Recruitment is like solving puzzles all day long. Though it is not always like a game, per se, I like to sink my teeth into a challenge - and recruiting definitely serves them up. So for 26 years I have continued to come back for more. We can all select an industry we know and/or love to work in; mine being advertising and marketing. Having conversations with smart and witty people all day keeps me jazzed. Though the roller coaster of the past decade offered a little more thrill than I signed up for, I hung on tight. Okay, occasionally I threw those hands in the air and just took the beating. 

Otherwise, it has just gotten better in recent years with technology. And I do not mean because of job boards - I avoid those completely - but due to the time savings and flexibility. We used to mail, then fax, resumes. And we shipped candidate creative samples all over the country and chased down their return, getting them back to candidates. Now it’s all digital files and URLs. We can Skype interviews to save time as well. I love recruiting because I worked on the beach this month! Had my hot spot a few yards from the ocean at Siesta Key Beach on a few occasions. My business has always been based in IL. However, since December this year I have been able to work from the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. That kind of freedom just puts the final polish on the thrill of the hunt (and of course the “kill” in particular).

Beyond physical mobility, there is the day to day liberty of scheduling. I can plan my day as I like. I choose the projects I work on. And who I work with. I fire clients I can’t educate - those that refuse to understand the effort put in on their behalf and don’t communicate in a timely manner. When I can avoid having the hunt just become a chase, it allows me to spend my time as productively as possible. I can go to a child’s recital or game in the afternoon and work that evening. Finally, it is good income without limits. No one is putting a ceiling on it for me.

So why would I ever “retire?”