Over the last 20 years, I've received a lot of phone calls from A/E industry recruiters. The calls were sometimes about low- to mid-level marketing positions, but most often were about engineering or architectural positions in which I had neither qualifications nor interest. Once that was established, the recruiter almost always asked me I knew of anyone else who might be interested.
My stock answer was something to the effect that I saw no reason why I should do their job while they collected the commission. (I thought that I was being very smart!)
Now, I'm reading a book called "Never Eat Alone," by Keith Ferrazzi. On pp.132 and 133, Ferrazzi says, "Headhunters are professional matchmakers... I return every call from them, helping to tap my network to find people for their jobs. I know they'll help me with access to some of their clients when I need their help. After all, they are in the networking business."
Now, 20 years later and, I hope, 20 years smarter, I know that my standard answer to those recruiters was not smart, but merely "smartass!"
Now, after a long and (mostly) successful career as an A/E/C/environmental industry marketing professional, I know that successful networking starts with giving, with helping others, and that you can only ask for favors after you have created the relationship -- you have to give before you can get.
So I have to wonder how differently my three job searches over the last 12 years might have turned out if I hadn't been such a smartass... if I had developed solid, respectful relationships with a few successful recruiters... if I had understood 20 years ago that "what's in it for me?" is not always the best attitude with which to build a relationship.
Would I be just where I am now? Would I be working at my dream job at my dream firm? Would my company, The Siben Consult, LLC, have have a staff of five or six people and need to turn away work for lack of bodies to execute projects?
There's no way to know.
But I do wonder.
"Remember the Alamoo!"
(downtown Austin art-cow collection)