JERRY MAGUIRE RECRUITING PHILOSOPHY

I remember running from floor-to-floor at Nomura years ago, wearing a Northface backpack, with sunglasses hooked over the buttons of my polo shirt, and an envelope of resumes in my hand. I was chasing hiring managers around, hoping to get some attention, and was prepared to deliver. Joe Sampino, my favorite manager, used to laugh at my energy and say, "man, you really should be like a sports agent..."

Years later, this comment started to resonate with me a little different. When I think of a sports agent, my brain goes straight to Jerry Maguire. He signed the most in-demand wide receiver, that every team wanted to hire. Throughout the movie - Jerry's phone keeps ringing; the teams are always reaching out. But he spends all of his focusing on the needs of his top player. Interesting that the teams are the ones who pay Jerry, but he spends his energy serving the athlete.

It's a simple but powerful adjustment to the typical approach we see in recruiting. Yes, the company that hires our candidate is the one who pays us the fee - but I see the candidate as my client, not the hiring company.

Recruiters will run to hell and back, jumping through hoops of fire for our hiring managers, and at the end of the day, more often than not, the deal falls though. Then what - the candidate loses respect for you, and since your approach is just matching one candidate to one job description, you have nothing else to offer, and therefore the candidate sees no value in continuing to work with you. All parties (you, client, candidate) have spent a ton of energy on this process, and has gotten you nowhere.

The main difference in the Jerry Maguire approach, is that when one team doesn't sign Rod Tidwell, there are still 30+ teams left in the league that are all looking for good wide receivers. The player is not going to abandon you after the first one doesn't work out. Rod knows that Jerry has relationships with all the teams, because of the players he's signed deals for in the past. This can only work if the agent stays in his niche of signing football players, not figure skaters or bocce ballers.

Now, if this is the strategy, then it makes sense to initially approach the candidate with an open canvas, tailored to how I can best use my book of business to help achieve your goals. I have no agenda in mind for our first call, other than to understand your strengths and interests, and to see if what I have interests you. It's my job, as a recruiter, to use the information available to schedule calls only with candidates who will align somewhere within my scope of business, either now or in the near future.

I promise, if you define your niche, and pack your calendar with calls with quality candidates in that field, the clients will absolutely come to you.