Take last week, for example. One proactive headhunter e-mailed the agency pushing her client, who was seeking a marketing role in an advertising agency.
It was followed by a cherry-picked shortlist of seven agencies she was "prepared to consider", which included Ogilvy Advertising, Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, Publicis and - at the very bottom of the pile - Wieden & Kennedy.
W&K responded by saying there were no vacancies, sarcastically adding that it "was a bit scary to be bracketed with some of these companies". Unperturbed, the plucky headhunter shot back this reply: "Don't underestimate yourselves, you are obviously doing really well for someone as good as my candidate to recognise your business as one on a par with the ones listed."
Diary imagines this went down like a cup of cold sick. "Are you taking the piss?" came the furious reply. Diary hopes the unfortunate headhunter doesn't find herself sharing a mince pie with Neil Christie on the Christmas party circuit.