A CFO I met very early in my career… All seemed normal, but…

Years ago I met with the CFO, the number two person at a fast growing billion dollar company. You can imagine how excited I was.

It started out normal, with comments about the plaques on the wall and the family photos on his desk. Then we talked about the company and their recruiting philosophies.

Then I thought I would score some points with an honest compliment and a question that had been on my mind since I arrived. So I asked how he had achieved so much success.

He told me some amazing stories of luck, skill, chance, networking and hard work. Then he leaned way back in his chair and said, “There is one other thing, Joe.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“I found a very creative way to use executive recruiters,” he said.

“I’m all ears,” I replied.

He said, “What I did was get to know my job really well. Then I got to know my boss’s job cold. I mean I could definitely do his job.”

“Then I gave the name of my boss to an executive recruiter I knew, and the recruiter recruited my boss to a great job. And I got his job.”

His smile grew. “By the way, Joe, have you met our Chief Executive Officer?”

Then he jumped into what he needed to recruit so intensely I took notes as fast as I could. Then he says, “I gotta jump, Joe. I got an 11:00.”

We shook hands. The subject never came up again, and I never got the courage to ask him if he was serious.

Serious or not, the lesson stuck: know your job cold, learn the job above you, and know good recruiters before you need them.

More articles at josephmichaels.com. Questions? Email info@josephmichaels.com.

18 Interviewing Tips with Executive Recruiter Joe Pelayo: