Intermediaries navigate between two or more parties interested in a transaction to help them achieve a successful outcome. Two examples are in real estate and recruiting.
On Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles S6:E3, real estate agent Josh Flagg co-listed the house of a junior broker whose parents were the client.
In a somewhat comical scene, the junior broker’s father asked to meet the people that would ultimately buy their house to ensure they truly appreciated the 50’s-style home.
Josh opined that as the seller, he shouldn’t meet his new buyer and that what they do with the new home as owners will be their business. Clearly, the junior broker’s father was emotionally tied to the property, but his desires could disrupt its sale.
In recruiting: after a month-long search, we just made a placement with a client for a very specialized skill set. Coaching this candidate, as with watching Josh’s clip, reinforced the concept of how valuable an intermediary can be.
Our client was highly interested in the candidate post-interview but had a few additional questions. These included the reasoning behind some of her earlier career changes, what she thought of the team, and whether she was genuinely interested in a career track different from her experience to date or a potential offer.
- Career changes? The client wanted a little more information to ensure the candidate was interested in joining them and understand her potential to stick with their team.
The candidate was a cold recruit (had not been seeking a job change) and had changed roles nine months prior, so she was somewhat apprehensive about being thought of as a job hopper.
Going through the strength of the client’s portfolio, their growth rate, the specifics of the job, and the idea that she would now be getting sponsor (biotech) company experience helped provide a compelling story should she need to discuss the transition with a future employer.
- What did she think of the team? She liked the team and hearing their perspectives about the company and how her new role would integrate with the client’s existing unit. However, by speaking with me as an intermediary, she felt more comfortable expressing honest views than if she had been communicating directly with the head of the business uni
- Career track? The role moved her out of a project management function and into a more quality-focused career. It took her from a CRO (services orientation) to a biotech company (product orientation that uses CRO’s as partners).
- Remuneration? The candidate had not offered up detailed guidance on her present or desired compensation initially, but we gave her our target up front. This later had to be compared against her current earnings in a what-she’d-be-getting-and-what-she’d-be-giving-up We reviewed this information to make a reasonable counter-offer to the employer, which they accepted.
There are many benefits to having an intermediary help your company conduct its next job search. If you’d like some help with this and to understand how you can overcome some of these issues, please contact us.