Each day we have an opportunity to decide our future and possibly the future of others. Soup or stew. Chucky or creamy. Paper or plastic. Walk or ride. Run or skip. Laugh or cry. Give or take. One or two. Not as easy as it sounds. And most decisions are not as frivolous or silly as magpie or squirrel. We ask clients and hiring managers all the time, thoughtful questions to give us a better idea of the type of employee for which they are looking. And it is never as easy as a yes or no, or a two-choice question.

Once we have gained an understanding of the type of individual that makes up the ideal placement, it then becomes our responsibility to develop a presentable field of candidates, one which will not only represent our client/hiring manager well but also ourselves, the sourcer/recruiter/HR professional. Is it our duty? Or is it a curse? There are those that take it more seriously than others. I have often thought of it as a privilege.

Duty seems a little harsh, like I should be wearing shackles or that I will get out of it once my time has been served or my indenturement is through. Recruiting is not an easy task. If it were easy, I am guessing, we wouldn't have jobs; hiring managers would do it themselves. Our specific services wouldn't be required and we would be like dust in the wind, feathers on a freeway, not even important enough to be litter.

We are brought in to solve a problem, to cure a plight, to remove an issue that someone is facing. It isn't a yes or no problem. It isn't one, multiple-choice question. It is the combination of many answers to many questions. And we are looking for the perfect fit, the last piece, the solution to a difficult equation, the final ingredient that makes the soup taste so good and the stew so meaty. The heat brings out the best flavors. Don't be afraid of it, relish it.