Kudos to Dennis the Headhunter

I got this “cold call” email today:

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 12:19:09 -0700

From: Dennis R...

To: Michael Radwin <michael@...>

Subject: Could you/your family be interested in moving to Seattle

area to do Browser and/or algorithm work for AMAZON?

Hello Michael,

I know this is out of the blue.  No, we've never

communicated before, to my knowledge.

Please let me know if you're at all interested.

Thanks,

Dennis R...  -  Principal Account Manager

425-xxx-xxxx   or   800-xxx-xxxx

I told him “Thanks, but no thanks,” since I’m happy with my job right now and we’re going to be in LA for the forseeable future.

He did several things right that recruiters usually get wrong:

• He was honest and direct, and admitted that he didn’t know me. Aside from jobs (often with companies you’ve never heard of), headhunters don’t have much to offer. The best they can do is show you courtesy and respect.
• He thought about my family. That’s imprortant; I’m not some 22-year-old kid who can just pack up and move to a new city without affecting other people.
• He called me Michael, not Mike. Unless you know someone personally (or they say otherwise), I think it’s professional courtesy to address someone by their full name. It’s the closest thing English has to Usted.

So, although I’m not interested in the job, maybe some of my readers are. Drop me a private email and I’ll forward Dennis’ contact info to you.