Thanks for rejecting my offer!

I recruit IT experts and leaders. Together with my husband, we’ve set up an IT recruitment agency, Itworx, and made it our mission to help tech candidates fulfill their career aspirations and organizations fill in their IT vacancies. We’re looking for the gifted.

My everyday work is to find this match between two needs: a company’s need to fill in a seat in their orchestra in order to make better music, and a candidate’s need and readiness to pick up another instrument, or to change the orchestra and play for different audiences.

I stay away from the “post and pray” approach that is still mainstream on the market. One of my techniques is to use LinkedIn and poke candidates. I know many do it, some better, some worse. I strive to fit in the first range: not over shouting, not over selling, carefully reading your profile and attempting a match. It’s not always perfect, for all the reasons in the world.

Some candidates will be interested. Something in the lines I wrote got their attention, or they were just ready and the timing was perfect. Good for them.

Others will reply back that they’re not interested. That they’re not considering a change right now; maybe in the future. Although my recruiter heart is disappointed because that perfectly fit candidate will not go any further with my vacancy, my HR and largely human heart feels happy for them.

• For they are in a place where they are professionally challenged, where they learn and grow.

• Or they are part of a project and would not conceive to leave the boat before reaching the shores.

• Or they are in a comfort zone at a time in their lives when they just need to embrace comfort and stay a little longer (even if business books would advise otherwise, who cares?).

• Or they are part of a team of friends - they have their rituals, they hang out together or have their inner jokes.

• Or they have this amazing boss who inspires them to put their best out there, who is rolling out the sleeves and whom they don’t want to disappoint.

• Or they’re proud to work for a brand that speaks to them in some particular way.

• Or they just feel they’re part of something that is good for them - maybe hard to name it, but just heartfelt.

• Or they didn’t like the job I put forward and they were too kind to tell it in my face - thanks :-)

• Or they're just very clear about what they're looking after (size, industry, role) and would scout the market carefully before making the next step.

Whichever the case, being offered a change and rejecting it is the biggest form of loyalty. I can only be happy for these employers.

As recruiters, we see a lot of the in&out dynamics - people leaving jobs, vacancies to be filled, more recruitment business opportunities, new people coming in.

But we also see a lot of the stability, persistence, growth, maturity, courage to not quit even if this would be easiest to do. We just need to hold and praise it.

Thanks for rejecting my offer. I know today’s NO can be tomorrow’s MAYBE or YES and I plan to be there for you when that time comes.

(www.itworx.ro)