Introducing myself and getting my feet wet

Hello all,

I've been meeting with a recruiting company (they work primarily with healthcare and medical clients) here in Ventura CA called System1 search (they have offices in Ventura and Sacramento).  I have never done this and I'm a people-person and love to work with teams, and I'm still gathering data on this.

Not a huge fan of the phone so that will be a definite adjustment.  Also it's like a communal space, so there's no privacy when you're on the phone that I can tell.

Is there anyone that has heard of System1 Search in Ventura?  Do they have a reputation?  I'd love to get some advice both on the business and this particular company.

Thanks!

Andy

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on August 10, 2012 at 9:14am

Welcome!  Here is what concerns me - "Not a huge fan of the phone...." and "there's no privacy when you're on the phone..."  This is a phone job.  Period.  You will be on the phone - the more the better.  If you avoid the phone you will fail.

 

Being a "people person" is not quite the primary qualification for recruiting in my opinion. 

 

What is your background?  What projects/responsibilities in your current job do you find the most success with?

Permalink Reply by Andres Salazar on August 10, 2012 at 10:12am

I worked in R&D biotech for 7 years.  Then moved to more bis dev roles and project management.  I have a BS in Molecular science.  I enjoy owning a project or team and making things happen.  I love working in teams and using my people skills to influence others.  I enjoy giving presentations and training others, either on a technical level or a brand/program level.  

Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on August 10, 2012 at 1:08pm
Andres, welcome to the group. I will echo Jerry. If you are not a fan of the phone recruiting is not going to be a good career move for you. You mention a "bull pen"type office arrangement so it sounds like almost a telemarketing environment that is distracting for a lot of people if you are unable to tune out the constant noise of other people talking. I would suggest you ask if you might spend a few hours observing in the environment to get a feel for it.

Coming from a research background where you focus on a project over a period of time it would be good to give some thought to recruiting being an industry where we work on multiple different projects at the same time. As opposed to representing a company or a process service to develop new business for something that you know and have helped develop so are able to present evidence based results.

Being a "people person" can sometimes be a detriment in this business in that one can get bogged down with someone we like and struggle with representing someone we may not relate to personally.

I would suggest that you contact Michael kalchman. He is PhD in molecular genetics who owns Cortex Search so might be able to address specific questions you have about a scientist in recruiting.
Permalink Reply by Andres Salazar on August 10, 2012 at 1:39pm

I had another meeting today.  It was a good experience to see how the business is running. Listening to the  calls and observing.  One thing is I did feel it slightly a challenge to concentrate with multiple people taking calls. Also, because of the specificity of the Medical industry the challenge of finding candidates for a particular client seems to be daunting, not taking into consideration if they are even interested in taking a new job.  Many many variables and things to juggle.  Some of that is appealing.  Because the draw for the position is low, I know I will be stressed to be able to close to that I can even pay my bills. (The draw is lower than my monthly expenditures.) 

To create the contacts and build my business will take a couple of years, so having that stress will be a challenge.

 

I do get invested in people.   Relationships drive me, not money.  So I've trying to see it as helping people and making connections.  Not sure if that is enough.

Permalink Reply by Andrew Hanneman on August 10, 2012 at 5:59pm

Andres, sounds like you may be entering into my field.  I worked on a draw a few years back and it ended disasterously.  I will never do that again.  I do however work in Medical Recruiting and California is pretty hot right now...so that is good.  Does sound like a little boiler room mentality. 

 

Good Luck..as long as not competing against me.

Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on August 10, 2012 at 6:19pm

Andres, if you do not have the financial ability to live on the draw being offered for at least six months i would strongly suggest that you not consider going into recruiting.  Although we do help people if you are focused on recruiting as an industry that helps people it's not your cup of tea.  That may seem strange to someone who has not been in the industry but as recruiters we work for our client companies and not for the candidates.  Yes we often help people by placing them in a good job but we often have to say no to someone who needs help badly.  That can be very difficult if you are looking at recruiting as a way to help people.

 

I can promise you that no agency will carry you for a couple of years to build your business.  If you are not productive in six months or less you will be looking for a new job.  Recruiting is commission sales first and foremost.  No sales ,no commission, no job period.  Most recruiting firms look at about 90 days at the most before someone should start placing people.  It's a pressure business.  Selling to get a job listing, selling to get candidates, selling to get interviews, selling to get an offer, selling to get an acceptance, selling to prevent a fallout.  Our inventory (people) walk, talk, change their minds, lie, and every other bizarre thing that people can or will do.  What they tell you on Monday maybe a thousand miles from what they tell a company on Tuesday.

Short answer , my opinion, helping people and making connections is not recruiting it may be a small part of it but if that is what motivates you it won't be enough.

 

Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on August 10, 2012 at 6:45pm

Hi Andres - Sandra is exactly right. Helping people is more a side effect of the recruiting business, not the primary function - to be honest. If you are mostly motivated by helping others you will be let down and frustrated more often than not in this business... best of luck whatever you decide!

Permalink Reply by Andres Salazar on August 10, 2012 at 7:05pm

Thanks Amy and Sandra.  I appreciate your candor.  Making connections and working with people does motivate me, as I mentioned before, maybe I should ask you all:

 

What motivates you to work in Recruiting?

Because your "trade" is people with so many variables, how do you deal with the inconsistancy and disappointments when hopes/plans fall through often?

Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on August 10, 2012 at 10:02pm

Andres - perhaps this would be a better reply if I could be anonymous and tell you what really motivates me - but I'll try to sum it up even though clients and candidates might bump into this comment many years from now.

 

I am motivated by the extraordinary upside on the "provide for my family" scale. 

 

"Helping people" is nice.  You bet.  It has little to do with the reasons I get up every day.

 

Freedom.  Variety.  Being my own boss.  Financial reward.

 

If you're looking at recruiting to "help people and make connections" I might quite candidly suggest working in the social work arena. 

 

Hopefully you don't mind my straight forward opinion here.  This is a sales/reward or no sales/no reward job. 

Permalink Reply by Bill Schultz on August 13, 2012 at 1:41pm

My good recruiters had a picture of their next car, house, vacation, etc.  on their screen saver.  

Good Luck to you.  Money should be your motivator.  The rest of the stuff is a by product of doing things ethically.

Permalink Reply by Andres Salazar on August 13, 2012 at 3:02pm

So Bill and Jerry and others, sounds like Financial reward is the main motivator for recruiters, or at least your personal motivator.  I'm not putting a value-judgement on it, I just want to understand.

 

I am meeting them again tonight. Still concerned about the draw, the fact that it will be 1-2 years to get where I am now (<60K/yr) and that since I will be starting out it will be a challenge, not really a "team sport" so to speak and the all day phone calls in a open envirnoment will make it a challenge to concentrate.

 

Man, I've been agonizing about this desicion for weeks now. 

Added to the stress is that I loath my current job, so I want to get out of here ASAP.

Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on August 13, 2012 at 3:06pm

I would say $ is the top motivator, although other things (flexibility, entrepreneurial focus) can be very very close 2nds... I have seen recruiters start in the industry because their #1 motivator has been people or helping others. I've not seen anyone who lists that first last more than a year.

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