We have a policy here at Talent Zoo that protects our current clients from poaching. If we are currently working with you on a search, we will not call your people and pitch them a new job somewhere else. Of course, chances are, plenty of your employees have their resumes on job boards and are actively looking. But we want to do the right thing, so that’s our policy.

If you don’t want to have us help you fill your current openings, that’s okay, too because in addition to needing great agencies with exciting openings to fill, what we need just as much is great agencies to source talent from. It’s really up to you which you’d like to be.

I recently got a call from XYZ agency regarding a search I was on for all of three days. I noticed they had a job posted on every job board known to man last summer. It went on and on for months. Obviously, they were having no luck filling this position. So I called and offered my services. “I talk to very qualified people just like that each day. May I send you some resumes?” But I never heard back. Every few weeks or so, I’d call again about this same posting which was still everywhere. Nothing.

A few weeks ago, a colleague of mine got a resume from a candidate (let’s call her Jane) at XYZ agency looking to make a move. He consulted the ‘Do Not Poach’ list and there was obviously no conflict of interest so he got the candidate a killer job. I wasn’t in on that deal as there was no need for me to be.

Last week, I finally caught the HR Director on the phone and asked about this position that’s still out there. He admitted they’ve had some trouble finding the right person for the job. I offered to help.

But a few days later, the call came saying that he learned that we had placed Jane at a competitor’s agency and he felt that was a conflict of interest that we should fill the very position Jane is vacating. He said they don’t want to see any of our candidates because of this. Uh. Okay.

Basically, he has chosen to go from the frying pan into the fire. At least if he had kept me on the search, I wouldn’t go after his other folks. Now I have free reign to mine his people for YOUR agency.

I didn’t pull someone from XYZ agency and then try to fill that spot. That’s not the way I work. But keep in mind that there are plenty of competitors who want your people just as you want their people. If I was working for you, I would go and get them just as I do when I’m working with them. Which side do you want to be on?

[tags]agency, candidate, resume, hiring revolution[/tags]