http://execunet.blogspot.com/2006/10/breaking-news-from-about-time.html

Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Breaking News From The About Time Department

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Over the same period of time as we have talked with recruiters about their feelings about candidates and shared the candidate’s feelings with them, with few exceptions, their responses range from “Yeah, I know and I don’t blame them” to “If I had the time I would try to do something about it, but I just don’t” to “tell ’em to grow up, my obligation is to the client.”

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Well, it (a change in recruiter behavior) would be an interesting “climate change”.

Some might know that I keep a “special list” for those that don’t play well with others. I always urge, “don’t get mad; get even!” as a response. Maybe it’s my mutli-decade experience of being “in”, “out”, uncermoniously tossed on my ear once, and treated “interestingly” over many “transitions”, but I’ll bet on the continuation of bad manners.

I think it is MOST amusing when a hunter, who slighted me two decades ago, has the chutzpa to yell when I won’t “work with him”. He was literally speechless when I described our last interaction for him. (I’m not only as hefty as an elephant, but I have a “trunk” of text files that are totally indexed by Google Desktop.) Perhaps, if more people refuse to be treated badly, we can collectively like a guild enforce a better standard of conduct.

As we come into the “gray-if-not working-it’s-retirement/vacation” (i.e., retirees who work for “fun”, not money) of the workforce, I think getting and keeping talent will be harder and more competitive. I think that there may even a cyclical rotation back to the old days of manners out of necessity. Further, as talent becomes more valuable, the value equation may shift. Envision a hunter who knows that seeker, with a highly desired skill, who might be “dislodged”, would then “broker” that knowledge to “thirsty” organizations. It might for by money, pride, or opportunity. No one will care why; it’ll just be about getting the talent on the team. Then you’ll see the climate change.

There is another possible reaction to being treated badly, and that is when seekers stop seeking the “corporate job”, and become one man consulting shops. Then, the hunters will starve. And, the corporations will be paying a lot more for skilled help. It really rebalances the playing field between those that do (need) and those that manage (get big bucks). Having been introduced to McKay’s 66 in my “self-improvement” phase, I’m ready to “sell” how this process will match supply and demand. It will take completely new paradigms, infrastructure, hardware, and software.

If that happens there will be lots of surplus hunters, corporate HR types, and “executives”. A ton of much happier and better compensated workers productively employed with a lot less downtime and inefficient “interviewing”.

While I’d rather see more surplus lawyers and politicians, it will be interesting times.