Playing Hard To Get

​Have you ever had that situation where you get chatted up by a complete stranger and within 10 minutes of quality conversation they’ve given you their number and asked you on a date? No? Me neither!

However, in the world of recruitment I will often find that within just 10 minutes of a call with a candidate I am looking to headhunt from LinkedIn, whom I have never spoken to before, I will hear those magic words that all recruiters want to hear - "let me send you my CV"!

Stop right there and slow down, you don’t even know me! Why are you giving yourself away so cheaply? I’m flattered. I really am! But should you really give such personal details away to a complete stranger so quickly?

In today’s world of social media we are all too eager to give away personal details away about our lives. Holiday snaps, what food we happen to be eating that night (including pictures) and divulging the classic first world problems.

When it comes to a job search shouldn’t we all be as discrete as (most of us) tend to be when dating? Less is more, surely? People want what they can’t have and you certainly don’t give away your particulars after 10 minutes of a first date? So, why offer a CV to a complete stranger who’s in sales and may well have their own interests, and not yours, at heart. You don’t know if that person you’re talking to is a serial spammer and will send your CV to every client they know within 5 minutes of receiving it! I call this a “CV free for all” by the way. Your details just get passed around from one client to another until it ultimately ends up on your boss’ desk. A messy divorce then ensues!

Sometimes you can’t meet because of geography, that’s understandable . But in this world of modern technology, if you truly value yourself and your brand, don’t give your details away cheaply. Have a first date, see how it goes. Do you think that recruiter can best represent you and your brand? Do you trust them having seen the whites of their eyes? As much as the fantasy might seem great, the reality is none of us want someone that just jumps all over us at the first meet. The harder we have to work to build a relationship the stronger that relationship will be, right? Play hard to get. We all want what we can’t have. It’s human nature! We have enough information from LinkedIn for the initial chat. Send me your CV afterwards if you like what you hear we can work exclusively. If I know you’re working with me alone I will work that much harder on your behalf. And the rest as they say will become history.

Stuart Bonner leads our Property and Facilities Management Team. All of our specialist consultants are experts within their markets, visit our website to find out more www.investigo.co.uk