Reflecting on Recruiting

I'm the person you want to impress. I'm who you put on your best clothes for. I'm who caused you all that stress. You're hoping I'm nice. You're hoping you can answer my questions. You're waiting for my decision. But more than that, you're hoping for a job. You don't really care about me. But I care about you.

As a recruiter working for a telecommunications organization my work never stops. My clients rank among Fortune 500 companies and they need agents to take their calls. I hire sales people and tech support folks. It may not be glamorous but I love it. I love seeing a single mother of 2 go from sales person to team lead to trainer. I love seeing a tech support agent move on to management then move on to direct an entire department. It's every recruiter's dream (those of us who still believe in people) to see our hires move up, move on and make bank. I work for a company that believes in internal promoting and giving people a legitmate shot...and not after 2 years on the same job.

I have some agents who have been with my company for over 15 years. I know the wave of entrepreneurs is strong and I honestly love it. But for those of us who don't call ourself boss (YET) I want you to know that what you do matters. The interconnected nature of our world makes every single thing you do matter regardless of what the nature of your work is. That makes it valuable.

I am not a hero and no recruiter is because if you got the job, you did something difficult. You got a stranger to believe in you. Some of us can't get the people we love to believe in us. You sold us on you. Recruiters just open the door but you are the reason we open it. I tell all those who sit down and interview with me to never underestimate the power and value they bring to organizations. Companys' are coming around to the realization that people are what make the company successful and if you don't take care of your people, you're not taking care of your company. I am grateful to work for an organization that prioritizes continual development. If you're in any business you're in the people business. The future top performing companies will be the ones who care. The ones who listen. The ones who change.

And the future top performers just so happen to be the ones who listen. The ones who care. The ones who find balance in their work. The ones who change. I love the shift happening in our work environment in the US. I love that people are being more and more valued for not what they can do but what they can create and how they can grow. Organizations are hungry for new ideas, new talent and dynamic ways to approach problems.

That's what I'm looking for. Recruiters also have an important secret part to our job. We are the advocates for our new hires. It's our job to connect. To care. To pick you up when you're down. To see how you're adjusting. Our job is to ensure that we deliver on what we told you when we offered you the job. If what you told your new hire isn't true you either need to make it true or find a different place to pull people into. That is how corrupt and tight fisted organizations turn into flourishing ones, with accountability and sometimes all it takes is one person to speak up. You want people to work for your company. But your company needs to be one that you would want to work for too.

I think accountability is something we need at a personal level, a family level, a community level, a GOVERNMENT level (ahem) and most definitely, accountability is needed at the corporate level. Recruiters are gate keepers. We get a bird's eye view of the company. Who better to hold a company accountable than the ones who oversee people through their onboarding, their training and their career progression?

So the next time you interview, get close to your recruiter, if they're worth their salt then they will be overjoyed...if they brush you off well maybe you need to come work with me.