I believe the future of the workforce and recruitment technologies will continue to evolve but the fundamentals of recruiting will remain the same. Recruiting isn’t a commodity, it a relationship business. Clients and candidates may have more access to information but access to information does not necessarily make the process any easier. Ask anyone who lost their job this year after many years of solid employment how much easier it was to conduct a job search with job boards, social media and online resume submissions or the HR manager with less positions but overwhelming number of resumes how much easier it was to fill the positions. Most likely the answer is its not easy. As information becomes more readily accessible the need for recruiters whose primary focus is on the relationship between the candidates, the employer and the position become ever more important.

There is a famous quote by Wayne Gretzky that says “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” This is a player who practiced hard, honed his skills and spent endless time learning from past greats and mastering the fundamental skills to succeed.

When I think about my future I think about the journey of refining my own skills to assure that I am not just a good recruiter today but a great recruiter in the future. To deliver results and experiences that people want to do business with. To make employers and candidates look forward to doing business with me, know clearly what they can expect and give them no reason to consider my competition.

In my constant journey for success I will continue to add value to my clients by delivering the best possible candidates and value to the candidates by properly matching them with the best positions. I will remind myself that people are often defined by their careers and candidates are not just means to a placement but individuals with careers and aspirations of their own. I will look at candidates as the means to a company’s success for no matter how much advertising and branding it’s the experience customers have with the employees that determine a good or bad customer experience. I will try to enhance the interview experience for both candidates and employers by being clear about the process, set expectations up front. Keep them clearly informed through the process and remain as an industry resource after the placement is made. I will focus my skills on becoming operationally efficient by making consistent quality improvements in my skills and processes. Taking what is there, evaluating what is working or not and utilizing it to maximum effectiveness. I will embrace the inevitable forces of change and absorb knowledge daily about the overall recruitment industry trends and technologies, my niche, candidates, clients and competition. Keep my mind open to new opportunities and evaluate whether they can assist me in delivering my services to my customers in a more effective manner. I will strive to create a seamless placement experience by assigning one person to each client and candidate to interact with and build trust. I will hire and train my staff to deliver the same experience, foster their success by listening to their needs, assisting them to work to their strengths and know that my future also depends partially upon their success. I will continue to partner with other recruiters, employers, vendors who share the same values, participate and invest in the collective wealth their knowledge and experience. I will hold myself to higher expectations by measuring my success by my own definitions not by comparing myself to others. And I will use my knowledge in career planning, social media, online search to train others, educate future graduates and the community that surrounds me.

It’s going to change, the future will happen. I may be unsure of the actual destination but by focusing ahead, learning from the past and looking forward to everyday not settling for less than the most excellent recruiter I can be I know I’m headed in the right direction.