Job seekers; please do not respond this way
We often reach out to introduce one of our searches by sending an email to prospective candidates.
Some respond to the email, to indicate interest, by saying that they welcome a conversation. Some send a resume. Those are productive ways to initiate next steps!
Others respond via email, peppering us with questions:
o Who’s your client?
o What’s the salary?
o Is this search contingency or retained?
Those responses feel downright rude. Many of our clients wish to remain confidential, at least until a determination is made to pursue a candidate. They may even be planning to replace a current (ineffective) employee. And maintaining our client’s confidentiality also protects us at Crandall. Though it has only rarely happened, once in a while a prospective candidate has made an end-run around us directly to our client, after we revealed that they had a search underway. (I’m not even sure those candidates realize they had prevented us from earning our fee, but we sure didn’t appreciate it.)
As far as salary, I understand that you don’t wish to waste your time exploring an opportunity that wouldn’t be at the right level for you. But I can’t blurt out a salary, without knowing what skills & experience you bring to the table. Let’s say our client has said that they’d like to keep the salary in the $100-120k range, but they would stretch for an ideal candidate. That could be a great opportunity for someone currently making $85k, or even someone making $130k. So I can’t just “throw out” a salary number. Besides, it is our goal to build a relationship with you, so that even if this opportunity is not an ideal fit, we will develop a Profile for you that will help us to make a more informed contact next time.
Crandall Associates has been recruiting direct marketing professionals since 1973. We are all about building relationships over the long term. So even if you are happily employed…even if you are busy…it doesn’t hurt to keep us in your “back pocket” in the event your circumstances change. Please know that all information you share is held in confidence until you give us permission to share it with our client. Good communication will enable us to do our best work for you!
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