A guest blog from our partners at recLAW, the leading lawyers to the recruitment industry, letting you know how to handle a suspected back door hire.
So…. you’ve submitted the candidates, the interviews are complete, you’re looking forward to the good news and then… well… nothing. The Client goes silent, and one of the candidates is no longer returning your calls, you seem to have been blocked on LinkedIn. Your sensors should be going wild right now. If you suspect your client might be trying to pull a fast one there are some key dos and don’ts that you should put in place straight away.
Firstly, let’s look at the don’ts.
- Don’t panic!
- Don’t publicly accuse the client.
- Don’t go to the client’s office, demanding access and immediate payment!
- Don’t say anything that might jeopardise your case at a later date, for example, “oh that’s fine” when a client says they already know the candidate.
- Don’t let your suspicions go.
Ok, so what should you do?
- Start evidence gathering as soon as you spot any red flags. The signs could be entirely innocent but if you see any of them and certainly if more than one occurs, you should start investigating and evidence gathering as soon as possible!
- Check your contract terms. Make sure the contract your client signed is robust and covers all the possible routes for a sneaky hire, especially the route you think they might have taken.
- Take a soft approach with the client initially. State that you believe someone you already formally introduced to the company is now working for them but that you have not received your fee. You could follow up by saying that this is probably an oversight but that you would like the full details of the placement including salary and start date so that you can send the correct invoice to the relevant person. The advantage of this approach is that it gives the company the chance to right the situation without anyone burning any bridges. It might be a genuine oversight and you won’t have lost any potential future work.
- Check in with the candidate. They might not even be aware they’ve been hired on the sly. Or the client might have asked them to keep quiet but that isn’t sitting right with them. Do bear in mind, however, that this candidate will want to keep their new job so try to avoid putting them in an awkward situation and certainly don’t tell the client that the candidate has shared all the information you need.
- Have a written process for dealing with this situation! Make sure that you have all the above placed into an official process so that all your recruiters know exactly what to do if they suspect anything untoward. Even if you are a recruiter who has branched out on their own, a written process can be really helpful in the moment of panic when you think you’ve been backdoored!
And finally, get the experts in! We’re here to help. If you have any suspicions at all, give us a call and we can go from there.
