What’s Good Headhunter Protocol?
February 18, 2009 by Sweet Hot Counsel
Q: I’m an associate at a NY-based firm that just finished massive stealth layoffs, firings, fake “performance terminations,” whatever you want to call them. I didn’t get shown the door this time around but I have to try to get out of here if I can—everyone around here is sure there’s going to be more layoffs soon and I want to take advantage of whatever little is available out there in the market. I’ve been getting calls from headhunters but am not sure for the protocol on how to deal with them at work, and I don’t want to ask any of my colleagues in case they think I’ve secretly been laid off. (I know this is paranoid, but that is the state of things at my firm.) Is it a bad idea to conduct headhunter calls from work, use work emails, etc.? I’m not going to majorly obvious about it, of course, but I’m just not sure what the proper protocol is here. Thanks.
A: Well, first off, good for you for escaping the first round of your firm’s slaughter. And you’re smart to be worried that round two is more likely than not around the corner. (As Bloody Thursday recently showed us all, a gig in BigLaw today is apparently no more secure than, say, a job as an assistant nanny or a network television writer.)
You’re also smart to return these headhunters’ calls—it can’t hurt to see what’s “out there in the market,” as you say. As far as the protocol, there’s no magic formula; just don’t be an idiot about it. Sure, headhunters tend to call or email you at work, after trolling firm websites and other lawyer-listing services for your phone number and vital stats. But that’s just to make initial contact. Their whole job centers around discretion and they’ll follow your lead. That said, it’s probably not a great idea to shoot over your resume to one from your work email address—firms do monitor emails in varying degrees of intensity, especially when they’re looking to can specific people, so you’re safer just replying from your personal email address and telling them that’s how they should contact you.
Better yet, just pick up the phone and call them. If you’re truly paranoid, you can call from your cell phone at work instead of your work phone, but if you’re in a huge firm with hundreds of lawyers, outbound call monitoring (for local, non-porny-1-900 number calls, at least) should be less intense. And if you’re less paranoid, you may prefer to adopt the “Fuck you, Big Firm, you put me in the position of having to call a headhunter in the first place so suck it while I make the calls on your time” attitude. Either way, just make sure to close your door and, you know, use your inside voice.
Bottom line, the headhunter game is common at big firms, regardless of the economy. Firms know that their abused little worker bees are always looking to see what else is out there, horrid economy or otherwise, and if you were to ask around, I can guarantee that 85% of the people on your floor alone have already talked to one. So, calm down, punch up your resume, and join in the game. Who knows, with a little luck, you may even win something.
Good luck.
Need advice? Email our Sweet Hot Counsel at counsel@sweethotjustice.com.
Of course it is good to deal with headhunters. Who knows if your going to keep your job these days. Since the downturn, I have all of a sudden gotten a lot more popular with the lady headhunters because of my job skills. Who knows, if my job is eliminated, I now have 3 more women to call. Besides, if they place me, they get a commission, and that is goodness for both of us.
By the way, my vote is for the Southern Lawyer and the HumpSTER, and the hell with Branda and Kathy G, and whoever else is not in our camp. Real men like us believe that law women can be of great value to us some of the time, but not all the time; so when it’s time to get out of our faces, please do so, because we have better things to do than comfort you 24 hours a day.
Fuck your firm, make as many calls as you can before they let you go. And anyway, if your firm is spending its time monitoring every single phone call its associates make, no wonder they need to do layoffs.
Dugan, your a dork. You want us when you want us, then dump us when you want to do something else? What kind of relationships can you expect? I suggest you need to grow up, and get out of OUR faces!
I would also make the phone calls and take the calls with impugnity. Youre there to do a job (be a lawyer), and if not with that firm,then elsewhere. Also, Eileen, stop bashing Dugan. We already know that you are no prize and we don’t want you anyways.
a guy at my firm, a second-year, makes headhunter calls all afternoon, with his door literally wide-open. he’s sort of a hero…and will probably be laid off soon. use your head.
I stopped getting Head-Hunter calls about 7 years ago; the only people interested in my head are some newly unemployed women, who previously would not give me the time of day. I don’t think they’re really interested in me as much as my steady paycheck. Should I ignore this new attention I am getting from these women? Should I think they are after me or my paycheck?
You alone are responsible for your career and you don’t get a prize for company loyalty. If your employers look after you, provide job security and a great environment then you would not need to consider alternatives. It costs you nothing to engage with REPUTABLE headhunters and they could give you a lucky break. Look after number one.