Today’s guest blogger is Rick Corey with OpticsProfessionals, LLC in Rochester, New York, USA. OpticsProfessionals specializes fields of optics, photonics and imaging technology. OpticsProfessionals, LLC assists employers in staffing key talent, while helping individuals with career transition and growth opportunities. Rick is the immediate past chair of the NPA Board of Directors.

As a recruiter, do you ever work cooperatively with recruiters from other firms to make split placements?

I have done this a number of times, reaching out to someone who may be viewed as competition, but who could also be a trusted partner. It can be a recruiter I ask for assistance with if I’m having a problem coming up with appropriate candidates, or a recruiter I know that has some great connections into a company and I’ve got the perfect candidate.

In any case, it’s a recruiter with a good, ethical reputation; someone I feel I can trust. We make an agreement as to how we will work together on the split placement (usually a 50/50 split).

Years ago, I kept hearing of a recruiter working in the same field I do. I would call a candidate with a job order and find out the “other recruiter” had already called him. And it turns out he was hearing the same about me. He called me one day and left a “stinging” voicemail. I called him back and invited him to lunch. We met, and our respect for each other greatly increased.

From that day forward we worked on a number of split placements together, and to this day are the best of friends (he retired from the business a couple of years ago).

A client of mine once coined the term “coopetition”… working with a competitor for the betterment of both companies. That’s what I like to think when I’m closing deals with other recruiters: coopetition.