Can We Talk?

This is not a reference to Joan Rivers’ favorite line, for those who can remember that far back. Instead, it refers to what happens when a recruiter calls you during the day at work.

At some companies I’ve been fortunate enough to have an office with a door I could close when I needed some privacy. Unfortunately, that has been the exception rather than the norm in my recent career. I’ve even been in so-called ‘open’ environments where there were not even any partitions between desks. Obviously in such situations you can’t freely talk with a headhunter at your desk.

So what are your options? Well, you might walk outside if that’s something you can do readily. Or you could duck into a conference room if one is available. Or you could step into a quiet hallway. And of course there’s the option of not answering the call and sending it to voicemail so you can reply at a more convenient time. That’s usually my preferred approach. The other options can make you look a bit suspicious when you rush away from your desk cradling your cell phone to your ear.

In fact when I post my resume online I usually leave out my phone number altogether. I’d much rather be contacted by e-mail so I can reply back to the recruiter at my leisure if I’m interested. Otherwise with my phone number out there in the open I’ll get lots of calls about positions I have zero interest in. If those inquiries come in via e-mail it’s easy enough to just delete them, but if I have to field a call for each one I’d quickly go crazy.

But whatever you do, I recommend that you absolutely NOT use your company phone or e-mail system for communicating with recruiters. I’ve known people who were lax and cavalier about this rule, even when they knew their phone calls and e-mails were being recorded as a matter of company policy. This policy may exist at your company as well, even if it's not explicitly stated. And as the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry.