Is Your Career Olympic Bound? Is Your Company Olympic Bound?

It only happens once every four years, however takes a lifetime of dedication, sacrifice, and training to compete on the world stage.Everyone who watched the Olympics experienced the exhilaration of victory and the heart break of defeat. Sometimes the difference is so small (i.e. Michael Phelps winning 100 meter fly by 0.01 seconds) that you can hardly tell the difference between a Gold & Silver performance...although I am positive Dara Torres (losing 50 meter free by 0.01 seconds) knows.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of watching the Olympics is witnessing previously unbreakable records fall (Bolt running 200M in 19.3 seconds & the 100M in 9.69). Admittedly, the hardest part is watching someone slip or fall and fail to reach their goal. Click here to read more.

Article by, Andy Gross, a senior team member with The SearchLogix Group. His expertise is in filling positions in logistics, supply chain and operations. Andy is currently pursuing his Masters degree and when not cracking a book, you can find him on the racquetball courts with his toddler son cheering him on.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Comment by Steve Levy on September 22, 2008 at 9:30am: Writing down goals is one thing - having the proper support system is crucial. For one, Phelps had Bob Bowman, USA Swimming Coach of the Year; two, Phelps had training partners who outworked him from time to time in the pool; three, Phelps and Bowman emphasized perfect techniques (practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect) and were willing to try something new to achieve 100% perfection; four, Phelps' job was 100% swimming.

Taking these elements to recruiting, one, do you have the best head of recruiting at the helm and does your CEO truly get recruiting? Two, is your team of recruiters the best in the world? Three, do you employ the right suite of metrics to measure your success and do you make it your practice to try new outside-the-box things in your quest for 100% perfection? Four, are you recruiting 24/7?

Goal setting is only one small piece of the puzzle; far too many recruiting organizations simply fall short in the other areas.