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January 2025 #17306 Page #104
Design Connections
Geordie Secord, Senior Recruiter TheJobLine.com – Canada
The Personal Side of The JobLine
P
ast articles by Thom and myself have discussed some of the things that make The JobLine stand out from other recruiters. In fact, Thom’s article in this issue also focuses on what makes us different. But, I’d like to shed a more personal light on this difference by sharing my own experience in searching for a new opportunity through Thom – because I am in the unique position of having been a JobLine candidate as well as a JobLine recruiter. In 1996, I was working in sales for a company that produced connector plates and engineered wood products. My role was largely to support our customers and to promote our EWP products to the design and building communities. I had been happily working for the company for about four years when I began to be concerned about changes that seemed to be coming – changes to my compensation package and changes to my work location. I decided that if I were going to have to move for work, it would be to a location of my choosing – somewhere warmer than Northern Ontario seemed like a good idea – and so I began my search. Of course, at that time the internet was little more than a novelty, so I turned to ads in Don Carlson’s Automated Builder magazine and contacted a few recruiters. Some recruiters ignored that my experience was largely in sales and design and sent my resume off to companies looking for production managers. Others ignored my desire to stay somewhere in eastern North America. One recruiter convinced me to interview with a company in Florida, although I had reservations from the outset. I had a good conversation with the general manager though, and that evening we went to dinner with the owner. The first words out of the man’s mouth, even before hello, were “If you are coming to work for me you will have to sign a non-compete agreement.” Shocked, I told him I hoped we would enjoy a pleasant meal and some good conversation, but if his first concern before any discussion about my skills or their plans was protecting himself after I left his company then I probably was talking to the wrong company. I later learned, and found that my recruiter knew up front, that the company had turned over their complete office staff twice within the last two years, often with the help of the same recruiter that sent me there. Obviously, he wasn’t looking out for me or any of the other people he had placed, just looking for his next placement fee.
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