Name Gathering

The Concept:

Name gathering can be ethically dubious at best. It is often used in the recruitment industry to find additional candidates, but could also be put into practice to find targets for a telephone sales pitch. The idea from a recruitment point of view is that if you have one CV on your desk from a candidate who is suitable for a number of roles or perhaps a role that is difficult to fill it is likely that their colleagues have similar skills and experience. They are likely to be the same calibre and therefore they are also likely to be able to fill the same roles. The goal for a headhunter is to establish the names of the candidate’s colleagues so that they can be headhunted at a later date. A sales person could use similar techniques to identify potential targets for sales calls.

The Method:

Firstly, the recruiter can gather a lot of information directly from the candidate in initial discussions. They should know how big the team is and where the candidate fits into it. This will give the headhunter a sort of organisational chart to fill in with various members of the team. The goal is to then fill in the names using a number of methods.

a) Ask for referrals. Often overlooked, but if you are providing a good service and the target has colleagues who may be of interest to you, you should be able to get a name.

b) Use LinkedIn or other professional networking sites to see if you can get any names.

c) Use a Ruse. This is, essentially, a lie and where the ethical line becomes a little blurred. It is designed to get you the names from a receptionist, or from the candidate (or buyer) themselves without them realising what it is for. If you have spoken to the candidate or buyer recently, it may be necessary to use an accent to avoid recognition, or get a colleague to name gather your candidates for you. Here are a few examples.

- You are calling from a parcel delivery company. The driver is due to be delivering a parcel tomorrow and needs to know who can sign for it if the signatory (the candidate) is not in. The delivery note says it cannot be left at reception due to its sensitive nature and must be left with somebody in the team. You suggest that recipients normally just suggest whoever is sitting next to them. This ruse can be used either on the candidate or on the receptionist who answers the phone. If you can get through to somebody in the same department as the candidate, this can be used in just the same way. Once you have got down a few names, try qualifying the names, perhaps by elaborating on the delivery – for example, it is a magazine or software package for developers. Would the signatories be keen on receiving a copy too?

- You are calling from the HR department. There is due to be a fire drill later in the week and you need a seating plan, but the database is down.

- You are calling from a television network, looking for contestants for a new show. Previous teams have been doctors, lawyers, advertisers etc, and this week you are looking for a team of (eg) developers. Nothing is being confirmed yet, but you want to send some details to people who are keen.

There is also another scenario in which name gathering can be useful. You have a candidate or buyer who has just accepted a job somewhere else. His new team is likely to have a similar skill set.

- In this scenario, call the candidate on his first day at his new job. In this ruse, you are calling from the HR department, to see how he is settling in on his first day. Firstly, you confirm he has received the welcome pack/contracts sent. Secondly, you want to know who he has been introduced to so far.

All of these names, once gathered are written into the organisation chart and either name gathered themselves for further names, or headhunted directly. In a sales context, they can be called directly for a sales call