Three Holiday Gifts I Was Not Expecting

Let me be honest. I have seen a lot of stupid sh*t over the years. Especially during the Pandemic, where the atrocious candidate behavior almost made me lose faith in humanity. When I help an acquaintance and they stick me, it's frustrating. When someone I consider a friend throws me under the bus, I take that much more personally. Here are three examples.

The Counteroffer - Have not seen a counteroffer since the Pandemic. Terrible career strategy! My completely unscientific survey shows 85% of those accepting a counter-offer are terminated within 12 months. In this case, the candidate pleaded with me to get him this senior level job. Every time the interview process slowed down, he was calling, texting and emailing me non-stop. After six months of interviews, he received the job offer. Hallelujah! I'm probably going to make $10 an hour for all the time I invested but at least I got him the job. Nope! He promptly ran back to his current employer and took a counteroffer. Yes, I lost a large commission. Far more importantly, this candidate wasted the time of my client (CEO) and tarnished my reputation. Lesson: Never, ever, every take a counteroffer. Did I say ever?

The End Run - Wish I was talking about a football game. A friend came to me because he was laid off. Typically, I'm smart enough to follow executive recruiting rule number one: Executive Recruiters get people for jobs...NOT jobs for people. But hey, it's the holidays and he is out of work. Made a few calls, found him a great opportunity, and submitted his resume. Even discounted my commission. After several weeks of radio silence, I finally track the candidate down, and he is consulting for my client. WTF? Turns out that after I told him about the job, he pulled an end run and contacted the CEO directly. One my my first questions, "Which companies have you applied to in the last 12 months?" This is to ensure I don't submit candidates to a company they previously applied to. His response? "None." Again, I lost the commission, but the big picture is me having an awkward conversation with the CEO at the hiring company. He is trying to figure out the timing of when I submitted the resume versus when the candidate contacted him directly. Told him to skip it. Our time is to valuable to play reindeer games. Lesson: The Executive Recruiter is your talent agent - never circumvent the process.

The Disclosure - Had several candidates fail to disclose contingencies recently. A contingency is something that would keep the candidate from immediately joining the hiring company. Relocation. Upcoming annual bonus. Long leave period (in Asia the notice period can be up to six months). Recently interviewed two candidates. One my my first questions, "Do you have any contingencies that would keep you from joining the company immediately?" Nope. After the first interview, one candidate tells me they want to wait for their bonus, which gets paid...in five months. After several interviews, the second candidate is about to get the job offer when he announces, "I want to stay for my bonus in four months." After 20 years in the recruiting business, let me give you some advice: The longer it takes, only bad things happen. The CEO or CFO leaves. There is a downturn in revenues. Only bad things happen. Lesson: Disclose, disclose, disclose.

So here is my point. You can't control how people treat you, even friends you have known for years. All you can control is how you react to the situation. Get up, dust yourself off, and move forward. Of all the great advice my Dad gave me, this was the best, "Never, ever give up." Happy Holidays!