Ag Recruiters - Friend or Foe

Let’s say you have a successful career in Agricultural Sales where you are breaking sales records, earning great bonuses, and have the quality of life you have always been looking for. You love your job, and your employer loves you.

Then one day your phone rings. You’re expecting it to be a client but it turns out to be Mr. Johnson from ABC Company. You’ve never heard of this person or his company, but quickly find out it’s a recruiting organization. In the next 30 seconds you find out that Mr Johnson has been enlisted by a major Ag supplier (which happens to be one of your major competitors) to hire someone that does exactly what you do. You have a decision – take the call or not.

Most people are naturally leery of taking calls from recruiters. Maybe you’re afraid you’ll be overheard. Maybe you’re so happy you can’t imagine being anywhere else. Or maybe you’re just too brutally busy to bother with the call. Before you say "no thanks", consider this:

1. Headhunters are paid by the company that wants to hire you, so nothing comes out of your pocket if you end up taking the position.
2. Headhunters (at least the good ones) aren’t cold callers. Odds are they received your name after a detailed search for qualified candidates by asking their contacts in your industry for referrals of good people. Quite often, the hiring company themselves may have specifically targeted you as one of the people they want!
3. Even if you recognize that this particular position isn’t a fit for you, by taking the call and being respectful, you’ll have developed a relationship with the headhunter who might call you again with another opportunity. And that one might be the perfect fit!