16 years ago I started my recruiting career with a pretty typical IT recruiting agency in Downtown Toronto. I was green and eager to learn. I was surrounded by a blend of savvy and slippery sales guys, shifty-eyed recruiters hovering over sacred databases, juniors weeping in the bathrooms and cracking under the pressure of call metrics, and a handful of solid ethical pros who wanted to do the right thing for customers who treated them like partners. I carefully aligned myself with the later group, and moved up the ranks into account management and leadership, paying my dues and earning a good living along the way.

But now as I build my own firm, I firmly believe that there is a better way. And I'm sure that there are plenty of other like me out there wanting the same. A model that requires integrity and is based on valued client partnerships. Where every individual benefits from being part of a supporting team.

Current employment models just don’t work for the best recruiters – those who are entrepreneurial and driven. I know the satisfaction and energy that comes from working for yourself, but also the camaraderie and efficiencies of being part of a group of successful peers. I think we need a new model that truly is the best of both worlds.

• work for yourself, not by yourself
• own your practice and your clients
• collaborate and learn from a team of successful peers
• leverage shared technology and marketing resources
• keep most your earnings in your own pocket

It’s possible to be a Practice Leader and an owner, to work with independence and autonomy, and yet be part of a team who will support and develop you.