The Paper Trail
I have policy that I clearly state for each staffing firm that
I interview with, "Contact me before submitting my resume to
any organization." ALWAYS!
A few years ago I was between contracts and, as usual, I was working
with several staffing firms to find a new contract. A firm I had
work with before called to discuss an opportunity at the parent
company of a place where they had contacted me before. Both the
staffing firm and the client were known quantities. So far so good.
I interviewed and they liked me. Even better.
On my first day, however, the HR manager dropped a bomb. Another
staffing firm had submitted my 'paper' (an industry term for your
resume) without telling me. The HR manager was in a bind;
her policy said that the staffing firm that submitted the resume
first got the contract but I was already in the door with another
staffing firm. Not good. Now the HR manager has started to wonder
if I'm some kind of problem.
For a while I wondered if I let two firms submit my resume to the
same place!
That wasn't the situation in this case. The other firm did not
ask my permission. I had to chew out the firm (gently) that did
not ask my permission to submit my paper to the client, ensuring
I would probably not get work through them in the future... which
is probably for the better.
I think the rule about asking permission is a good one. In the
situation described above the second staffing firm messed up. But,
there are ways to ensure you don't mess up too.
Keep a log of where your 'paper' has been sent. Every time you
send out your resume -- by mail (paper) or electronically -- record
it in a log. Use a spreadsheet so you can resort the list. Enter
the employer's name, the method you used to submit the resume (e.g.
"monster"), the headhunter or staffing firm that submitted
your resume, and the date.
Resume Activity Log
| Employer |
Method |
Firm |
Date Sent |
| ABC Computers |
n/a |
Staffing R Us |
11-18-2005 |
| ... |
Monster.com |
n/a |
... |
With this log in place you can see exactly where your resume has
been submitted, by whom, and when.
|