I will freely admit that there are times when, in the moment, I might not be in love with Recruiting. Yet when I take a step back and look over my career in Recruiting I like what I see both behind me and in front of me.

Yes, companies, clients, candidate markets, economies ? all change without our permission (though hopefully with our awareness). Additionally, I would hope that I change as well: better Recruiting skills, better decision making, better leadership, better business acumen, etc. I know that my role has evolved, WITH my permission, from a know-nothing rookie as a full cycle (get the job order AND find the candidates) individual contributor in an agency to a leader in corporate settings. And I do suspect that I may, some day, decide there is something else in the business world that offers me more stimulation, challenge and reward (my desired definitions of these) – and so I will work to get recruited into that. You see, I was recruited into Recruiting from a role that I loved, with a company that was great to work for, with a boss who valued my work, with co-workers that were trustworthy, professional and fun to be with. And I would never go back.

True enough – you can make a solid income in Recruiting, and do so being ethical and effective, and still not love what you are doing. Frankly, I say so what? That is not the point of the article. I can earn a living doing lots of things by doing them well and doing them professionally/ethically. Again, so what?

What I find intriguing about this thread is how quickly folks jump to defend staying in Recruiting solely because it can provide good income. The only person who needs to be comfortable with that choice…is you.

As for me, I refuse to spend my life doing something that provides a good income but does not provide me with deeper satisfaction.

No one is saying you have to get out of Recruiting because you don’t love it. Though it’s not a bad suggestion.

I believe (and this is only my opinion), that when the term ‘other type’ of recruiter is used, it is referring to reputation. Let me explain. The simple thing to say is ? only in it for the money? or ?no ethics or morals? or ?does not care about anything other than themselves?. All are things that can be said to change the perception on the person and about our field. Some of the most successful people doing any type of job, can be considered to have any of these traits, yet are still the best there is in that profession. The doctor everyone hates but is the best at what he does. The businessman that can make you millions, but you don?t trust him/her for a second. For a time, recruiters knew, they are calling me because they are desperate; lets take full advantage of this. This hurt the industry and soured the image of using a recruiter. Now, before anyone gets on a soap box, I am not saying, we should do it for free, I am saying there was a time, recruiters were looked at like the guy on the corner with the only gas in town and selling it for $18/gallon, you needed it, but boy, you did not like that guy.

In recruiting, during the IT boom, companies hated recruiters because they needed to use them (no one likes to be desperate, and no one likes to be taken advantage of during that time). Think about it, an IT company is struggling to find the right people, you have the perfect person, but the cost is way more than you expected to pay (way above FAIR market value). But, they were desperate so they paid, but the image being created was, using an outside source will kill your overhead. Staffing companies did this (and unfortunately some still do), it is only a transaction to them (I can say this because I have worked for companies like this, it is not a refreshing feeling I must say). The truth is, our industry is changing with the times (and this is good), but many are stuck in the past (which is bad).

Today, many companies want to go with the cheapest alternative (forget about experience) and to combat that, many recruiters are selling the intangibles (ethics, relationship, finding the fit, not just a body), this is all good, and will hopefully help change clients impressions of our field, but, we have to get through the cheap is fine, mentality first. And in a way, this is good for our industry.

Look at Wal-mart, ?falling prices? was their motto for years, now watch a commercial of theirs, ?connivance:, ?green products?; ?name brands you want?; ?clean and friendly service? oh and ?great prices? at the end. The population wants more than just the great price. Companies are going to realize that it?s not just about price and there will be some great recruiters ready to help when this happens.

However, I am seeing a sea change where more and more large companies are centralizing sourcing and recruiting either in corporate recruiting mills in headquarters or offshore outsourcing companies. The goal of these recruiting mills seems to be to bring the cost of recruiting down to the lowest dollar and in order to do that, experience takes a second seat to ‘fresh’, translate cheaper, talent identification and assessment staff. In the process, a lot of experience and strong networks are thrown out for the sake of lowering the cost of recruiting.

I think if this is the future of recruiting, it will be harder and harder for this ‘fresh’ talent to love their jobs. They are being pressured for higher metrics while given mediocre salaries. This atmosphere does not create passion and definitely will not create a new generation of people who love to serve the candidate and the client and feel they are doing something important.

‘Worked with 1 company for 25 years then over the last 5 years 3 more without adding to my skills, in fact they eroded. My problem is how do I do a general CV that sells me… answer seems I can not …’

It seems like after a certain point the only real option you have is to hang up your shingle – get away from the situation where the only thing that a potential ‘client’ or ‘customer’ is looking at is the resume.

Wow – that is exactly the issue I am fighting against. Worked with 1 company for 25 years then over the last 5 years 3 more without adding to my skills, in fact they eroded. My problem is how do I do a general CV that sells me… answer seems I can not, companies seem to blinkered these days which is why they have got themselves into a position where they keep having to employ new people every 2 or 3 years.

Just try getting out of recruiting and then you’ll know if you’re meant to be in the HR/Recruiting industry. Almost any other kind of work is dull by comparison, most other job ‘challenges’ are a piece of cake.

Guess that’s what I love most, is no two days are the same, everything is changing all the time… recruiting is like a box of chocolate.

–
Sylvia Dahlby
http://www.smartsearchonline.com

>> SmartSearch >> Recruit the Right Way. Right away.
Staffing Management & Talent Acquisition Software from APS, Inc.

‘I have managed to transition into a career that suits me better.’

How have you managed to do that?

After 13 years of recruiting it often seems like the ONLY way to get a job is by having a resume that quite clearly shows you have been doing EXACTLY the same job for the last 2 – 3 years that you are applying for.

What did you transition into and how did you get your new employers to ‘get over’ the fact that you were doing something different for the previous seven years?

I’ll be honest, I was brought into the recruiting industry by a family member who started her own recruiting business from her home, and I worked from mine. I have never worked in a formal recruiting environment, and I honestly do not know what the ‘other type’ of recruiter’s characteristics consist of. I have been recruiting for myself for the past five years and have received similar comments both from my clients and from my candidates, that I too am not like the typical recruiter. While I thank them, I have never come out and inquired exactly why they say that. I assume because I have always taken a personal interest in both of their needs, plus I think it has helped that I have not had someone standing behind me forcing me to put deals together knowing it was not the right fit. I do also believe my lack of a formal training environment has made this business difficult for me at times, but I have muddled through, stuck with it, and have been able to provide a nice income and a schedule to accommodate my busy family.

Again though, I am curious to learn what some of the things are that these ‘other recruiters’ do to give this industry sometimes a negative stigma.

My rules of thumb are – 1. If in doubt, don’t be afraid to try things… being wrong is worse than a few job changes. 2. Know that with the speed of modern and future modern life, with a few exceptions, you’ll need to retrain and possibly change careers 3 or more times, or about every 10 to 15 years. 3. If you think you know the field – start at the top and work your way up. Try for the best position in the best firm that will give you exposure and training in your field. Neither money nor any other consideration should be of major concern. (Caveat: Know your field, and don’t skip over key training positions. Sometimes money and title are seductive, but leave you without a real foundation for your career.) Every job is like a postgraduate degree course. If you were smart you didn’t choose your school on the basis of how fun/cheap/convenient it was. Once you’ve left school, every employer becomes your alma mater. Business reputations count. And they count for a reason… as increasingly recognized, many, if not most critical job skills are acquired through on-the-job training and experience.

And of course, the cardinal rule – do no harm. Every person, every student is different. I always offer what I think are constructive ideas to people starting out. But we all know there is no magic formula in the work world. Life’s tough, and globalization is making it tougher. As always, self-knowledge is the greatest asset in finding happiness and satisfaction.
Onward and upward,
George

This is what sets recruiting apart (and above) most other professions. What other profession tasks (burdens) itself with this far-ranging goal?

I started recruiting thanks to the low bar of entry, and I performed ethically and well, but I never loved it. Although it wasn’t my ultimate calling, it served a noble purpose in that it provided for my family, which is more important to me than serving candidates and customers. Don’t get me wrong – candidates and customers were important, but my real driving purpose was my paycheck. I don’t think that made it wrong in any way, because I did perform well, use good judgement and work within high ethical standards.

Although I appreciate those recruiters who do it for the love of it and the respect for the vocation, but I don’t see it as a requisite.

After 7 years of working against my grain (I don’t like meeting new people that much, and I’m not a big fan of the phone – go figure), I have managed to transition into a career that suits me better. I don’t think that made me a fraud while I was recruiting, though. It made me a responsible provider for my family.

If the point of the article is that you’ll be happier doing what you love, I would definitely agree. But if the point of the article is that in order to perform well and ethically, you must be passionate about the work, I would have to disagree based on my own experience.

Not only so…but we have to have a strong desire to help others while keeping their best interests in mind.

Thank you for reminding us.

Great article Corinne.

As time went on, the money got much better, I developed partnerships, and eventually turned to contract recruiting and account management. Yes, I was always very careful about selecting my client companies.

Then the economy took a big downturn, ethics became questionable, and the choice of clients lessened. With an increase in job boards and outsourcing, many companies did not see the need for experienced recruiters any longer.(I firmly believe this has had a major effect on the economy).

During this time, I actually turned to teaching high school for a couple of years and learned that I was not meant to be a High School Teacher. It just wasn’t me.

Then I went for my EMBA and now I see recruiting in a new light and at a new level –I see strategic recruiting; global recruiting; retainment as the flip side to recruiting; technology, social networking and recruiting tools catching up to where they should be; green jobs; and virtual employment. I have a vision…

Currently I am managing a recruitment firm at India and often I come across graduates who want to enter into the filed just because they don?t want to get into technical/other areas.
As I feel that except in a formal HR education program, recruitment is never part of studies, people wouldn?t know about it unless they are into it.
Also as recruitment needs more of personal skills like communication, networking, troubleshooting, analytical, most people who are good in these skills assume that they are quite suitable for the job.

I think the practical aspect of recruitment is that is has its own unique challenges and requires a broader set of skills to make a career.
There is no harm in entering into it, but you got to be quick enough to realize if you are falling in love to deal with challenges otherwise be wise to move.

Neeraj