Dear Nicky,
I got a call from an NPAworldwide recruiter telling me they were going to contact MY client because I did not send along a resume they deemed a perfect fit. Can they do this? What are the rules?
Fuming in Fennville
Dear Fenn,
Good question. No partner may contact another partner's client without the express permission of that partner (preferably in writing). Here is the relevant citation from the Operations Manual, Section A. Policies, Item 7b. Do Not Contact Clients Without Permisson:
Importers are not required to provide access to their employer/client. Contact with an employer client of an affiliate, without the express permission of that affiliate, relative to that client’s consideration of a candidate or the collection of a fee is in violation of these rules. Should there be a significant delay in agreed payment terms by a client, it may be appropriate for the affiliate with the client relationship to allow direct client contact to facilitate accelerated payment or confirmation of the expected date of payment.
Your first course of action is to speak to the owner of the partner firm. Owners are fully responsible for the actions of their recruiters as well as ensuring their recruiters understand NPAworldwide rules. Not knowing the rules is not an acceptable excuse for for not following them.
If you are unable to resolve this issue on an owner-to-owner basis, the next step is to contact your board director. The board director can speak to the other owner and/or bring in an additional director if needed. Owner are responsible and accountable to each other for following the rules - it's what makes our network work.
Nicky
send letters to: nanderson@npaworldwide.com