Could he be interested or simply seeking more business?

[ShiningMoon]

Yeah i think several people including myself have said this but you are thinking too literally about the timing, i.e. i have a new job so am not going to be looking for a new one. It's a total fact that these transitional moments are totally when headhunters will stay in touch for a variety of reasons--not only the obvious one which is the only one you are thinking of. You are a customer, present and future. Classic and good sales move to be following up at this stage.

 

OK, I see.

 

That's no problem too!

 

I guess I'll figure it out if we meet up and he discloses a bit more about his current situation, job-wise. At that stage, I'll be able to figure out whether we met for a follow up/networking purpose or whatever. This would have been more self-evident if he was still associated with his former employer or if he had been more open about his current situation.

 

We'll see. Let's see if he effectively follows up and schedules something.

[Wallysbears]

Just as an FYI to people NOT familiar with headhunting:

 

Candidates (people we place) aren't our bread and butter.

 

 

Companies are.

 

 

 

We don't get paid to find "people" jobs, we get paid to find companies employees.

 

 

So if this guy is keeping touch with you, you should be flattered. You either rank as a "HIPO" (meaning high potential person...candidate in the future or client in the future) or he likes you.

 

Both are GOOD things.

[JuneL]

Yeah i think several people including myself have said this but you are thinking too literally about the timing, i.e. i have a new job so am not going to be looking for a new one. It's a total fact that these transitional moments are totally when headhunters will stay in touch for a variety of reasons--not only the obvious one which is the only one you are thinking of. You are a customer, present and future. Classic and good sales move to be following up at this stage.

 

I couldn’t agree more that you’re taking things way too literally. It’s also odd that you kept bringing up the fact that you already found a new job and likely won’t need a head hunter for the foreseeable future. A good marketing person keeps a portfolio of primary clients ready anytime, and these clients may bring him potential secondary clients: you likely know people in related fields to recommend, don’t you? More generally, do you have fair weather friends who wait until they need something from you to get in touch? Don’t they appear as users and will likely not get your help?

[Versacehottie]

Just as an FYI to people NOT familiar with headhunting:

 

Candidates (people we place) aren't our bread and butter.

 

 

Companies are.

 

 

 

We don't get paid to find "people" jobs, we get paid to find companies employees.

 

 

So if this guy is keeping touch with you, you should be flattered. You either rank as a "HIPO" (meaning high potential person...candidate in the future or client in the future) or he likes you.

 

Both are GOOD things.

 

Totally agree/know. I think just trying to get the basic concept of networking through to the OP. She is what he peddles or is due a commission on or will get future commissions on with the CLIENTS he books, i.e. the companies that have him looking. To my point that he may be trying to find out about open positions once she has "settled" into her new position. He is trying to mine for leads. Also it makes sense if he is back from his traveling that he may have taken another headhunter job so he needs to prove to his new employer that he has valuable people in his fold--marketable ones.

 

I think as a headhunter/recruiter yourself, you probably have a good read on what his intentions would be. I still think primarily work/networking and secondarily he might be interested in the OP (well because reading through the lines, that he didn't try to socialize more or go off that topic in their conversation to set up coffee). What do you think?

 

For what I know of headhunting this is fairly typical, which makes me think it's the primary objective. lol, which never means she doesn't have a chance romantically. She should play the game as it suits her

[ShiningMoon]

Totally agree/know. I think just trying to get the basic concept of networking through to the OP. She is what he peddles or is due a commission on or will get future commissions on with the CLIENTS he books, i.e. the companies that have him looking. To my point that he may be trying to find out about open positions once she has "settled" into her new position. He is trying to mine for leads. Also it makes sense if he is back from his traveling that he may have taken another headhunter job so he needs to prove to his new employer that he has valuable people in his fold--marketable ones.

 

I think as a headhunter/recruiter yourself, you probably have a good read on what his intentions would be. I still think primarily work/networking and secondarily he might be interested in the OP (well because reading through the lines, that he didn't try to socialize more or go off that topic in their conversation to set up coffee). What do you think?

 

For what I know of headhunting this is fairly typical, which makes me think it's the primary objective. lol, which never means she doesn't have a chance romantically. She should play the game as it suits her

 

We'll see .. if her ever schedules this coffee meeting, that is.

 

He reached out via LinkedIn. I don't think LinkedIn is the place where you can have a lengthy chat about the weather and you favorite color. Besides, we don't know each other. We've only met once for business purposes and I was the one requesting the meeting. It'd be weird if he were to suddenly try to keep the conversation going about non-business topics. He doesn't even know if I'm single or not. It would seem rather inappropriate, I think.

 

If we indeed meet up for coffee, I'll be able to figure out his intentions.

 

Additionnally, recruiters work directly with companies and their HR departments. Thus, he does not need me to get into the company to advise him on the open positions they may have. Recruitment agencies have regular calls with the companies' HR departments on these open positions. Recruitment agencies are fully aware of the open positions within the companies they service. I have no business being involved in this.

 

I don't think he went traveling period. He left his job at the end of February. Then in March (when he's supposed to be traveling), he sends me a LinkedIn request to connect and now in April he reaches out. Surely, if you're traveling, the last thing you care about is sending LinkedIn connection requests to your former candidates. Then again, this is his business, not mine.

 

He's been rather vague as to what his professional situation currently is, so I can only speculate. Not sure why he didn't want to disclose his current position.

 

I think it's best to wait until I effectively start in the new company. I've got way too much stress/duties at this stage to meet up now. It's not unusual to wait until a person has settled in their new company to meet up with them. I've had this happen with former colleagues too.

Edited April 20, 2019 by ShiningMoon

[JuneL]

While I also think that it’d be odd for him to want to find out about your new company’s open positions through you, he might just want to get a feel of how things are like there from an employee’s perspective or you might refer friends looking for jobs to him. He may do it routinely with most of his recruiting candidates, or with the small subset of more interesting candidates. Or he might just say that without meaning it literally, hoping you won’t be shy about reaching out in the future if needed.

[ShiningMoon]

While I also think that it’d be odd for him to want to find out about your new company’s open positions through you, he might just want to get a feel of how things are like there from an employee’s perspective or you might refer friends looking for jobs to him. He may do it routinely with most of his recruiting candidates, or with the small subset of more interesting candidates. Or he might just say that without meaning it literally, hoping you won’t be shy about reaching out in the future if needed.

 

It may have been just a polite way to end the conversation without sounding too abrupt. However, I think he could have also said something along the lines of: "Great to hear you got the job. Congratulations! Best of luck. Let me know how it goes. If you need any further assistance in the future, don't hesitate to reach out". I certainly wouldn't have gotten offended and the result would have been just as effective. After all, we didn't have a personal relationship to begin with & he left halfway through my recruitment process.

 

I also think he doesn't want to overstep his boundaries because at the end of the day, he left his former employer and was not involved in the recruitment process when I got both the interview and the job. There are a few ethical lines being crossed, if he's seeking to retain his former candidates/prospects.

 

Again, I don't know if he still works in recruitment. He seemed very private about his current situation. I think he still does, because this sudden interest on how things went & my job search, It's a bit too obvious. Additionally, we don't know if his current employer (if he's still a recruiter) has my future employer as part of their portfolio. Companies don't work with every recruitment agency in town.

 

It's all a bit blurry and would have been easier to figure out if I knew about his current job status.

 

I think however he probably sees me as a high calibre candidate. The position he had initially submitted my application for was a temporary position. I had advised him I was unwilling to move to a temporary position, but I nonetheless agreed to submit my CV because of the company's name. Then after the second round of interviews, the company offered me a permanent contract right away. His boss called me saying he didn't even know this sort of scenario was possible with this company (known for being difficult to get into) as it had never happened before. I therefore perhaps set a precedent, thus increasing their commission at the same time. I'm sure he heard about this in one capacity or another, leading to him reaching out.

Edited April 20, 2019 by ShiningMoon

[JuneL]

Re-read your posts: every single one reeks of over-analysis!

 

I remember that one summer in college, I worked as an intern which required using a Bloomberg terminal sometimes. Occasionally I would email their representative for quick questions. Instead of answering me by email or even by phone, he would offer to come to my office to demonstrate something which I thought was very simple. The guy was cute too (though not really my type). But I could totally have over-analyzed everything. Now your story reminds me of him. It could be his job to be overly attentive, as they did charge a huge price for the terminal, or it could be that he loved hanging out in our office, or there is a slim chance he loved interacting in person with a cute girl

[ShiningMoon]

Re-read your posts: every single one reeks of over-analysis!

 

I remember that one summer in college, I worked as an intern which required using a Bloomberg terminal sometimes. Occasionally I would email their representative for quick questions. Instead of answering me by email or even by phone, he would offer to come to my office to demonstrate something which I thought was very simple. The guy was cute too (though not really my type). But I could totally have over-analyzed everything. Now your story reminds me of him. It could be his job to be overly attentive, as they did charge a huge price for the terminal, or it could be that he loved hanging out in our office, or there is a slim chance he loved interacting in person with a cute girl

 

Look, you guys are speculating, I'm responding. That's all

 

Yes, I'm overanalyzing, but these comments are giving me material to overanalyze I'm much more pragmatic in my work, I promise!

[Versacehottie]

while i get that you are just trying to respond to what we are posting to you, it does seem a bit like you are overly trying to make excuses for what his purpose is. And it's all speculation as you said. You could be looking for confirmation bias and overly hopeful.

 

To answer your latest post of additional information. I would say most people tend to stay in the same industry. You are still looking at the whole "sales" aspect incorrectly...lol, you must be great at what you do but would probably make a terrible high level salesperson if you are being so literal about it. Intel is vital in these roles. Connections are everything.

 

The fact that he sought you out via linkedin also is telling. Unless he doesn't have your direct email address (which i doubt if he was helping you with a job), he would have been searching linkedin regarding jobs, positions, candidates, placed candidates, outcomes of placements he'd be working on. The venue gives you part of his intention. You have to look for the clues in what people show you. You should be cautiously optimistic. That said, people fall in love all the time having met through work or work connections (direct and indirect).

 

Good luck:)

[ShiningMoon]

while i get that you are just trying to respond to what we are posting to you, it does seem a bit like you are overly trying to make excuses for what his purpose is. And it's all speculation as you said. You could be looking for confirmation bias and overly hopeful.

 

To answer your latest post of additional information. I would say most people tend to stay in the same industry. You are still looking at the whole "sales" aspect incorrectly...lol, you must be great at what you do but would probably make a terrible high level salesperson if you are being so literal about it. Intel is vital in these roles. Connections are everything.

 

The fact that he sought you out via linkedin also is telling. Unless he doesn't have your direct email address (which i doubt if he was helping you with a job), he would have been searching linkedin regarding jobs, positions, candidates, placed candidates, outcomes of placements he'd be working on. The venue gives you part of his intention. You have to look for the clues in what people show you. You should be cautiously optimistic. That said, people fall in love all the time having met through work or work connections (direct and indirect).

 

Good luck:)

 

I'm fully aware networking is important in these positions. As a matter of fact, networking is important in any industry. You don't have to be working in sales to know that.

 

By the way, I may be a terrible sales person (according to you), but you would be a terrible lawyer. You're a bit naive if you think former employees are entitled to retain clients' personal details after they've left the company. He had my personal details through my CV indeed, but you do realize he left the company? He's therefore not allowed to retain and utilize them for his own personal or future professional use. That is a severe breach of confidentiality in respect to his former employer and me as a former candidate. He could easily be sued for this. My details were retained for the purpose of my business relationship with the recruitment agency, not him personally. There's also such thing as GDPR, just mentionning this in passing. It's common sense, I think.

 

Anyway, in your eyes, I'm biased in thinking he likes me. You're biased in thinking he's just after business (which I partially agree with). We're even

 

I probably won't even remember this by the time I start my new job anyway.

Edited April 21, 2019 by ShiningMoon

[Versacehottie]

I'm fully aware networking is important in these positions. As a matter of fact, networking is important in any industry. You don't have to be working in sales to know that.

 

By the way, I may be a terrible sales person (according to you), but you would be a terrible lawyer. You're a bit naive if you think former employees are entitled to retain clients' personal details after they've left the company. He had my personal details through my CV indeed, but you do realize he left the company? He's therefore not allowed to retain and utilize them for his own personal or future professional use. That is a severe breach of confidentiality in respect to his former employer and me as a former candidate. He could easily be sued for this. My details were retained for the purpose of my business relationship with the recruitment agency, not him personally. There's also such thing as GDPR, just mentionning this in passing. It's common sense, I think.

 

Anyway, in your eyes, I'm biased in thinking he likes me. You're biased in thinking he's just after business (which I partially agree with). We're even

 

I probably won't even remember this by the time I start my new job anyway.

 

Whoa, you are taking this in entirely the wrong spirit and tone of what I've been saying.

 

What people should do (ethics) and what they actually do are often two different things.

 

I've encouraged you all along that it's possible he likes you or that you can make that happen. Ok gonna step out of this one. Good luck

[JuneL]

OP: Did he also give you his personal contact info (e.g., cell phone number)?

[ShiningMoon]

OP: Did he also give you his personal contact info (e.g., cell phone number)?

 

Hi June, all,

 

An update:

 

Today was my first day at the new company. He knew it was my first day.

 

He tried to call me at 3pm (which is a bit odd, knowing it was my first day). Then he texted me to say he tried to reach me, but was unable to. It's true that in my former companies, you'd usually leave the office at 2/3 pm on your first day.

 

He contacted me via his personal mobile number (he popped up on my Whatsapp and a personal picture was shown). I asked him to try and call me back tomorrow around lunch break.

 

We'll see what happens.

[JuneL]

Hi June, all,

 

An update:

 

Today was my first day at the new company. He knew it was my first day.

 

He tried to call me at 3pm (which is a bit odd, knowing it was my first day). Then he texted me to say he tried to reach me, but was unable to. It's true that in my former companies, you'd usually leave the office at 2/3 pm on your first day.

 

He contacted me via his personal mobile number (he popped up on my Whatsapp and a personal picture was shown). I asked him to try and call me back tomorrow around lunch break.

 

We'll see what happens.

 

Let us know how it goes!

[ShiningMoon]

Hi all,

 

So, as I had indicated, he tried to reach out yesterday and we scheduled a call for today.

 

We managed to chat a bit after work today. He asked me how my first couple of days went and whether the company/job were living up to my expectations.

 

He disclosed he had decided to set up his own recruitment agency and he's therefore looking for possible candidates. He said if there are any candidates in my former company who are looking for a job, he'd be grateful if I could give them his details.

 

Then, he offered to catch up over coffee, so I suggested said we'd do this next week. I told him I'd text him or he could text me for the actual practical details. I'll probably be in a better mood next week as I'm utterly tor into pieces this week as I'm now reeling from the heartbreak of leaving my former employer behind. I honestly don't want to come home and cry at night.

 

As far as recommending people, I'll hold off on that because I'm still waiting to see the actual outcome of my new job. Until I'm sure this is indeed something I'm comfortable in and a fit for, I won't recommend anybody. This job is so far off from any job I've had before, so the first few days don't really indicate whether he was a good judge of character to set me up with this position.

 

I'll go for coffee with him, of course as it's good to have another recruiter in your network. I'll keep it professional, but at this stage, I'm not sure if anything romantic is possible since it seems to only be work related. My mind is elsewhere anyway, but I'll keep an open mind anyway. We'll see how it goes.

[JuneL]

Hi all,

 

So, as I had indicated, he tried to reach out yesterday and we scheduled a call for today.

 

We managed to chat a bit after work today. He asked me how my first couple of days went and whether the company/job were living up to my expectations.

 

He disclosed he had decided to set up his own recruitment agency and he's therefore looking for possible candidates. He said if there are any candidates in my former company who are looking for a job, he'd be grateful if I could give them his details.

 

Then, he offered to catch up over coffee, so I suggested said we'd do this next week. I told him I'd text him or he could text me for the actual practical details. I'll probably be in a better mood next week as I'm utterly tor into pieces this week as I'm now reeling from the heartbreak of leaving my former employer behind. I honestly don't want to come home and cry at night.

 

As far as recommending people, I'll hold off on that because I'm still waiting to see the actual outcome of my new job. Until I'm sure this is indeed something I'm comfortable in and a fit for, I won't recommend anybody. This job is so far off from any job I've had before, so the first few days don't really indicate whether he was a good judge of character to set me up with this position.

 

I'll go for coffee with him, of course as it's good to have another recruiter in your network. I'll keep it professional, but at this stage, I'm not sure if anything romantic is possible since it seems to only be work related. My mind is elsewhere anyway, but I'll keep an open mind anyway. We'll see how it goes.

 

Thanks for the update. Haha, it seems I was not off when I suggested that you might have other candidates in related fields to recommend in future But like Versace said, things are not fixed; if you find him as attractive and interesting as last time, then it wouldn’t hurt to be a bit playful during your coffee. I think it might be unprofessional of him to hit on you, but I don’t see there’s any issue if you give him a bit of encouragement

[ShiningMoon]

Thanks for the update. Haha, it seems I was not off when I suggested that you might have other candidates in related fields to recommend in future But like Versace said, things are not fixed; if you find him as attractive and interesting as last time, then it wouldn’t hurt to be a bit playful during your coffee. I think it might be unprofessional of him to hit on you, but I don’t see there’s any issue if you give him a bit of encouragement

 

No, indeed! You were not far off at all. Actually, I didn't think he had set up his own company, but whatever works for him I guess!

 

Hopefully, I'll get out of my "I miss my former job" funk by next week and I will be in proper shape to meet up with him. If he's as attractive and as interesting as the last time I saw him, then my subtle playfulness will definitely emerge.

 

We will see what happens. I'll keep updating this thread haha.

 

Thank you again for the advice!

[ShiningMoon]

Hi all,

 

An update:

 

I've decided to put a halt on meeting up with him at the moment for the following reasons:

 

1. I'm still unsure as to whether I actually like my new job, so I'm ot fit to give a proper feedback. I still very much miss my former team & employer. It's a wait and see mode at the moment.

 

2. He wasn't honest when he was about to leave the company. Instead of being upfront and advising he was leaving the company, he just he was going on vacation for a few weeks .. only for me to find out a week later that he was gone. Although I'm not sure if this is a company policy to not inform clients of one's departure or his idea, this doesn't make me trust him enough to provide him with information on my current employer.

 

3. He said he's setting up his company, but I feel uneasy sharing information in my current employer's recruitment process and possible candidates in my network to someone who is not legally affiliated with a recruitment agency.

 

I understand he's networking for the purpose of bringing business to his new company and I wouldn't mind helping, but I'm not in the right mindset currently.

 

As far as the flirting part is concerned, this falls low on my priority list at the moment (actually, it's nowhere in sight). I got carried away initially as I was under the excitment of leaving a job for another and I wasn't thinking properly.

 

I haven't texted him to schedule, he hasn't either, so it's on pause for now.

 

Thank you all for your help!