It's a Great Day in the Neighborhood

I made a placement today that i want to talk about. Normally , i don't, it's my job but once in a while one happens that is worth talking about..our loud.

The job: A difficult IT Management spot specific to a sorftware that is in high demand among a relatively small verticle who use it. The last one like this took me over six months to fill.

I started the search thinking i was going to have to pack a lunch, stay late, come early and would be enjoying the green green grass of summer before i filled it. Went on linkedin, found a few candidates none of whom were interested. Then up popped a "private profile". I have never sent an inmail to any profile marked private but thought what the heck, why not. Immediately got a message and a resume back from the fellow.

Candidate was aprox 60, unemployed and had been doing a little consulting work since 2007 when he was laid off after 25 years with the same company. Not exactly the most placeable profile but i liked him. And he lives about 10 miles from the location of the postion and he has the technology and a lot of it. We polished his resume, he wrote an addendum detailing his specific technolgy expertise and away we went.

January the 20th to be exact his resume was submitted. He did a phone interview the next week, Flew into Atlanta last Friday for onsite. As of 2:30 today my 60 year old, four year unemployed candiate with a private profile has accepted an offer that is 15K higher than he has ever made in his life. He starts next Monday.

His comment to me made my day. He said, "Sandra, you are not like most recruiters".

I responded, "Well i guess that is a good thing, but what do you mean?."

He said: "All of the recruiters i have talked to don't really seem to know much about the companies or the jobs they try to sell or they want to keep everything a secret and they don't like old guys who have been unemployed for several years, this is a great day for me and my family , Thank you."

I laughed and said: "Well John, screw all those kids, feed em fish heads and send em down the road."

"Maybe when they get to be your age and mine they will know something, but seriously ,Thank YOU, it is a pleasure on my end to work with a candidate who is not playing games with money, makes time for interviews, presents in a positive manner and doesn't beat the drum of depression about age or employment status." "And a person who doesn't give a rip about the company policy regarding social media."

WE both laughed. It will go down as one of the better moments in my career.

So it's a GREAT day in my neighboorhood, it's a SUPER Great Day in his neighborhood. My client thinks i walk on water because i found him fast and he was almost next door to where they needed him.

It was just one little "private profile" of an older guy who has been unemployed for 4 years. So don't tell me it can't be done. I'm thinkin' this country is going back to work and i want to be a big part of getting us there.

From what i am seeing with the last three placements i have made. The young lions with all their social media profiles and personal brands are starting to get passed over for the quiet confidence of mature candidates who are not trying to dazzle anybody with their brillance or beating their gums about their "career path" or the benefits. The climate is changing , companies are hiring but they aren't going to mess around with prima donnas. who are concerned about work life balance and whether they can play on facebook during the work day.

I like the way things feel in my neighborhood today.

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kelly Blokdijk on February 6, 2012 at 5:56pm

Wonderful to read this! Nice job, Sandra. Anytime someone tells me "your not like other..." it always seems like a good thing, but it helps to understand why they feel that way.

How amazing would it be if this scenario could be replicated by all of your peers across the country? Let's build some momentum and boost confidence where it is needed most! It really does need to start with someone being open minded and able to remember how common sense actually matters more than all of that fancy fartin' around.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on February 6, 2012 at 6:33pm

It's kind of interesting to me that this seems to be happening. Age or anything doesn't make much dif to me if i have a sane, adult candidate. I can take a kid right out of school, clean them up, wind them up and beat enough sense into them to open the door for them to walk though it and learn something form the experience.

But it seems to have started in late December that various of my clients in different industries have started asking for mature candidates who know how to dress , handle themselves and will stay off the damn internet at work. I had one HR Director tell me that if saw one more idiot in a T-shirt with a blazer over it walk through the door he was going to tell him they don't do TV commercials, and they don't wear t-shirts. or jeans to work..

Another client said "if they see any reference to twitter or facebook on a resume it goes into the black hole to die along with those that mention a fan page. Who knows maybe corporate American has had a gut full of social media in the workplace.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on February 6, 2012 at 7:08pm

I love this story! Thanks Sandra for sharing... I'm working a similar deal with a guy in almost the same situation. My hiring manager didn't want to interview him because of his employment gap and (ahem) length of experience but we're looking at final round this week. If we close this deal the candidate and his wife both will probably burst into tears. I love love love this story and thank you for sharing.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on February 6, 2012 at 8:56pm

I've done several of these lately. The sound of a person's voice when they say, "Yes, that sounds like a very generous offer, i will accept". has a tone to it that i recognize. Today as we were laughing a bit. I said , "See i told you i have never had a candidate starve under a bridge in a refrigerator box so you were not about to break my record, and won't it be nice to never have to think you are too old to ever find another good job."

He laughed and laughed and i would bet my best black horse that he hasn't laughed like that in four years.

I knew he would be holding his breath waiting for formal letter and the next step so i put a full court press on their HR Department . One of the ladies stayed late to send him the background release and a congratualtions note. It was important for him to really, really know that he has a J O B. YEESSSSSSS!

Close yours, girlfriend and let's keep this going.

Anybody else got one like this in the works? If you don't , get one. Let's make it happen.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Amber on February 7, 2012 at 11:25am

Thanks for sharing, Sandra! Placements are always great, but there are definitely times when you know you made a major difference in someone's life. I have been working with a dream client for the last few months, and at the onset they said they would look at people of any and all kinds - as long as they could see a fit with their company goals and focus. I was probably thinking "ok, sure" in the back of my head. But after 4 positions filled so far, I have to say I would never have guessed at this level of diversity for the same job! In almost every way - gender, race, age, etc. - these 4 resumes are not similar at all. But they all obviously had some certain quality in their person that I and the client knew would make them a good fit.

Oh, the point I was intending to relate to your post - one of the candidates has over 50 years of experience, and they totally were there making a very strong offer with no thought to anything but how excited they were to have him join them!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Lisa Ravina on February 7, 2012 at 11:29am

Good One Sandar! I Had similar experience, I placed a candidate who was unemployed for last 3 years and taking care of his mother who was suffring from cancer. After she passed away he started looking for jobs. He felt extremely happy after gatting offer from us and emailed us "You guys ROCK! I am so happy about this opportunity".
This is the most Unforgettable placement I had.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Darryl Dioso on February 7, 2012 at 11:53am

Great story. *High five* Sandra.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on February 7, 2012 at 12:04pm

I knew I could not be the only one who was placing mature candidates who have been unemployed. I think it is important that we start talking about these placements so unemployed, older candidates know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. What I think is happening is that companies are building an experienced, stable workforce for the next ten years.

I have seen this pendulum swing several times during my career. There will be a period of focus on bright younger candidates. Employers train them, enjoy their go get em then get tired of trying to keep them happy or replace them every two or three years. The focus swings back to "find us some experienced, stable people who will get to work on time, don't require as much supervision and understand that it's about the company not about them."

When this core group stabilizes the ship , then the focus shifts back to adding the fire breathers of the younger crowd. But from what I am hearing from employers right now they are bloody sick to death of having to tell younger people what to wear to work or arguing with them when they advocate that they think and work just as well in jeans and flip flops as they do in appropriate dress for an office. The social media curse is huge. Actually had a client tell me to please closely screen people about their need for freedom to play on Facebook during the workday. He didn't want any Facebook or twitter freaks to educate about what they could and could not say to the twitterati.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on February 7, 2012 at 1:08pm

Thanks Darryl. The real high five here is for the employer and the candidate. If I had to guess my candidate will not fully breathe out until he walks through the door next Monday. Oh, and he got a 10k sign on bonus. I won't ever forget this one either. This is the kind of placement that erases all the weird stuff we deal with and makes us ready to hit it and get it with a vengeance to do it again.