Episode #207 – Confidentiality When Dealing with an Animal Health Recruiter or Veterinary Recruiter
Julea: Welcome to “The Animal Health and Veterinary Employment Insider,” brought to you by The VET Recruiter. In this podcast, Animal Health executive recruiter and Veterinary recruiter Stacy Pursell of The VET Recruiter provides insight and practical advice for both employers and job seekers in the Animal Health and Veterinary industries. The VET Recruiter’s focus is to solve talent-centric problems for the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession. In fact, The VET Recruiter’s mission is to help Animal Health and Veterinary companies hire top talent, while helping Animal Health and Veterinary professionals attain career-enhancing opportunities that increase their quality of life.
In today’s podcast episode, we’ll be talking about confidentiality when dealing with an Animal Health recruiter or Veterinary recruiter. Hello, Stacy, and thank you for joining us today.
Stacy: Hello, Julea. As always, I’m glad to be here with you.
Julea: Stacy, what prompted you to want to talk about this topic today?
Stacy: A number of reasons, actually Julea. The main reason, though, is that this is a topic that professionals are sometimes concerned with. I know this because they bring it up when I contact them about the possibility of exploring a career opportunity.
Julea: They’re worried about confidentiality? Is that what they say?
Stacy: In so many words. It depends on which stage of the hiring process it is. What some of them ask when I first contact them is, “How did you get my name?” While they’re not asking specifically about confidentiality, when they ask this question, that’s what they’re really worried about.
Julea: What do you say when they ask you that question?
Stacy: Well, I actually have a standard response to this question. I say, “It’s my job as an Animal Health recruiter and Veterinary recruiter to know who the players are in our industry and how to get in contact with them. I specialize in identifying the best talent in the Animal Health and Veterinary industries exclusively. Because of this, I speak with around 100 people every week or more (which I do), and I’m not sure who may have referred me. But I can tell you that they must have spoken highly enough about you, and I wanted to reach out for this conversation. I’m looking for someone with your qualifications and would like to share an opportunity with you and see where we go from there.”
Julea: What is typically their response when you tell them that?
Stacy: Reactions vary, as you might imagine. However, when I explain to them the situation, that usually helps defuse their fears. But their fear gets in the way of how they should feel when a recruiter contacts them.
Julea: How should they feel Stacy when a recruiter contacts them?
Stacy: They should be flattered! When a recruiter contacts you, it means that you are highly regarded within your industry. It means that you’re a top player in the marketplace, and you could very well be in the top 5% to 10% of professionals working in the same field as you.
Julea: But some people respond with fear about confidentiality?
Stacy: Yes, that, or occasionally someone will be offended to get a call from an Animal Health Executive Recruiter or Veterinary Recruiter.
Julea: Offended? I find that really surprising Stacy. I can’t imagine why someone would be offended to get a call from a recruiter. That seems strange to me. I know I would feel flattered to get a call from a recruiter.
Stacy: Oh, yes. It happens from time to time, that someone is offended and there really is no rhyme or reason to it. We’ve had professionals who have been offended because we contacted them on their work phone. We’ve also had professionals who were offended that we sent an email to their personal email address.
Julea: It almost seems like you can’t win, no matter which approach you take.
Stacy: Yes, that is what it feels like sometimes. Fortunately, it is rare for someone to get offended, but it has happened on a few occasions. What professionals have to understand is that we use the contact information that we have on hand when reaching out to them about a career opportunity. But as we’ve discussed before, professionals should not react in fear or be offended when a recruiter contacts them. Instead, they should be flattered and realize that their confidentiality has not been breached. It is a recruiter’s job to keep information confidentiality. My hallmark is confidentiality.
Julea: Stacy, what are professionals primarily worried about. What is the cause of their fear?
Stacy: Basically, they’re worried that their boss is going to find out that they’re having a conversation with a recruiter. Some of the other questions they typically ask me include:
- “Is this process confidential?”
- “Are you going to make sure that my employer doesn’t find out I’m exploring other opportunities?”
- “Does anyone know that I’m interviewing with this company?”
Julea: Why would someone be concerned about having a conversation with a recruiter?
Stacy: Fear, but fear is rarely rational. Instead, it’s irrational. In this case, the person is afraid that their boss is going to find out that they’re having a conversation with a recruiter, and they believe that if their boss finds out, then their boss is going to think that they’re disloyal to the organization. And if that happens, then they think their job is going to be in jeopardy.
Julea: That is a bit irrational, don’t you think Stacy?
Stacy: It is irrational in my opinion Julea, and especially with how low the unemployment rate is in the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession right now, especially in the Veterinary Profession. Despite the pandemic and despite the economy, top talent is still in demand, so if an Animal Health or Veterinary professional is considered to be a top candidate, then they shouldn’t be too worried or afraid of speaking with an Animal Health recruiter or Veterinary Recruiter.
Julea: Stacy, you addressed what you say to Animal Health professionals and Veterinary professionals when you first contact them about a career opportunity. What about the rest of the hiring process? What do you say to professionals about how you’re going to keep their confidentiality safe during the interviewing the hiring process?
Stacy: Specifically, confidentiality is extremely important to what I do. As a result, I practice it with both my clients and with job seekers and candidates. Basically, I view it as part of my job as an Animal Health recruiter and Veterinary recruiter to provide confidentiality for both parties for the duration of the interviewing and hiring process. I make it a point to talk with candidates about the fact that I keep the confidentiality of both candidates and my clients.
Julea: Tell us more about that Stacy.
Stacy: I want candidates to know that the interview process is a two-way street. They should know that I recommend to my clients that they treat all candidates involved in the process with the same level of respect that they expect to be treated. I tell my clients that there are two main things that they should respect in regards to candidates during the hiring process. They should respect their confidentiality and their time.
I tell my clients that if they don’t respect the time and confidentiality of candidates, those candidates will be more likely to drop out of the process. I want them to know that confidentiality is the hallmark of what I do as a recruiter. But there’s also another reason why I tell candidates this.
Julea: What’s that Stacy?
Stacy: If I, as an Animal Health recruiter and Veterinary recruiter, am going to keep the confidentiality of a candidate’s job search, then I am going to do the same with the confidentiality of my client’s candidate search. This sometimes becomes a problem when a particular job candidate wants me to disclose the name of the employer when I am not at liberty to do so.
Julea: Does this happen often?
Stacy: Not terribly often but it does happen sometimes, and you can see why it poses a problem. First of all, the organization could be replacing an underperforming employee or is in the process of hiring “under the radar.” As a result, some employers will not want me to disclose its identity until a certain point in the hiring process. That point is when the candidate in question has proven to be a valid candidate for the position and is moving forward.
So I don’t withhold the name of the employer in order to keep candidates “in the dark.” Instead, I do so to honor my client’s request for confidentiality until we reach the appropriate stage of the process.
You can see the problem with wanting a recruiter to provide confidentiality when it benefits you and then turning around and asking them NOT to provide it when, incidentally, it just so happens to benefit you again. The savvier candidates, especially top executives or the to 5-10% of the talent pool usually does understand that executive recruiters have to keep information confidential. Less experienced candidates sometimes don’t understand this.
Julea: Yes, I can definitely see the problem with that.
Stacy: The bottom line is that confidentiality is the lifeblood of what I do as an Animal Health recruiter and Veterinary recruiter. I offer, provide, and practice confidentiality with both candidates and employers throughout the interviewing and hiring process. But I understand why job seekers and candidates are apprehensive, especially considering the times that we live in.
Julea: Stacy, now that you’ve bought that up, how has the COVID-19 pandemic affected things, in terms of the recruiting and hiring process.
Stacy: To me, confidentiality has not become any less important because of the pandemic. Quite the contrary: I believe that it has become even more important, especially for professionals who are exploring the opportunities that exist in the marketplace and are looking to grow their careers.
I applaud those who are exploring these opportunities and not allowing fear to stop them from moving forward. So I fully understand their need for confidentiality and am 100% capable of providing a level of confidentiality that will bring them peace of mind.
Julea: And peace of mind is in short supply these days!
Stacy: Yes, it is. There is no doubt about that.
Julea: Stacy, we’re just about out of time. Is there anything else that you’d like to add before we end today’s podcast episode?
Stacy: Yes, I do. I want to add one more thing. I think this topic underscores the confusion that some people have when it comes to Executive Recruiters and Search Consultants. And that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to talk about this on the podcast today and why we’ve discussed similar topics in the past. Unfortunately, there are some professionals who have misconceptions about recruiters and working with recruiters. As a result, they don’t know how to act and react when dealing with a recruiter, especially for the first time.
As a result, I think it’s important to dispel false notions that some people may have. Obviously, I know that recruiters can be of tremendous value to professionals. However, I also know that not everyone knows how valuable recruiters can be. I think that if they did, then they would understand how beneficial it is if you are in the Animal Health Industry to build a relationship with an Animal Health recruiter or if you are in the Veterinary Industry the benefit of working with a Veterinary recruiter to help grow their career.
If you work with an experienced Animal Health recruiter or Veterinary Recruiter who has a track record of placing people just like you, then you greatly increase the chances that you’ll be able to find a great new job and grow your career the way that you want to.
Julea: Stacy, thank you so much for all of this great information Stacy. But before we end today’s podcast episode, I’d like to talk once again about your role as an Animal Health and Veterinary strategic talent advisor. I know that we’ve discussed this before, but can you remind our listening audience what that means, exactly?
Stacy: Absolutely! It means a couple of things, actually. As an Animal Health and Veterinary strategic talent advisor, I advise Animal Health talent and Veterinary talent about their career and the best ways of growing it. You might say that I advise talent. You could also say that I’m a “career agent” for top professionals, similar to the way that Tom Cruise was an agent in the movie Jerry Maguire.
On the other hand, I’m also a talent advisor for employers, including Animal Health companies and Veterinary organizations.
Julea: So you advise employers about the talent that exists in the marketplace?
Stacy: Yes, that’s right. But it goes beyond just identifying the top talent in the marketplace. It also involves recruiting those candidates, communicating with them and engaging them during the hiring process, and helping to close them during the negotiation stage of the process. There is a lot involved in successfully hiring the best candidates, and my role as an Animal Health and Veterinary strategic talent advisor helps my clients do that.
One of the core values of The VET Recruiter is a “win-win mindset.” We’ve talked about this before. This mindset means that when someone gives us something, we feel compelled to give them something in return. Conversely, when you first give something to someone else, they will feel compelled to give something to you in return. We at The VET Recruiter always strive to give first, to both candidates and employers. We want to achieve a “win-win situation” with everyone and for everyone.
Julea: For more information about The VET Recruiter and the services that it provides to both employers and professionals, we invite everyone listening to visit www.thevetrecruiter.com. Stacy, as always, thank you for joining us today.
Stacy: Julea, It’s been my pleasure, and I look forward to our next episode of “The Animal Health and Veterinary Employment Insider”!