This post originally appeared at www.sendouts.com.

This month, among the usual stats on revenue, cost per opportunity, and wait times for support calls, Brian Hopcraft, our President & CEO, referenced an article that appeared last month on ERE.net - "These are Real Lives We're Dealing With".  The article touches upon the important impact recruiters have on people's lives, especially during the difficult job market we are still dealing with.

There is a lot of chatter in the recruiting industry about developing relationships, engaging candidates, and jumping into the next hot social network.  With all the chatter going on, it can be easy to get distracted from the fact that there is more to that list of data you store in your ATS than the next placement. 

Every record represents a candidate who is an actual person with unique story, like

The once-primary-bread-winner who has a lot of working years ahead of him, but is struggling to find a job because he is close to retirement age.

The mom working over-nights at one of the big pharmacy chains, sacrificing time away from her family until a better opportunity comes along.

The young professional stuck in a corporate job where his potential for success is diminished because it just isn't a good fit.

Un & Underemployment have a deep impact on financial health, relationships, and self-identity.  Even as we are learning to tie our shoes, we’re asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  Dreams of being a ballerina, an ice cream truck driver, or a fire fighter evolve into hopes of becoming an event coordinator, chain-logistic manager, or lawyer.

Embedded in us from an early age, we learn that careers aren’t just aspirations, they are labels we use to shape our identity.

When we make a placement, we provide people with an opportunity to pin on a shiny new label that they can wear with enthusiasm.

Back to Brian –

So far this year, our clients have placed nearly 45,000 candidates using Sendouts.  Together, we – the vendors, recruiters, HR professionals, hiring managers - have changed the lives of tens of thousands of people.  And, as Brian pointed out, that's about the capacity of Busch Stadium.

That's powerful.  A stadium full of people whose lives have been changed for the better.  All because they worked with a competent recruiter who used a software tool to

1.  Find them

2.  Save them in a record

3.  Connect with them over time

4.  Search them out when the perfect opportunity arose

"Software" and "Recruiting" - two pretty abstract labels.  Both middlemen in a larger process.  But we are integral, and we are changing lives.

So the next time you go to a baseball game, and the Cards are beating the Cubs, and there's not an empty seat in the house - take take it all in.  You can't control who wins the game, but you can have an impact upon every life in the stadium.