Business Courtesy
I received a thank you note from someone I placed in a new job yesterday.
On one hand, a simple expression of courtesy. On the other hand, it’s the first one I received this year.
I recently coordinated a panel for a direct marketing organization. I don’t charge for that type of project. It’s one way we give back to the industry in which we make our living.
To fill the panel, I reached out to my network via email to identify suitable participants for a panel being hosted by a local university. I am always happy to assist in coordinating such panels. However, it does take me away from the “real” work on my desk. Dozens of people responded, and it took me several hours to organize and present them to my contact. When 4 were selected, I notified them via email that they had been selected. Not one of them acknowledged my email. (By the way, I also sent out dozens of emails to those that were not selected, letting them know that we appreciated their offer to participate. It took time, and was tedious, but I felt that I owed them that much).
Let’s talk about clients.
We don’t chase them down the street and then hit them over the head and ask for a job order. They approach us with their need, sign off on our Letter of Agreement, and ask us to get to work…quickly…and produce multiple qualified candidates. Fine. That is what we do.
However, even if they think our candidates stink (which would surprise me greatly), we want feedback. It was work to produce those candidates. For every candidate we present, we may have spoken to dozens of others that we did not feel were an ideal fit. It took time, and effort, and we are entitled to know what the client’s reaction is and where we fell short. We can conduct a more informed search. I know everyone is “crazy busy”, but if a client made time to initiate the search, they should make time to respond to us while we are engaged in their search. We are busy, too.
One thing that we pride ourselves on is allowing our candidates the courtesy of closure. It may take a while, but it is our policy to always let our candidates know when we are at the end of the road. It’s one more thing that takes us away from our “real purpose” (making placements) but an important part of our culture is compassion. We understand that when someone has discussed a position in depth with a recruiter, and allowed them to make a presentation to their client, the job seeker is entering a phase of anticipation. How will the client react? Will this be the beginning of an exciting new chapter in their career? Until they receive closure, they are in limbo. We understand that.
Well, this blog started with an expression of pleasant surprise, and turned into a bit of a rant. But I mean it from the heart. So whatever side of the desk you happen to be on today, take a moment to consider my words, and to extend basic courtesies to those around you. I am certain it will be well received.
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