BYTE ME! The title of the this blog is really not very professional, especially considering that I am going to write about Third Party Recruiter Professionalism but I'm trying to increase readership and this is my cheap ploy to do so.
Professionalism in recruiting is highly over rated. I spent the first 25 years of my career as an Engineer or in Engineering or Plant Management and I worked very hard to maintain a certain air of professionalism. About 8 years ago I started doing recruiting while looking for a real job but I got fond of the short commute and being my own boss so I moved to the dark side. One of the things I learned early was that my self imposed professionalism seemed to get in my way. I had to loosen up and be a lot less formal when dealing with both candidates and companies. It took a little while to realize that I was no longer representing a company but I was really representing a myself and quickly establishing rapport is extremely important. I am still impressed by many recruiters who make you feel they are your long lost uncle or aunt almost immediately.
The ability to establish rapport in recruiting is definitely more important than professionalism. If you find a recruiter that you feel comfortable with almost immediately, this is a very good sign. If you feel comfortable, the chances are very good the companies he recruits for will also feel comfortable. I was talking with an author in Chicago who was actually writing a book about what makes a headhunter successful. One of the more interesting things he found was that very successful recruiters "murder the King's English". Of course you do not want someone representing you who continually burps into the telephone, but don't worry if the recruiter is not the most polished person you ever talked with. I give headhunter professionalism a point rating of 0 to 3 and a recommendation that the points be assigned rater loosely.
6:03:43 PM 
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