May 25, 2010

Oops

Posted by Wendy Weber

I presented a candidate to a client last week.

My client called up soon after receiving the presentation, and said “Let’s call this one a Mulligan”.

Confused, I said that I thought this candidate’s qualifications meshed nicely with the position description.  The client said, yes, that’s why he is already working here.

I felt the blood rush to my checks, and I grabbed for the resume.  How could I have presented someone for an opportunty with their own employer?  As it turns out, I profiled the position with my candidate and did not reveal the name of my client, and my candidate was not entirely forthcoming with me about his current circumstances.  He led me to believe that he was engaged in a full time job search, while he had actually been employed in a temporary capacity by…my client!

My client took it all in stride, though he noted with amusement that he would not be willing to pay my recruitment fee for his own employee.

The message that I would like to convey to job seekers is this:  Please be honest and completely reveal your circumstances when speaking with me.  I will always do my best to portray you to my client in the best possible light.  We are on the same team.  It only made us both look silly to move forward on this presentation, and we are fortunate that the client responded with good humor, and was aware that this candidate was engaged in a search for full time employment.

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