# 4 You Don't Know What to Do When a Recruiter Calls
Here’s what to do if a recruiter calls you at work.
Be flattered. If a recruiter calls you in most cases the recruiter’s team has prequalified you. Don’t ask them where they got your name right away. There’s time enough for that later.
Take the call only if you can speak without whispering. If you can’t talk freely, ask for their phone number and a convenient time to call back. Better you say nothing than blow the call. This also gives you an opportunity to look up the recruiter’s firm to make sure the call is legit. Take a minute to first read their web site to see if they normally recruit people like you. Can’t find their site? That’s an early warning sign. Check if they using a Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail or other generic account. Yes? Be careful. It may be a ruse from your employer trying to cull the ranks for deserters, ahead of an upcoming layoff. If they send an unsolicited email to your work address respond that you’re not interested because employers can legally monitor your email. Then send a follow up email from your hotmail account.
Ask the recruiter the following questions. Do not deviate from this exact sequence. Get it out of order and you won’t get the right answers – recruiters are some of the savviest business people on the planet.
Are you on retainer or contingency?
WHAT YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND – You want to know how the recruiter is being compensated -- retainer or contingency. Learning this can tell you if the project is real or if they’re fishing. It may also tell you how quickly you have to decide whether you are interested in being considered. If the recruiter is on retainer the project is real. Go forward. You have time to consider your options.
If the firm is on contingency the recruiter is likely under the gun to close the project before another firm does. Time is of the essence. You must move quickly if you are interested. First, I suggest you ask the following:
Do you have an exclusive?
WHAT YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND – If they have an exclusive it means that they are the only firm working on the assignment. Listen to the recruiter describe the opportunity and decide if you want to go forward. If they don’t have an exclusive they are competing with other firms and possibly even the employer’s own internal human resource people.
Have you successfully placed people with this hiring manager before?
WHAT YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND - It pays to be cautious. You need to decide if the recruiter has the capacity to represent you and get you an interview. From the moment they forward your resume to the employer, the recruiter is entitled to be paid their full fee [for a period as long as a year or more] should that employer hire you, regardless. Understand, even if you were to land an interview on your own during that period – the employer would need to pay the recruiter’s fee, even if it was for a different job in a different department or division. “Hold on”, you say, I don’t even know who the employer is!” Too bad. That’s the Catch-22. It’s your responsibility to get as much information as you can and make an informed decision to forward your resume to the recruiter.
Have you vetted the job description with the client, and may I have a copy?
WHAT YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND - If they haven’t met with the client or vetted the job description with the client, it’s not ideal for you, but it’s not necessarily the end either. Ask for a written copy of the job description. Read it carefully and ask the recruiter as many questions as they’ll allow. And make an informed decision to proceed. Should the recruiter refuse [rare] I advise my closest friends to terminate the call – yes I have a few friends... The recruiter is just looking to fill his database of candidates. He/she may be performing business development and wants some new resumes to introduce himself to prospective companies.
Recruiting Industry revenues are in the $100's of Billions globally - with almost 50% in North America. Recruiters can accelerate your career and help you find a grat job faster than the average 39 weeks in now takes in America - but only if yoiu understand how to work with them and what some of the potholes are.
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