A Good Recruiter Doesn’t Mean It’s a Good Fit
Just a brief thought today. It’s just a simple pitfall that I keep seeing popping up. In a headline, it’s when advisors mistake fit (or bad fit) with a recruiter for fit (or bad fit) with a firm.
Long-term alignment has very little to do with the recruiter. We need to do a better job of separating the two when talking to potential firms.
What I Watch For
When I’m working with an advisor, I’m not just booking intros with a dozen firms and hoping one feels good. I’m doing heavy filtering in advance by culture, technology, service model, and values, so when we show up to an intro call, there’s a reason we’re talking to that firm.
It helps ground my advisors to see beyond the first call with the recruiter. I mentioned the problem of the exceptional recruiter-bad firm combo. We also have to look beyond the bad recruiter, great firm possibility. In the last year, I’ve seen bad first calls because:
The recruiter is brand new and doesn’t have all the answers
A specific recruiter is unresponsive
Or there’s just obvious personality misalignment
For better or worse, look past the recruiter. Advisors walk away from a great firm because they had a bad intro call. Others fall in love with a platform because they had a great call, even when the fit is off.
Eliminate Distractions
The intro call is a data point. It’s not the destination. A good recruiter might get you excited, and a poor misaligned recruiter might make you feel doubt. Neither should be driving the whole decision.
If there’s true misalignment, I’ll often bring in someone else from the recruiting org who’s a better match for your style or priorities. Eliminate distractions that make it hard for you to assess the firm, not just the recruiter.
Final Thought
A firm is not its recruiter. A recruiter is not your long-term business partner.
Chemistry is nice. Fit is better.
If you’re considering a move, don’t settle for one or the other. You deserve both, and I can help you tell the difference.