. Hence, I would have to negotiate with my client one of two things, either an agreement that I would continue to receive work from the firm OR a recognition that my usual 'No Raid' clause does not apply. If I have had several successful placements with the firm prior to this assignment, this may give them pause, but if not, so be it.

In my world, there are clients and target organizations.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on July 21, 2011 at 4:56pm

Point well taken Tom, and certainly with the caveat that "if you cut my throat, i'll cut you three feet lower and you'll sound like a candidate for the Vatican Choir." I like it.

I had an HR Guy (that i had done business with) tell me that if i placed him it didn't mean he would list positions with me. All i could think of to say was. "Why in the world would i think that if i helped you find a great job you would do business with me?" He smiled and nodded like i had just agreed with him.

The last i heard he was somewhere in some dinky HR job in someplace called Fish Hook, Texas ..really the end of the line. I guess all the other recruiters he spoke with agreed with him too. He calls now and again asking if i have anything for him. I just smile and nod.