Same Old - Same Old

Day in and day out, I try to learn as much as I possibly can about this business, about recruiting, about how to do my job better, about how to meet the needs of my clients, my potential clients.., of my friends, of those I associate with on a daily basis. Of course, it is not always possible to please all of the people all of the time, but do you suppose it is possible to meet the needs of and please the people that you have committed to? There are those who struggle with the same things I do, those who want to do the best they can and will definitively be striving toward it.

I recently spent some time with Middle America folks, like Julia Stone and Andy Gregory. These are two individuals that have their own businesses, perhaps like you or I, but they change the game because first and foremost, they represent purposefully their client(s) and candidate(s) they bring to the table. Julia was the gracious site host of a recent conference where she and BizWerks, her company, were more than happy to adopt an "I'm here to help" attitude the whole entire time. Across her lap and over her forehead fell numerous opportunities to just pack it in and go home with a Happy Meal, but she did not.

Additionally, Andy Gregory is driven to bring knowledge and justice to the candidate. Andy is so set on making sure the candidate has the best experience possible and puts their absolute best foot forward, that he manages a "think" group that gathers together weekly to discuss interview tips, sound job search advice, and how to be more aggressive when actively looking for a position. While most recruiters have focused on who signs the checks, there are those that derive pleasure from brief conversations that lead to an increased database.

These attitudes and behaviors are not new to our industry, but they do seem to be rare. Active recruiters over the years continually strive to be the best at name generation/sourcing or to be the recruiter that candidates love and to whom they always return calls. Some discussions that I was involved in this week revolved around being "actively engaged" with candidates or clients - caring about them, establishing lasting relationship because YOU, as the recruiter, have gone out of your way to say 'hello' and find common ground with which to further cement relationships.

Is it truly possible to be friends with those whom you have a professional, business relationship? Those that are candidates, clients? I cannot do otherwise. I have to revel in the fact that the human being on the other end of the line or across the table from me can truly benefit, not just from the comp package I have helped put together, but from the relationship that has been developed. This is out of character for some in our industry as same old - same old is very easy to come by. I want relationships that reflect who I truly am.

If you do end up in a same old - same old..., what does that say about who you truly are? Scary, huh? Ands only you can fix it.

© by rayannethorn