Saw It With My Own Two Eyes

Yesterday's Daily ERE Article by Dr. John pronounced Michael Lackaye, formerly of Quicken Loans (formerly? Mr. Homula is also formerly I assume, he seems to of fallen off the face of the earth!), the "World's Most Aggressive Recruiter". I won't make a judgment here of whether or not that is true (unlike Karen and Anthony with their comments on the articles, think they have an axe to grind or what?). I can say though that having spent time with both Michael's, I have alot of respect for their talent and their willingness to 'do what it takes' to find talent.

I had the fortune to actually witness "The Bank Caper" that Dr. John referred to first hand. I had just finished dinner with the Quicken Loans team, and was heading back to the hotel lobby when we noticed this sales conference and what the host company had done to identify their top performers. When we got to the lobby, we saw that the sales conference had adjourned to the hotel bar. I accompanied the Quicken Loans team to the bar for a nightcap, and watched them in action. It was like 'shooting fish in a barrel' for these guys. The salesmen at this conference weren't a target for any opportunities at my company, I was just along for the ride and got to witness first-hand some great Recruiters at work.

According to Dr. John, the networking continued past that evening, and the follow-up resulted in some great hires. Dr. John makes the very important point that those who were hired as a result of the actions by 'The Michaels' made the decision to join Quicken Loans by 'choosing what was best for themselves and their families.' The Quicken Loans team simply took advantage of a situation that was placed right in their lap. Was this necessarily 'aggressive'? I didn't think so, they didn't force anyone to talk to them, they certainly didn't force anyone to accept their offer of employment. They were simply good Recruiters who did their company a great service by taking advantage of an opportunity to hire top performers that were unwittingly showcased by a company that had no idea that there were 'sharks in the tank'.

Where in the world is Mike Homula anyway? Hope all is well with him, and I hope Michael Lackaye does well in his future endeavors as well.