Welcome to The Fordyce Letter:
This week’s inquiry comes from Maureen Knowlson:
Jeff,
I really enjoy your articles in the Fordyce Letter. I have found your column Jeff’s On Call! to be very helpful. I hope you can help.
Here’s my question(s):
I have been working with a company for over 15 years. We work a very specialized niche so there are not a lot of jobs to fill each year. We have made nineteen placements in that time. They were all completed without a hitch. The company called us, we gathered the info, we sent about three resumes, they interviewed, and hired. Normally, took about one month. Sounds great, huh?! We have also weathered the three changes of HR Managers. Mostly, because our original contact is now VP of HR. I have two issues at this time…
A CEO’s job is never an easy one. Whether in good times or bad, a successful CEO must remain a good leader for his or her employees and the company as a whole. This is not a position for the faint of heart because it requires long hours and quite often tough decision-making. Last week, I was privileged to have been invited to the 
The major airlines and many recruiting firms have a problem in common — both want to be more competitive yet perpetuate the very business practices that keep them stuck in coach class. Southwest Airlines is the perfect case study of the positive impact of new and improved best practices, including no change fees, rapid turnover of flights, reasonably priced business class tickets, and entertaining service from professional flight attendants that have led to Southwest’s rapid ascent as a dominant carrier in the marketplace. It’s no coincidence that recruiters who have also evolved their best practices are reaping higher profits than those who perpetuate “most practices.”
Oh boy… this one should be called “Foolish Friday.” David Otto, President of 
On November 2, 2010 
I’m always hearing recruiters say they want to be more helpful to candidates.
I don’t know where you got your information, but it paints a highly distorted view of the way executive recruiters work. Certainly there are good people and bad people in every profession, but a lot of the weak recruiters have been washed out of the business during the current economic downturn. As someone who has been a successful executive recruiter for almost thirty years, I will tackle your points one by one. 
