I see people like this so rarely anymore that I tend to forget they exist. It used to be fun to ‘punish’ them for their stupidity but now I realize their attitude does that for them. I sent him this response to see whether he’ll choose ‘angry’ or ‘Oh, I see what you mean’. They usually run about 50/50.
Dave, I appreciate your interest in me, however I’ve been in this business in Atlanta for over 30 years and as a result I have developed an extensive network. My last 5 jobs were obtained through contacts I have in the industry. If I were to make a job change in the future, I feel certain it would also be via my network. I believe it to be much stronger than any search firm. Again, thanks for your interest and I don’t mean to be rude, but I really have no interest in completing your questionnaire. Best of luck to you!
Regards,David
David: I explain to every candidate I speak with that, indeed, their own network is always stronger than what we do. You have an approximate 83% likelihood of finding your next position through your own network at any given time. There’s roughly a 13% chance you’ll ever get a position through a headhunter. That said, that chance reduces to 0 when you do not even investigate the opportunity. At least you can know that your prediction will come true this way. Why do you invite “job inquiries” in your LinkedIn settings? Do you deem mine invalid because a company has retained our firm to identify top talent? How ,exactly, do you build your network? No hard feelings here. If you decide you want to find out about this let me know. I don’t particularly need the document filled out. It seemed like it might be easier for you than a call. Sincerely, Dave.
5 comments
Ted Moore Mar 21, 2008 at 8:21 am
Hmm…. How about:
“Thanks, David. I appreciate your candid response to my reply to your LinkedIn job inquiry invitation. Saves us both a lot of unproductive time.”
“As I think about it, my last 5 placements, which resulted in an average increase in total compensation of 37% for the candidates who chose to work with me, were of individuals who were not actively seeking new employment at the time I contacted them. They were thus more cognizent, perhaps, of the value of adding my network to their own.”
“Best personal wishes for a swift and rewarding transition to your 6th new employer.”
RecruiterGuy Mar 21, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Just how long was the document he was being requested to fill out? It does puzzle me a bit that if he’s soliciting for employment opportunities on LinkedIn that he’d flat out refuse correspondence - unless he was forwarded a 15 page profile/application to be kept on file.
I would think that “Dave” is still a member of my network of contacts regardless of where he works - what do I care if the bottom line is a great job opportunity that I wouldn’t have found otherwise?
Dave Staats Mar 21, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Right… It was 5 general prescreen questions. I honestly do not understand how some of these people got college degrees. What’s also odd is that he was perfectly reasonable in 2 short phone calls when I explained the document. Anyhow, like I said….these are MUCH rarer than in the 80s when I started…
Pam Mar 22, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I could be offbase on this, but I’ve always assumed that checking ‘career opportunities’ meant they were open to hearing from recruiters….but that ‘job inquiries’ meant if you are interested in learning about opportunities that THEY might have at their current company.
Maybe that was how he meant it?
Kendall Apr 6, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Who cares what he is or is not interested in because he clearly doesn’t know himself. I think I would’ve just said “At this point I am withdrawing my offer to work with you and will advise my colleagues as well. If at some point in the future you are ready to seriously consider a change, I may be willing to negotiate a relationship. Best wishes in your career.”