Dear Barb:
I heard you talking to someone at the cocktail party at the Fordyce Forum; I wanted to clarify what I thought I heard. Do you get interview times up front from clients? If you do, what do you do when you can’t surface any candidates? How far in advance do you request interview times? It just seems very risky to me because often we do not surface anyone for some of our orders. It would seem that this would ruin my reputation in the long run.
JD, Dallas, TX
Dear JD:
I think it hurts your reputation more to write orders that you don’t fill. When you know you are going to ask for interview times, you stop writing mission impossible and become more consultative in your discussion with hiring authorities. It forces you to take workable orders and represent clients you know your candidates prefer.
Regarding the timing on interviews, only you could determine the time frame. How long does it take you to surface candidates on your hot orders? That is the time frame you would use to ask for interview times. This forces you to make a commitment to surface top talent and guarantees that your client will interview your candidates. When you obtain interview times, you also ask for the name of someone else who can confirm the interview times, if your client is not available. Your job is to get your candidates in front of hiring authorities and this process helps you do just that.
It is important that you also understand the problem or issue that exists as a result of this job not being filled. If there is no problem, there is no urgency to fill. You want to place your efforts where you are guaranteed the best chance of results.
Barbara J. Bruno, CPC, CTS
