Many companies operate a strict “no names policy” to support talent retention by minimising the risk of their top Executives being poached.  But how tight is this policy in practice?

Understandably, most companies have some form of “no names policy”.  For example, if a telephone enquirer asks for the name of your Head of Marketing, then the telephonist is instructed to say “I am sorry but we are unable to give out names”.  Equally, if the caller persists by asking to be put through to “someone in Marketing” to ask the question “I would like to send some information to your Head of Marketing, can you give me the name please?”, most companies will no longer put through such a general enquiry unless the caller has a specific name.  Such no names policies undoubtedly make it more difficult for the recruiter / headhunter to identify and approach senior Executives but there are several weaknesses and ways around these policies which include:

Go beyond the regular telephonist / receptionist

The regular telephonist / receptionist is very experienced at implementing the no names policy and professionally informing casual callers that it is the company’s policy not to give out names, email addresses etc over the telephone.  However, these staff take lunch breaks and typically this will be somewhere between noon and 2.00pm, during which time temporary cover is often required.  It is surprising how the company’s no names policy is not so strictly applied by the temporary cover.

After work, i.e. 5.00pm onwards, is often a very fruitful time to call a company and talk to either the temporary cover, the security guard or anyone who picks up the call in the absence of the regular receptionist. 

If you are trying to identify the name of the current Director of Marketing, it is often possible to speak to his or her PA.  Perversely, the PA often answers the phone by saying “Mike Jarvis’ office, can I help you?” which gives you a major clue!  Even if the PA answers the phone with her own name i.e. “Sally Jones speaking, can I help you?” you would be surprised how many senior secretaries / PAs will be happy to break the no names policy and give you the relevant name.

Most bizarrely of all, are Human Resources!  HR are usually the department who set up and administer the company’s no names policy, yet junior members of this department are by nature very helpful and can often be relied upon to give you the relevant names required!

Published sources

Most companies have a website and the larger corporations publish annual reports.  Both of these can be rich sources of names, particularly of senior Executives.

Some companies even apply a strict no names policy, yet declare the names and job titles of their Board of Directors and senior management operating committees on their website!

Going to the news section on a website can often uncover key names and it is not difficult to telephone that individual and ask them for their assistance along the lines of “I am keen to send information to the person in your organisation who is responsible for Marketing.  We have a very interesting service which will be of particular interest to this individual.  Can you give me the name and job title please?”

Social networking sites

In recent years there has been a proliferation in the usage of social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook etc.  Most companies do not yet have a defined policy to ensure consistent and uniform communication by their individual employees on these networking sites.  Therefore they represent a rich source of information, contacts and names for the headhunter!

You may be seeking the name of the Head of Marketing but he or she may not be listed on any social networking sites.  However, if you search the sites for senior managers who do currently work for that organisation, you will undoubtedly find several.  Identifying that name, and often their email address, enables you to bypass the receptionist/telephonist and talk directly to someone who can often be persuaded to reveal the name of the target individual.

Former staff members are much less concerned about the no names policy at a previous employer.  So, if you search social networking sites for someone who used to work for the specific company, they will often be very cooperative by giving you the names of key people.

A no names policy undoubtedly makes it more difficult for the headhunter to identify and speak to senior Executives within a company, but as can be seen from the above observations, it is not watertight.  Companies need to challenge themselves and decide if implementing a strict no names policy is worth the effort, given the many ways around it.  Our view is that companies would be better off spending their time and efforts protecting their staff in terms of excellent retention initiatives so that individuals were less receptive to consider pastures new.

Guy Newton

Managing Director

0113 245 3330

guy.newton@thecorpexgroup.com