HBO’s hit series Entourage is entertainment for many, but it can also be an education in hiring sales representatives. Massachusetts recruiters and nationwide job placement services can learn a thing or two from Ari Gold, the wheeling and dealing talent agent to the stars played by Jeremy Piven.

Eliot Burdett at Peak Sales Recruiting loves Ari, calling him an “utter selling machine” who is a

“shrewd and decisive negotiator—he knows what he wants and what he will leverage to get it, so…he typically gets what he wants.”

This is true, but is it a good thing? Ari may be able to get what he wants, but often it is all about the money, and not in the best interests of his clients. Effective, long-term sales recruiting takes balancing what the client (company) wants with what the candidate is looking for, especially when working to make an executive job placement.

Ari’s aggressive tactics will get a deal made, but it is not always the deal that either party had hoped for. The stakes are high in executive recruiting, because the skills, demands and salaries of executive positions are even higher. Ari’s pushy tactics may work on the silver screen, but successful executive job placement takes more finesse.

He’s pushy. Ari is too intense and focused on closing a deal, any deal. Executive recruiting requires fully understanding what both the company and the candidate want, what they will bend on and what is non-negotiable.

He lies. Ari never stops negotiating, but at some point he stops offering things that are really possible. Recruiters who deal in executive job placement need to know their clients and candidates inside and out in order to make deals they can follow through on. They also need to maintain their integrity through honest dealings in order to stay in business. 

There are many merits to Ari’s work “ethic,” but his methods often take his positive characteristics to the opposite extreme, making a good quality (a need to succeed) into a character flaw (greed). Bottom line? He’s fun to watch, but don’t make him your recruiting mentor.

With the baby boomer generation quickly approaching retirement, the face of the workforce is about to change dramatically, and many employers are not prepared. A recent survey by Manpower shows that only 21% of companies have developed incentives to keep these valuable employees in the workforce.

Senior employees “approaching retirement are simply looking for different things than younger ones,” as Sara Birkman-Fink, President and CEO of Birkman International, an executive development firm, points out.

Older employees have well-established patterns and work styles, and are looking for sales job opportunities to match. Any successful Massachusetts job placement agency needs to realize that at this stage in life, these employees are not relocating to New Hampshire without incentives specifically geared for their age group.

In order to stay competitive and prevent a severe skills drop-off, sales job recruiters must develop personality assessments to determine what will keep a baby boomer in the workforce, and then create benefit packages that reflect these desires.

Nearly every company is forced to face a harsh reality in the business world—downsizing. As much as I wish that companies would make my job easier by constantly hiring and looking for new candidates, that’s not the way things work. Business grows in unpredictable directions, and companies need to address this. They hire for the areas that are strong and profitable, and cut back in the areas that are not.

I discuss how to address the issue of downsizing, both with current employees and potential candidates, in an article (free subscription required) for SellingPower Magazine. Start taking advantage of my advice with these key points:

• Acknowledge the fact that you are downsizing, and explain why.

Honestly really is the best policy here; being secretive will cause unnecessary worry for current employees and may deter qualified candidates from applying.

• Hire from within whenever possible.

Promoting or re-assigning current employees is almost always preferable to brand new hires, for obvious reasons (greater company loyalty, less time lost to training, etc.). If this isn’t feasible, make it clear why not.

• Apply selective hiring policies.

Save time by pre-screening applicants over the phone to get a better feel for how they would fit within the company before you schedule an in-person interview.

Most importantly, always be on the lookout for new players who can improve your business. Your best business insurance is a pipeline full of qualified candidates who can help your company grow.