Ask the Headhunter

by Nick Corcodilos

Ask The Headhunter, by Nick Corcodilos, speaks to your readers with candor and humor. Each week for more than a decade, Nick's job-hunting tips and concise answers to tough questions have earned him a loyal readership.

In addition to the weekly Q&A format, Nick gives readers a voice of their own with his Headhunter's Challenge section of the feature. Nick poses a challenging career scenario and offers your readers a multiple-choice quiz. Readers can then visit your Web site, where they can vote, track results in real time and read more of Nick's expert advice and commentary.

Samples

ASK THE HEADHUNTER by Nick Corcodilos

WHAT SHOULD I SAY TO THE HIRING MANAGER ON THE PHONE?

Q: You suggest that the best way to approach a company about a job is to talk directly with the hiring manager. I am confused as to how to approach a hiring manager on the phone and what to say. Please help!

NICK'S REPLY

Success in that phone call hinges on other calls you should make first. Talk with people connected to the company. This includes employees, customers, vendors, accountants and other consultants. Yes, you have to find them. Their insights will help orient you. These people will tell you what the manager's interests and priorities are and that will help you prepare something useful to discuss.

Keep track of your new contacts as you learn about your quarry. These are the people who can introduce you to the manager. You see, that's your next objective: to use the contacts you've made to get closer to the manager.

This is very similar to getting a date with the object of your affections. You must do some advance work if you want to be successful. If you diplomatically get to know her (or his) friends first, you get closer at the same time that you establish your credibility. The friends provide you with advice about how to make your approach and they are likely to make introductions if you ask. Get it? It's simple. It takes time. But it works. It's how headhunters do it.

Your mission is to make it easy for others to introduce you.

Once you're talking with the manager, start the conversation by expressing interest in the manager's work. Discuss what you learned from your new contacts. Be prepared to say something intelligent about the manager's work. (That's what all your research is for!) Letting the manager talk about himself will diminish your own stress and make the discussion more productive.

Ask questions and let the manager talk about himself. The more you focus on what the manager does, the longer the conversation will last and the more likely it is to pay off.

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THE HEADHUNTER TIP

Should HR report to PR?

A company destroys millions of dollars' worth of good public relations when it fails to return calls, to send thank-you notes and to notify candidates of the outcomes of interviews. Everyone in public relations (PR) knows the hair product commercial that ends with, "... and she told two people, and they told two people, and they told two people ..."

Some human resources (HR) departments go out of their way to be courteous to applicants. I applaud them. But too many treat candidates disrespectfully. These companies should have the PR department conduct an audit of their hiring processes. What are applicants saying after interviews?

When HR is processing too many candidates to create a good image, it's a strategic problem. More is not always better ... especially when it leads to more bad PR.

Here's the tip today: If a company cares about its reputation, then perhaps HR should report to PR.

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THE HEADHUNTER CHALLENGE

How should you deal with bad references?

Most of your references are good. But you just got laid off because your company is doing poorly, and you were fired from your previous job because your boss didn't like you. The second company would likely tell other employers that it would not rehire you. How can you overcome potentially lousy references?

POLL

1. Don't list your bad references.

2. Ask your previous employer to please say nothing negative about you.

3. Discredit bad references with credible ones.

4. Create new references.

(Cast your vote for The Headhunter Challenge poll online at (your newspaper Web site here). We'll post the results along with The Headhunter's expert opinion.)

COMMENTARY (FOR PUBLICATION ONLINE)

First, remember that your most recent good references will count for a lot. If you are asked for three references, try to provide two from your last employer.

Second, you need to find out what your previous employer is saying about you. Companies are pretty careful about giving references nowadays because they can get sued for making inappropriate comments about former employees. (If you believe your termination was improper, you should see an attorney. Even if there's no lawsuit or cash settlement, you may be able to get the company to "clean up" your file. This could mean a lot to you in the coming years.)

While your old personnel office might give out nothing more than your dates of employment, a recruiter could poke around and actually talk with the boss who fired you. Don't assume that you can hide bad references. Assume the worst, and be ready to counter it. Your challenge is to produce a couple of references from people you worked with at that company -- people who know your boss was unreasonable -- who will say good things about you. That will mitigate the negative reference.

But you might be able to do even more to defuse one vindictive boss.

I once placed a manager whose ex-boss provided this reference: "He's a bum, can't be counted on, doesn't do a good job, and I'd never recommend him to anyone."

My guy got the job because I produced a reference who casually explained that the candidate's boss was a kook. After providing a good reference, he volunteered: "Oh, by the way. If you talk to the candidate's last boss, let me give you a word of advice. He's a kook, and I wouldn't be surprised at anything he says. He hates everybody who ever left his team."

You might be able to do something with this, if your old boss is known to others as a backstabber. But enough about direct references.

What should you say in the interview about that old job, if it comes up? Say as little as possible. Focus instead on the job at hand, and create what I refer to as an indirect reference.

"I want to work in a company where I'd be proud to be an employee. I didn't feel that way about that other company. John Jones, whom I believe you know, told me a lot about your business, and I've checked you out through other contacts. What I'm told consistently is that you value and reward hard work. I'd like to show you how I could apply my expertise to make your business more successful, while at the same time providing me with important kinds of opportunities."

It's critical that you develop contacts like "John Jones" -- credible mutual contacts you can quote and who will stand up for you. A manager will take you seriously if people he knows and trusts recommend you. So before you interview with a prospective employer, do whatever it takes to create those mutual links to establish your credibility.

That's how you pre-empt negative comments from one bad boss. Make sense? Try it.

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Write to Nick at P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833 or www.asktheheadhunter.com.

COPYRIGHT 2009 NICK CORCODILOS

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