ERE.net

This article originally appeared January 17, 2007.

Agency folks tend to see the corporate world as bureaucratic and slow to make decisions; more specifically, they see most corporate recruiters as lacking the requisite skills and bare-knuckle tactics required to make things happen.

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“What do you mean you changed your mind? I thought you really wanted this position? Why didn’t you call me sooner?” Many of us have heard this or some version of this at some point in our careers. You have a candidate going through a process, and then you get surprised because he or she has suddenly (or maybe not so suddenly) had a change of heart. This is not uncommon. People making a career change are going through an emotionally-charged experience. In the process, people tend to get defensive and are reluctant to fully communicate their interests or reveal to you that they have other “irons on the fire.”

This is where up-front operating agreements come in to play. When properly used, an up-front operating agreement/contract will help a recruiter mitigate the tangles that will inevitably develop throughout the evaluation and hiring processes. Up-front operating agreements are quite simple and should be used early on in a candidate relationship. The first agreement I put in place is an agreement about agreements. I always ask a candidate if he or she is the type of person who tends to honor agreements when he or she makes them with other people. Everyone says “yes” to this one; who wouldn’t? But something else is happening. The candidate is also giving you permission to ask for commitments at different points, and at the risk of sounding inconsistent or at worst, psychotic, he or she will tend to stick to these commitments. Then, I always follow up with an out clause which puts people at ease. I ask, “From time to time, I may ask you to commit to something. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, it’s okay to tell me so. One of my biggest fears is a person who says ‘Yes’ to something when he or she actually means ‘No.’ People do this because they are polite and don’t want to be confrontational in most cases. Are you able to come forward to me if something doesn’t feel right, or if you want to halt or slow down our process?” And, you reinforce this contract several times through your process, by asking again, “Are you sure you are comfortable with this?”

You’ve got to let the candidate know that you will not attack him or her if he or she starts to get a funny feeling; you have to explicitly let him or her know that in an emotionally-charged process, he or she will most likely feel uncomfortable, and when this happens, you (the recruiter) are the best person to call. When a candidate gets that funny feeling, wouldn’t you prefer to know about it as soon as possible? You’re essentially letting the candidate know that you will not use pressure tactics. You operate in an environment of truth, and you give the candidate an incentive to be truthful. You’ll be amazed. The candidate will be relieved that he has finally found someone in which he can confide. It’s quite therapeutic for the candidate because all the other recruits will be pushing and shoving him or her to “just go out on an interview and see how it goes.” You, on the other hand, are not only a broker of jobs or a conduit to a new job, but also a confidant.

If you were a candidate, to whom would you be more loyal: someone pushing you though a process, or someone in whom you hold considerable trust because you have facilitated very open lines of communication? Let’s say that one day you’re sitting at your desk, posting an advertisement on one of the major job boards, and your phone rings. The person calling you is a candidate who is about to get an offer from your client. The candidate says, “I’m having second thoughts about leaving this job for your client’s, and I want to discuss it with you. Have you got a minute?” You bet you have a minute. You have all the time that candidate needs. “Remember when you told me if I was not comfortable with something, I should call you to discuss it?” Now, you can fix the problem, if it is in fact fixable. Or, at the very least, you can prevent yourself from looking inept in the eyes of your client. You want all of the what-ifs out in the open, and when you put in place up-front operating agreements, you create a relationship in which revealing these things is not something that causes discomfort in an already uneasy person.

Losing a candidate to a counteroffer is one of the worst things that can happen to a recruiter. Though the candidate will always do what he believes is in his best interest, our job is to educate him to make sure he understands the risks involved in accepting a new offer from a current employer. One of the biggest parts of helping defend against the counteroffer is what happens when the candidate gives notice. The way that I see it, if you can discourage an employer from even giving the candidate a counter, there’s no way the candidate will accept one. Giving notice can be the most emotional time for a candidate. The pressure that the current employer may put on someone, as well as second-guessing by the candidate, may take a toll. The easier that you can make this, and the more that you can reduce stress for the candidate, the better. Here’s what I tell candidates:

“I’m not concerned that you will accept a counteroffer (you don’t want the candidate to think that you don’t trust them). I just want to make this transition as painless as possible. The way that we do this is through the process of giving notice. The best advice that I can give you is to be very brief when you give notice. If it were me, I’d say, ‘I have accepted another position outside the company. My start date is _____________, so I’m happy to work out my two weeks’ notice. Under no conditions will I accept a counteroffer.’ You do not have to tell your current employer where you are going or what the job is. I strongly suggest that you do not give them any clue about your new compensation package. They will ask you a hundred questions; you do not have to answer a single one. All that’s important is that you are leaving. You don’t want to burn any bridges, so I’d just say that your new employer has asked you to keep this information confidential. Just have a matter-of-fact style and appreciate why they want to know this information (so they can use it to counteroffer you). The less information you give them, the easier this will be. When talking to your current employer, you can add positive things such as, ‘I have had a wonderful experience at this company, and am happy to have had the opportunity to work with you, but the time has come for me to move on.’ But be firm. If you show any kind of weakness or uncertainty in your voice or actions, your current employer will smell it. Most managers have been professionally trained on how to counteroffer employees. Your boss is going to be shocked that you have accepted another position and that you are leaving. The first thing that will go through your boss’ mind is how your leaving will have an impact on him or her. He or she may have to work more hours until a replacement is found; your leaving will lower the morale of the rest of the staff, and your boss may have an extremely difficult time finding someone with your qualifications to replace you. It is much easier and cheaper for your company and boss to try to keep you rather than losing you (especially if it’s to a competitor).

Expect your boss’ boss to get involved as well. Don’t be surprised if both offer to take you out to lunch or dinner. They are going to give you all the attention in the world. Expect a counteroffer. Most counteroffers that I have seen have been anywhere from a 20% to 35% increase in earnings. Enticing, isn’t it? But why weren’t you worth that much to them yesterday? Does it take you leaving to get something you should have been getting anyway? If so, is that the type of company you want to work for? Keep in mind that counteroffers come in many other forms than just an increase in compensation. Promotions are also ways for getting employees to stay.

Once you give notice, you are essentially breaking a trust that you had with your employer. If you are countered and stay, your company may feel that it owns you. You will be known as the one who caused your employer grief by threatening to quit. You’ll no longer be known as a loyal employee. Will this cause your boss to pass you over on the next possible promotion? I’ve heard of stories where companies only counter to get the employee to stay until they find a replacement and then let the employee go. Some companies feel that it’s better for people to leave on their terms instead of their employees’ terms. I promise you that in any research you do on counteroffers, you will not find anything that ever says, ‘Take the counteroffer.’ Please research this on your own, and if you do happen to find anything to the contrary, please let me know.”

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Murphy’s Law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Obviously, Murphy was a recruiter. If he did something else for a living, he would have been a bit more optimistic. Whether you believe in Murphy’s sad bromide or not, as a recruiter it is a good idea to do all that you can to avoid becoming one of its victims. But in the last month or so, I have seen it happen: recruiters who have been around long enough to know better saying or assuming things they shouldn’t be saying or assuming. Almost verbatim, they are stated below. If you ever find yourself saying any of these things or making any of these assumptions, think again!

1. “This deal is a slam dunk.” I think not. Fast and easy deals are usually neither. If you think you are working on a slam dunk hire, go back to the drawing board and look at everything that can possibly go wrong. Look at the candidate’s commute, compensation, title, job stretch, and everything else that relates to the candidate, the job itself, and the fit between the two. If you still think it’s a slam dunk hire, have another recruiter grill you on the details. If there is something you are not seeing, it is better to find out before the deal falls apart than after.

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