When the recruiter calls …

When the recruiter calls you - pick up the phone!

Well it happened again. This time it was one of the major bracket firms, who just walked in and let a group of bankers go, with no advance warning. So what do you do when the recruiter calls? The answer is simple: take the call! They would not be calling you if they did not have something to chat about. Don’t worry about “showing your hand” too quickly. Most people in the first few minutes of a call always say the same thing… “I am not looking.”

Our response as a recruiter calling is, “If you were looking, I would not be calling you.” Firms do not want people that are currently out of work or actively looking. They want to feel that by landing a particular banker, they “scored.” They beat out their competitors for this banker because they did not know that he/she was looking. Like the old adage says, do you get a loan – when you don’t need one? Because if you need a loan, chances are that you will not be approved. By applying this logic, when do you look for a new position when you currently have one and there is something lacking with your present situation. Again don’t make the move just about money!

Which brings us back to when the recruiter calls. Be honest with them – they are your friend and they will become your trusted advisor. They have or should have their pulse on the market; the hidden market that is. Remember firms will hire opportunistically (see last week’s blog). When a recruiter calls and asks for information to be sent after you have decided you want to work with that recruiter, turn around documents within the period of time you represented. This shows the recruiter your desire and willingness to work with them. Also, the faster a client company receives the information requested the more you are showing that you are taking this opportunity very seriously. Open, honest communication is the key – with all parties, the recruiter, and the client company. So take that call – you never know what the results could be.

About Harlan Friedman, JD., Founding Member, H. Friedman Search LLC. Harlan is a thirty year veteran Public Finance banker turned recruiter who specializes in the placement of all level Investment Bankers, Merchant Bankers & Municipal Financial Advisors. He can be reached at [email protected] or directly at 760-477-1284.