While I wouldn’t say that the economy is particularly unbearable and horrible, 2008 has not been an easy year for those of us in the talent acquisition industry.  Sure, you might be making your numbers and all, but think of what you could be doing if things that are out of our control were different.  What if gas prices were lower?  Would your candidates be less likely to insist on working from home?  What if companies with historically good reputations were not struggling and laying off people in large amounts every other week?  Would your candidates be more likely to listen to that one opening you have in the one department that is hiring?  What if it was not an election year during this economic burdened period?  Would companies and candidates be less likely to hold off on opening more positions or leaving current positions for new opportunities?  It is hard to answer these questions, and only time will tell if today’s economic temperature will have lasting effects on the next few years.

There are not many industries like ours that have to weather these types of storms.  A lot of our income and earning potential is based on our ability to place candidates in open positions.  With so many things out of our control, it is hard to pin exactly what we need to do to ride out even the mildest of storms.  Like I said, you can still be making your numbers, or perhaps even surpassing them, but what if…

Parhaps you have heard of the old saying that in the construction business it is not uncommon to see one guy digging a hole and three guys standing around watching him do it.  Well, I have been a witness to this everyday out of my window here at work for the past couple of months.  See, right across the parking lot from our office building, there is a huge construction project going on that is going to add several high-rise office buildings and an outdoor mall-type center to wonderfully block the open view I currently have.  While it will be good to see the new development completed and have a couple of more dining options close by, the noise and view has been distracting.  But it was something that caught my eye the other day that got me thinking about productivity...

See, I am not a construction expert by any stretch of the imagination.  I have no idea why they moved that one pile of dirt six times and now it is back where it started a month ago.  I also don't understand why those big beams need to be nailed into the ground during prime phone time, but I trust they know what they are doing.  After all, I sit in an office building that was constructed by teams like those out my window.  But what I do understand is that I have seen a lot of guys standing around watching another dig a big hole and then fill it in with dirt.  So the other day I was thinking that if we handled our recruiting efforts that way, three of us would be let go!

I know a wide portion of the audience reading this blog are probably not from the Minneapolis, Minnesota area, but I thought the topic in general could relate to everyone… but especially sports fans.

For the last six months, there has been much talk around the Twin Cities about our beloved University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team.  See it is not that we have a Heisman Trophy contending quarterback or a wide receiver that could go first in the 2008 NFL draft.  Nope – none of those things.  You know the normal things that get Division 1 teams deep press coverage.  Actually it is our coach.  I’m not kidding.

See, about six months ago, Tim Brewster was announced as our new football coach for the U of MN.  He is not known for his West Coast offense or great 3-4 defense… he is actually known for his great recruiting skills.  In fact, that is all we have heard about here since his press conference announcing he was our new coach.  At first, I looked past it and thought to myself, “Self, let’s just wait and see what happens on the field in September.”  But then I got to thinking, what Coach Brewster is looking to do is no different than what I strive to do on a daily basis at Talent – recruit for future talent to join our organization.  I am no different than Coach Brewster (except in salary, of course).

So then I spent some time researching Brewster’s background and why people think he is a great recruiter.  I didn’t do extensive research or anything, but did find national sports articles about Brewster.  Before joining the U of MN, Brewster was a tight end coach for the Denver Broncos.  His reputation stands on his ability to create relationships through trust and willingness to do his best to advance his players careers on the football field.  He has a great coaching staff around him who spend hundreds and hundreds of hours sitting in the stands on rainy Friday nights watching high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors grid it out on the field, trying to effectively “source” future members of his college team.  Upon finding these high school stars, Brewster then hits the phones, drives hours, and flies all across the country to interview, recruit, and ultimately try to get these potential stars to sign the “offer letter” (letter of intent is what it is referred to in college football terms).  No different than what any of us try and do on a daily basis.

However, you know what really makes Coach Brewster effective at his job (although we Gopher fans have yet to be proved this)?  He has what every great recruiter is made of… personality.  If you listen to Brewster on radio interviews, and I managed to track down several and listened to them, you can hear in his voice how passionate he is about his team and his goal to continue building his talented young players.  And that is just to radio audiences.  Think of what he does in front of candidates, er, I mean high school recruits!

I wish the best for Coach Brewster and the Golden Gophers this year.  And Coach, I’m not sure if you cruise around the ERE website, but if you are reading this and are looking for a recruiter to join your team, I would gladly take your phone call.