Relationships
Somewhere along the way, the relationships became the work.
A search ends. The people in it go on with their careers, and a lot of them stay in my life.
I learned this in small companies. I was the second recruiter Elon interviewed and selected at Tesla when he first took over as CEO, and the company had about 250 employees. Later I was one of the first 100 people at Neuralink. When a company is that size, everyone you hire is someone you will work beside. You get careful about what you promise, and you tell people the truth because you will be seeing them again.
At Tesla I worked in both Recruiting and Human Resources, and I spent a good part of my time there as an HR Manager during the toughest times. A recruiter mostly meets people on a hopeful day. In HR I was with the same people on the hard days. I learned that people remember how you treated them when the news was bad, and that they can take a straight answer if you give it with care.
That shapes how I treat candidates and companies now. I follow up with everyone, whatever the outcome. If you didn't get the job, you hear that from me, along with whatever I can tell you about why. Past candidates and hiring leaders still pick up when I call, and I pick up when they do.
Working with me
What a relationship with me looks like.
These hold whether you're hiring or looking, and whether or not we end up working together.
I tell you where you stand.
You'll know what the role is and how the process works. If something hasn't been decided yet, I'll tell you that too.
I give you a straight answer.
If a role isn't right for you, I'll say so and tell you why. Companies get the same honesty about candidates, including candidates I like.
I do the vetting myself.
I personally vet every candidate and every opportunity before I introduce anyone. That call is mine.
I wait for your yes.
I describe a role to a candidate first. I share nothing about that candidate with the company until the candidate tells me to go ahead.
I never charge a candidate.
Companies engage me and pay me. That is the only way I'm paid.
You hear back from me.
Whether it works out or it doesn't, I follow up. A no gets a call or a note too, so you aren't left guessing.
On any given search, the company is my client. I'm still straight with the candidate about the role, and I would rather lose a placement than make a bad match.
An invitation
If this is how you'd want to be treated, let's talk.
Tell me about the role you need to fill, or the move you're thinking about. You'll be talking with me, and you'll hear back from me afterward whatever we decide.
Thanks for reading this far.RikRik Avalos, Austin, Texas