In nearly all cases these calls are made by those who are rookies, poorly trained, given no Internet-search/reference-checking skills, or don't have a clue about the "secret pass phrases" or proper terminology/jargon they must use to capture my attention.

This type of call generally goes like this:

Rookie Recruiter: "Hi Frank…it is Frank, right?"

Frank: "Yes, how may I help you?"

Rookie Recruiter: "I learned you're a good recruiter in your area and have some years of recruiting success."

Frank: "Yes. Go on."

Rookie Recruiter: "Great, because I have a job for a recruiter to run a [pick your choice: Desk, Office, department, launch a new specialty, etc.] and was wondering if you would consider making a move?"

Frank: (Sighing) "Hmmm. First tell me how you got my name?"

Rookie Recruiter: "Well … uh … I … er… um … it's on this list here and I have no idea where the list came from but it says 'recruiter' next to your name!"

Duh. The simplest question from me totally throws this person off every single time. Here's where it gets fun:

Frank: "So how do you know I'm a recruiter? How do you know what kind of recruiting I do?"

Rookie Recruiter: (Falling deeper into despair for lack of having conducting any modicum of research whatsoever…) "Well, it sounds like you're really busy. Maybe you can refer someone who might be interested in making a move?"

Frank: "Why would I want to refer someone else? Recruiters are tough to come by and if I knew of someone making a move, I'd hire him or her myself. Why should I refer them to you who I don't even know?"

And so goes this dumb dance, day in and out. I can't blame the rookies. It's their managers that let them loose on John Q. Public without proper education. It shows.

Attention search firm owners: Don't put rookie recruiters on the phone unless you plan to train them and provide the tools they need to succeed! If you actually train these poor souls they just might have a chance at pulling a recruiter candidate in for you!

Not one of these individuals ever took one second to click a quick Google search on who they're calling. Even if they forgot…they could have done so while still having me on the telephone.

Not one bothered to develop rapport, or find out more about their prospect, or determine how to actually succeed in getting a referral. Now for the next category of dumb calls.

Recruiters Wanting to Split, Get Hired, Subcontract, Source, or Form Alliances

This type of call goes like this:

Recruiter: "Hi. I saw your name on…(splits board, Web ad, heard through a candidate, association roster, Monster, HotJobs, or similar ad) and wanted to talk to you about your insurance-recruiting needs."

Frank: "Great. Tell me something about yourself. How long have you been a recruiter?"

Recruiter: "Well, I've been an independent for two years, after five years with another firm…and…"

Usually the response here is quite good. More often than not, these experienced recruiters come across polished and trained during the initial contact. The experience is good. In fact, the employment calls for recruiters wanting to be hired progress far better than the prior type of call. Well, at least during the first call.

What's frustrating about these calls is not how they start, but how the process quickly falls apart quite prematurely.

As standard protocol whenever the first telephone screen goes well, I always give the individual a small task to perform. If for no other reason, I do it to test their seriousness, sincerity, and ability to get back within a reasonably prompt time to demonstrate follow-through skills.

For example, I ask them to visit our website (which most admit never doing prior to calling, even though all our ads link to it) or to Google my name to check out some of my articles to better understand my approach.

In just these past three weeks alone, I've had at least five recruiters vanish when asked to do these tasks. Why do we never hear back? Why would someone take the time to call and send a resume, but then not bother to follow through? Do they expect me to chase them around?

In a business that requires credibility, the easiest way to demonstrate this is by your actions, not your words. I guess I'm too demanding.

Recruiter Do's and Don'ts