Honesty is the Best Policy When Working with a Recruiter

Question:

I am an associate who is currently on a job search. In addition to applying to firms recommended by the recruiter, I am also applying to other firms on my own. Do I need to inform the recruiter about my separate search? Is it any of the recruiter's business?

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Answer:

It most certainly is the recruiter's business. The recruiter is spending valuable time and effort to get you a job. This information is vital to that task. Moreover, how can you expect people to be candid with you if you won't be candid with them?
 

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First of all, conducting a separate search (whether on your own or with additional recruiter(s)) while working with a recruiter is generally not a good idea. Do you usually have multiple quarterbacks calling separate plays for the same team? Multiple cooks cooking the same broth different ways? You get the point. In recruiting, engaging in uncoordinated separate searches is especially problematic. This is because of the damaging conflicts that can occur when you have two (or more) people applying to the same firm on your behalf. You also mess up the timing of your firm interviews. If you stick to one highly experienced and highly competent recruiter to oversee and manage your search (like one good quarterback to lead your offense), they can maximize the chances of your getting interviews in the first place. They can also maximize the chances that the timing will be such that you will have multiple offers to consider, or even be the focus of a "bidding war."This is the best scenario you can get in a law firm job search.

Granted, there may be a few exceptional circumstances where you may need to apply somewhere on your own, or you may have already done so before you retained the recruiter. But even if you are in this situation, you should at least tell your recruiter everywhere you have applied (or plan to apply) on your own or with another recruiter. Otherwise, you invite the problems described above.

For example, I recently got an interview for a partner candidate at a highly regarded firm. The partner told me that he was very excited about this firm. When the time for the interview came, however, I received an email from the partner informing me that he had just accepted an offer froman apparently lesser firm. By not being honest with me, he had hurt himself. Had he at least told me what he was doing, I could have potentially gotten him at least one more offer. And two offers (or more) are always better than one. This is because more choice means more likelihood of finding the right firm. Sure, there is a possibility that he ended up in the right firm anyway. But the odds are not as much in his favor as they would have been if he had worked with me rather than against me.

Summary: When you work with a legal recruiter, you should be open and honest with them about every law firm that you apply to. This will avoid future problems