I lived in Denver when I was applying for jobs at software companies in New Zealand. One recruiter showed a lot of interest in my resume and she was excited to submit me to a large software company in Auckland. After getting my hopes up for a week I stopped hearing from her. No replies to my emails when I started asking if an interview would be scheduled. No reply at all from this New Zealand recruiter.

Weeks after that I decided to take matters into my own hands. I called the NZ software company directly and asked to speak with HR. They put me right thru!

My opening line to the HR lady was, "You are on an island with a limited amount of people who can do this job. You need me." I said it with enthusiasm and a little humor. That definitely got her attention and we talked for 45 minutes. At the end of our conversation she said to me, "I'm going to get you over here!"

4–6 weeks later I had a for sale sign in my front yard, everything I owned was sold, in storage, or being shipped to NZ. They hired me on as a Sr Consultant!

Now for the revenge… I bought a postcard with a great view of the city of New Zealand and the bay. On the postcard I wrote,"The view is great from here on the 9th floor of the _______ software company building." I wrote my name clearly at the bottom and mailed it to her office address a few blocks away.

I wondered from time to time over the year how long it took her to put it together that I had gone around her. And that she had missed out on what was probably a generous finders fee if she had presented me herself.

Before my year contract ended in NZ I came across her name somehow and called her up. She did remember me, so I took her to lunch and told her the details of how I landed the job on my own. We both had a good laugh over it. I learned she was a hard working and great person. We even realized that we had stood right next to each other at a party the first month I lived in NZ (long story) but neither of us knew who the other person was at the time. Small world, right?

So I did get my revenge for her dropping me as a candidate; but in the end I meant her no bad feelings. Just great memories for me anyway.