I
love being a recruiter.
Seriously, I think it’s the best job in the world.
Yet 80% of people who enter this industry, fail in the first 2 years, leave, and are never sighted again.
And it’s true, it is tough being a recruiter. And I believe in the
modern era it’s getting even harder. During the downturn it got even
worse. We all worked harder and harder, and earned less and less.
On top of that, our customers seem to resent us more than ever, as can be seen in my recent blog,
‘God I hate recruiters’.
Ironically there is a fate worse than being amongst the
80% of recruiters who fail. Yes, being an average, mediocre, ploddy recruiter
who survives is real purgatory. Why? Because this job is too hard, has too many disappointments,
not to be great at it. You have to be a great recruiter to reap the rewards that make it all worthwhile.
So for the top 5%, the cream, recruiting is the coolest job in the world.
Here’s why:
- Recruiting is a win/win/win: Unlike most commercial
transactions, recruiting is not a win/lose scenario. If I sell you a
car I aim for the highest price, you push for the lowest. One of us will
feel we ‘won’, the other a bit despondent that we ‘lost’. But in the
perfect recruitment scenario everybody wins. Happy client, happy
candidate, happy you.
This is not as trivial as it seems. There is something intensely
rewarding about doing a job where everyone is grateful, everyone is
excited with the outcome… and then you get paid as well!
-
You create great outcomes: Maybe the coolest thing
about being a recruiter is that this is a job where you actually make
good things happen. The candidate is reluctant to go on an interview,
but through your influencing skills they reluctantly go along,
do fantastically well, love the job, and get hired! The client won’t see
your top talent because of something they spotted in the resume, but you
persist, explaining the person is better than the paper, the client
relents and your talent gets the job, gets promoted and in time becomes
your client! For me, when I recruited, this was the real buzz. Making
things happen. Controlling the process. I would crack open a beer on
Friday and reflect. That would NOT have happened if I had not seen the
opportunity and influenced the outcome. Beyond cool.
- It actually matters: And of course that leads us to another reason why recruiting rocks. What we do actually matters. I mean it really matters. Recruiters get a horrific rap
sometimes, and often it’s deserved but hey, at the end of the day, we
find people jobs! And that’s a good thing right? Something to be proud
of. It makes an impact. We change people’s lives. We solve companies
staffing issues. We help people further their career ambitions.
Fantastic!
- It’s measurable: One of the beautiful things about our business is that it is so measurable.
This does not suit everybody I know, but in recruiting there is nowhere
to hide, and I like that. If you have the right temperament, you will
thrive in this competitive environment, love the fact that you can
measure yourself against your competitors and colleagues, and revel in
the transparency of fee-tables and pay-by-results. Truly in our
business, you eat what you kill.
- You can own your market: If you have longevity, if
you maintain integrity, if you deliver service and outcomes that your
customers want… you can elevate yourself to a true trusted advisor, and
then recruitment becomes a beautiful, beautiful thing. All your work is
exclusive, all your candidates come via referrals and commendations,
clients treat you with respect, seek your advice, bring you into the
tent . You actually ‘own’ your patch and that is a wonderful place to
be!
Yes it’s true. Recruiting rocks. When it all boils down, what all of us want from a great job is just two things. Fun &
money.
And if you’re a great recruiter you’ll get lots of both. The fun of
winning, the fun of finding people jobs, the fun of working in a job
that actually counts. And money? I don’t mean how much you earn,
although of course that is important. I mean working in a job where you
get a great return on your efforts. That is where it is at!
So if you are having a down day. Never forget: fun and money.
Recruitment rocks!
by Greg Savage from the Undercover Recruiter