Selecting a Recruiter – Follow Up
July 16, 2009
Last week, I posted some guidelines about selecting a recruiter, and I wanted to add to that post. I have recently spoken with a number of Information Security leaders that have told me that they have been told about opportunities, but that the recruiter would not reveal the name of the employer.
There is not any excuse for a reputable recruiter to operate in this manner. I would challenge anyone to come up with a reason, that this practice would be beneficial to you, as a candidate for an Information Security opportunity.
My advice would be to steer clear of any recruiter or recruitment firm that utilizes these practices.
Here are my reasons:
1) Trust : The recruiter/candidate relationship is based on trust and professionalism. If a recruiter can not even reveal the name of their client, it simply means that they do not trust you with this information. What they are really saying is, “If I tell you who my client is, you may send them your resume by yourself and cut me out of the picture.”
Conversely, you are supposed to trust them with your career.
Something here just is not right.
2) Authorization:The recruiter might not even have a working agreement with the client or be authorized to present candidates. Since many jobs are posted on the internet, recruiters have access to these job descriptions, and search for profiles that appear to fit. It is a common practice for recruitment firms’ to “market candidates” in the hopes of gaining a formal recruitment agreement with a new client. As a the owner of a business I do not begrudge anyone from trying to build new client relationships, however as an information security professional I would prefer that my career not be a guinea pig for someone else’s business development experiment.
3) Control – If your recruiter does not reveal who their client is, you have basically given them permission to send your resume to anywhere that they deem fit. By allowing someone to “wallpaper” the world with your resume, you will most likely waste significant time interviewing for opportunities that could benefit the recruiter, but have no benefit to you. The surrendering of control over the distribution of your resume, could lead to ……
4) Exposure - When anyone is more interested in quantity, and opposed to quality, details sometimes get overlooked. In this case, the detail may include having your resume sent to your current employer (unfortunately I am not making this up) or people with big mouths (who will notify your current employer)
Use your imagination to consider all of the potential consequences of this.
5) First Impression - If more than one recruitment firm submits your resume to a particular opportunity it makes you look unorganized in the eyes of the prospective employer. Your recruitment process is the first window into how you operate and communicate. Failure to properly manage this process is not the first impression you want to make on a new employer.
When speaking with a recruiter, you need to demand transparency to insure that you understand which company you are applying to and where your resume is being sent. You should also verbalize with your recruiter that you resume should not be sent to any third party without your consent and knowledge.
Your career is important, make sure that you use good judgement in whom you trust it to.
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Interview with Art of InfoSecurity – Part 2
May 12, 2009
Recently I finisehd an interview with Eric Heidt, author of The Art of Information Security Blog. The interview was posted in two separate segments. You can find the first segment posted on April 17.
The interview encompasses some of my thougthts around career management and career planning.
I welcome any questions or comments.
Weird Dinner Experience
May 4, 2009
During the RSA conference I was invited to have dinner by a friend and industry colleague. The dinner was set up by representatives (sales people) from a large software company, which provides software and services to my friend’s company . I think that it is safe to say that the company does between 7 and 8 figures worth of annual business with this vendor, and my friend is a key advocate of the vendor.
From what I understood when receiving the e-mail invitation, my friend was given the liberty to invite industry colleagues and other potential “customers” to this dinner to forge relationships and potentially develop new business opportunities. I believed that I was added to the guest list for some broad perspective of the security market which would have been beneficial to all in attendance.
The dinner was initially to be attended by somewhere between 9 or 10 people, however for one reason or the other – jet lag, previous plans, not wanting to begin dinner at 9PM PST, the final number in attendance was 5. The final roster included me, my friend, his co-worker, and two representatives from the vendor.
The vendor chose a San Francisco favorite, Scoma’s, an Italian/Seafood restaurant located at Fisherman’s Wharf. After a round of drinks, we sat down at a table. It became very evident to me, whom the most senior member of the vendor team was, as he interacted with the waiter, received the wine list, and quickly accepted the role of “table captain.”
The conversation at the table was free and easy. We spoke about our families (even showed some pictures), sporting events, our college experiences, careers, the economy, and other topics. We did not even begin to discuss Information Security, their products, or anything relative to traditional business.
As this was going on, the “table captain” took the reigns and began to order. He ordered appetizers for the table, an extra course of salad for himself, a main course, and selected the wine. As a guest, I followed his lead. Shared the appetizer, did not select a salad, chose a main course within five dollars of his choice, and had a beer instead of wine. As the meal came to a close, he ordered himself a desert, coffee, and asked everyone if they every had port wine – and ordered himself a glass, I passed on dessert and coffee – but took him up and the port wine. I am not really a wine drinker, but I was up for the experience – and at his encouragement, I thought I would take him up on his suggestion.
The conversation continued throughout the meal, and everyone became more relaxed during the time, and people were obviously comfortable. The one single person discussed his current dating dilemmas, one spoke about raising a special needs child, we even touched on the standard no-nos, religion and politics. But that was the level of comfort, it was really a great dinner, until…
The check came!
The table captain left the table at the end of the meal to seek out the waiter and to call a cab. In his absence the waiter appeared and handed me an itemized copy of the bill and stated “Everything else is taken care of. This is for you.”
I did not know how to react at first. There were many items going through my mind, but I chose to just stare in disbelief for the first couple of moments. My first inclination was to go to see the waiter, and pay for the entire check – just our of principle and make the “table captain” feel uncomfortable, my second thought was to just reach in my pocket, pay cash, and leave on my own, the third option was to refuse to pay, and create more discomfort. The remaining three other people, including the person who invited me, were obviously uncomfortable and this created a very awkward moment.
After the awkwardness subsided, I reached for my money but was interrupted by the other member of the vendor team. Obviously embarrassed, he reached to his wallet and paid on the corporate credit card. It was also obvious to me how embarrassed my friend who invited me was. He remarked to me after how impressed he was on how I handled the awkwardness of the situation.
As we waited for the cab, the “table captain” returned to an much different table. The subject of business took hold and I can tell from the reaction of the two “customers” they were not nearly as engaged as they would have been, if the “table captain” would have just paid the entire check. The actions of the “table captain” gave off the impression that he was only concerned with people who could make him money. Personally, I think this spoke loudly for his character and I believe that I would reconsider sending any additional business in his direction. But that is just me!
There are a number of things we can learn from this. First, if you are going to invite someone to dinner, the expectation is that it is your meeting and you are going to be responsible. Second, it is always a good idea at a business meeting to follow the lead of the “table captain”. Your ordering pattern should mimic theirs. Third, never take advantage of a good gesture. If everyone is ordering $20 items, do not order the 4lb lobster that costs $80 – that is just rude and says a great deal about your character. Also, think before you speak. Know which topics are fair game to discuss, and which ones are a bit taboo for the subject. Finally, never make anyone feel insignificant. In the situation above, if the waiter produced five separate checks, I would not have had any issue. However, singling me out made me feel like a second class citizen, even though throughout the dinner I was treated like an invited guest.
Just remember, people are judging and evaluating you in many different environments. Your are always interviewing.
Another RSA in the Books
April 26, 2009
Another RSA Conference is in the books, and it was a fruitful time for me as usual. While I walked the floor and went to all of the parties, a great deal of business was done (including the launch of this blog).
And that’s why I go to RSA every year. The point of a conference isn’t (in my opinion) sitting in talks and learning what the speakers have to say. Even when I’m speaking, I’m sure that the major value of showing up there isn’t whatever you’re going to learn from any of the talking heads.
To paraphrase an old Clinton campaign cliche, “It’s the relationships, stupid”.
I was talking with a friend of mine (who I met at the Source conference) over coffee as RSA wound down. And we were talking about why we love the conferences.
“I get to see all of my friends all at once”, she said.
Exactly. And, in a wonderfully circular reference, we made those friends by being at the conferences in the first place.
I believe strongly in networking: I like doing business with people who are friends. Lee and I started talking together and started this blog because we’re friends. My business partners at Foreground are my friends. I work with Melina because we’re friends.
And I’m not the only one.
Which is why business gets done at conferences: because we’re among friends.
The Importance of “Being There”
April 25, 2009
Returning from RSA, I realized just how much I gain from “being there”. What does that mean – many people come to the conference, see the sessions, walk the floor, attend the parties – but are they really “there”. I think about all of the meaningful conversations that I have had over the past week that happened by chance – being in the right place at the right time. Speaking with people, in a relaxed environment, without pretense. Listening to stories, sharing past experiences, connecting on a different level then I get to on a daily basis – in my office, on e-mail, or social networking.
From my perspective, this is networking at its finest. I was able to both give and receive information in a matter that was much more effective than any way else. The topics of these conversations were wide ranging – a discussion with successful entrepreneurs about the struggles of making payroll and keeping the lights on during difficult times, learning a great deal about what makes a good blog from a handful of security bloggers and podcasters who have been quite successful, and hearing some of the behind the scenes “corporate gossip” as to what is happening at companies that we have represented and currently represent.
Probably the most important thing that happened was that I found out that one of my good friends had a pressing need for a specific talent – and I made him aware that one of my other friends (who had that talent) was looking for that type of engagements. The two of them knew of each other, but did not know the synergy existed. The wheels were in motion. I am of firm belief that it will work out and both of them are going to be quite happy.
There are many more examples, but the common thread is that if I was not there, actually present, and in the right places for these discussions to take place, my experience this week would have not been nearly as fulfilling and successful.
So what does this mean to your career? It means you have to be “there”, wherever “there” happens to be. It means that you as a professional you have to put yourself in places that matter, connect with people when you are there, and not be afraid to let your guard down and put yourself out there. Many great things come from when you least expect them.