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Jeff's On Call!

Unplacement Liability and the Case of the Renegade Recruiter

Jeff Allen 5 days ago

Hi Jeff,

Thank you for the great job you are doing in writing the Jeff’s On Call! column.

I have the following problem: A headhunter put me in contact with a firm I suggested to him, and after a couple of rounds of interviews I received an indicative offer.

In the meantime, the client’s Executive Committee voted against paying this particular fee. The client claims that he told the recruiter from the beginning that there might be a difficulty in getting this fee paid as they usually only pay for headhunting partner-level hires.

You Collect Even If You Were Only Partially the Source of Hire

Jeff Allen 8 days ago

Editor’s Note: Every Monday, Jeff Allen offers you a tip about what you should do to ensure you never miss out — or get beat out — of your well-earned fee.

What Client Says:

We would have found the candidate on our own.

How Client Pays:

Fordyce Forum

Secrets To Becoming A Successful Niche Recruiter

Joseph Ankus 12 days ago

Note: Joe Ankus, a speaker at the upcoming Fordyce Forum 2013, will show you how to transition from generalist to niche special during his breakout presentation, “Top Five Secrets of the Niche Recruiter.” In this article, he offers a preview of his presentation. Register now at Fordyce Forum 2013.

Are you a generalist looking to narrow the scope of your practice? Are you ready to take on a more focused recruiting sector? Are you open to the possibility of being a true expert in a high demand market area? If you have said “Yes” to any of these questions, then I invite you to learn the top five secrets of the successful niche recruiter.

By way of brief background, I graduated law school in 1989 and followed the traditional attorney career path working at two of the nation’s largest law firms as an overpaid, hardworking corporate and litigation associate in both Philadelphia and Miami.

In truth, I loved the law but hated the daily grind; billing hours, reading boring documents, and arguing over the wording of a contract until I would pull the remaining hair out of my head. As luck would have it, my phone rang (as all good recruiting stories start) and I was asked by a local recruiter if I wanted to consider joining another law firm. Without hesitation, I said “No. I want to be a recruiter like you” and my 20+ year career as a niche legal recruiter was born.

Could Be the Janitor Authorized the Job Order

Jeff Allen 2 weeks ago

Editor’s Note: Every Monday, Jeff Allen offers you a tip about what you should do to ensure you never miss out — or get beat out — of your well-earned fee.

What Client Says:

You dealt with an “unauthorized hiring authority.”

For Managers, How-To, The Business of Recruiting

Some Simple Steps to Help You Protect Your Business and Your Assets

Bill Gibbens 2 weeks ago

Editor’s note: With the conviction of executive recruiter and former Korn/Ferry employee David Nosal, there’s heightened interest on steps owners can take to protect themselves from embezzlement, theft, and the loss of their client and prospet lists, and other intellectual property. Bill Gibbens, an owner and CPA, reviews the internal financial controls every firm owner should consider.

“Internal Controls” are an organization’s structure of work and authority flows, people and management information systems, designed to help the organization accomplish specific goals, and which provide a foundation for preventing and detecting fraud and protecting the organization’s resources.

In the search business our primary assets are: cash, accounts receivable, database, client base, and our people. Internal controls around each of these assets will allow you to sleep at night. Without them or other similar controls you are at risk.

Industry News, Jeff's On Call!

Recruiter Convicted of Hacking In Trade Secrets Case

Jeff Allen 2 weeks ago

Editor’s note: Executive recruiter David Nosal was convicted last week of hacking and stealing trade secrets from Korn/Ferry even though he personally never broke into a computer.

David Nosal

According to the FBI, in 2004 Nosal convinced two of his former Korn/Ferry colleagues to download sources lists from the search firm’s computers, which he and they would then use in a search business Nosal was launching.

Wired called Nosal’s prosecution “a novel application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act,” detailed the case’s lengthy history, which includes an appeal upholding the dismissal of several of the initial charges against him.

In his commentary, Jeff Allen provides some additional detail and offers advice on protecting a firm’s proprietary information. Firm owner and CPA Bill Gibbens provides an even deeper look at the internal accounting controls all firm owners should have in place. His post discusses both protection of your intellectual property, as well as your financial assets. His post is here.

Recruiters across the country are all abuzz at the stunning jury verdict just handed down from the U.S. District Court in San Francisco in the criminal trial of David Nosal, the former Korn/Ferry International recruiter (United States v. Nosal, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 28582).

2 Comments

Business, For Managers, Jeff's On Call!

Track Your Recruiters’ Hours Or You Could End Up Writing One Big Check

Jeff Allen 3 weeks ago

Jeff,

Thank you for all you do for us in the field!

I have a question regarding tracking time and compensation of recruiters. You are aware that many of us work more than 40 hours a week, probably more like 56, and much is performed away from the office.

I don’t track my time or that of my recruiters. Should I?

I read a case brought by a group of recruiters a year or so ago in which they claimed that although they received a base (draw against commission) and were paid an agreed upon percentage of a fee, that they should also be compensated for the overtime they worked even though a placement was not guaranteed outcome of that work and the time spent was discretionary.

As an owner, should I have recruiters complete timesheets? Should recruiters be paid for all the hours they work? Should researchers be compensated differently then recruiters who have split desks or are out of the office more in a sales/recruiter role? If so, how does one account for the time spent responding to email while watching a movie for five minutes. or taking the 20 minute phone call?

If You Mention ’30 Days’ You Might Just End Up With 30 Days

Jeff Allen 4 weeks ago

Editor’s Note: Every Monday, Jeff Allen offers you a tip about what you should do to ensure you never miss out — or get beat out — of your well-earned fee.

What Client Says:

We’ll pay you that percentage of the candidate’s first monthly paycheck.

How Client Pays:

Show A Fee Contract and You Get to Laugh Last

Jeff Allen on Apr. 15, 2013

Editor’s Note: Every Monday, Jeff Allen offers you a tip about what you should do to ensure you never miss out — or get beat out — of your well-earned fee.

What Client Says:

The fee’s too high.

How Client Pays: