Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on November 15, 2011 at 9:33am

I watched the show and enjoyed it.  I think Wendy is really good.  In fact - the show reminded me of just how interesting recruiting really is!  (You know - sometimes we get in a routine and forget how blessed we are to do what we do!)

 

What I find somewhat telling though - the show is billed as a show about "A premiere corporate recruiter" - - - - when in fact Wendy is an agency/3rd party recruiter.  So does this really let us know just how little the outside world knows about "our kind" - in that they think we're all the same?

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mitch Sullivan on November 15, 2011 at 9:46am

Looks awful.

Is this actually on networked TV in the US?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Cora Mae Lengeman on November 15, 2011 at 12:18pm

I watched the show out of curiosity and will not watch again. I do not think the show gave an accurate impression of the recruiting side of our business. It was helpful for job seekers who will all think recruiters have time to coach them to a new job.

Then they show her conducting a search for a position that pays $150K for a smaller company – certainly not ‘high-end executive search’. Not equal to the show’s hype.

I did not like her concept of ‘go into the interview not as yourself but as what they are looking for’ – does that mean you always have to act like someone you’re not?

What really surprised me was that she visited a new client – in the fashion industry - wearing what looked like work-out clothes! She met with clients dressed in suits and she has on work-out clothes, was that her trying to impress them? She needs to listen to what she tells her career coaching clients!

Was that even a real situation or a made up one? Where are the Fortune 500 clients and the executive level searches? If I was producing a TV show on an Executive Recruiter I’d lead with the big executive search to show how Executive Recruiting is really done.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on November 15, 2011 at 12:19pm

It was interesting. The career coaching segments were painfully accurate. My husband laughed a lot having heard me on the phone with clients and candidates - he definitely saw the similarities.

 

If it continues, I'll watch. Then again not sure what the interest level is to those outside the business... other than being facinated with the similiarities to his wife, my husband was not entertained.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Al Merrill on November 15, 2011 at 1:04pm

Tim, on Jerry's point, I'm not sure most people successfully can explain or understand the nuances of the executive search/recruitment business. I had the feeling Wendy was somewhat caught up in the sound of her own voice, experience, and client list. I somehow never got the feeling she could really sell food to a starving man! And why would she, if a high biller, spend time trying to educate a klutz on career development, when the woman couldn't string three words together! Like others, my wife thought I'd find it interesting, but on this one I'm with Cora Mae. PASS- 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bill Schultz on November 15, 2011 at 3:11pm

Well it was better than the Monday Night Football game.  

To me, it was a copy of Millionaire Matchmaker.  Which I guess says something about our business.  

@ John- She was attractive in the botox silicon collagen sense, agreed.  

@ Cora- good point about going to interview not as yourself.  Although I think she was trying to get the guy to 

be confident in his value.  

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on November 15, 2011 at 3:50pm

@Bill - the reference to Millionaire Matchmaker is a good one :) - when that show first came out all 3 of my recruiters came to work laughing about the crazy lady on TV who acted just like their boss (me).

 

I think we must also recognize that she is not JUST a recruiter, but also a "for fee" career coach. I'm sure job seekers who enlist her coaching advice pay her - something we all try to do (for candidates we submit anyway) but certainly can't spend all our time going up and down elevators with people. In fact, you can Inquire for Pricing on her website for a variety of consulting options.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Joelle Mekongo on November 15, 2011 at 7:22pm

A Recruiting reality show can be a good thing for Recruiters , it all depends how's the show.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Melinda Sumurdy on November 16, 2011 at 5:06am

Bad with this particular recruiter - she was arrogant, rude and her outfits a bit trashy.  All the negative connotations and 

generalizations of "headhunting" are personified by Wendy...it was painful and embarrassing for our profession.  Will not watch it again. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on November 16, 2011 at 7:44am

Perhaps it's just my Midwest value system - but I found it odd that on the first episode we found ourselves, the viewers' being encouraged to root for the porn star makeover.  I can't say that would be my first choice as an example of how we help people.

 

Maybe it's just Hollywood.  Actually I'm sure it is.  He seems like a nice enough guy - but still he was a porn actor.  (I can't vouch for whether he was a star or not.)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Cora Mae Lengeman on November 16, 2011 at 7:55am

I agree Jerry - for a first show they sure didn't think about who their audience might be -- or maybe they did.  Maybe a lot of porn stars in Hollywood need makeovers....

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion