Can I just say I’ve never understood rinsing and repeating? It seems to me that if the product can’t get the job done the first time, rather than lathering, rinsing, and then doing it all over again – the ideal would be to buy a higher quality product. No?

One thing about the current state of things is that I’m noticing a lot of repeating the same behavior and hoping for a different outcome (Ie. Using $1 shampoo and hoping for flowing shiny hair). Clients are shunning recruiters hoping to find stellar candidates through referrals and other means all the while – keeping jobs open for several months and finally after several months relinquishing the role to recruiters like myself. Candidates are sending over resumes directly to clients over and over again filled with typos with no strong commercial on their behalf – still no word. So I say – why not buy a better shampoo? Go straight for the salon quality and enlist the help of an agency that can filter through the hundreds of responses and send only the best. Candidates – why not enlist the help of a solid recruiter who has the shortcut to those clients?

I was recently talking to a client over lunch about the state of the economy, how things are going, etc. Most of these conversations usually begin with a head tilt and the obligatory – “So… How are things going for you? Pretty rough huh?” and I smile and say “Actually – companies are hiring albeit selectively, but they are hiring.” This is usually met with surprise and a flicker of hope in their eyes. We keep hearing over and over again the doom and gloom of the day – but truthfully, every time I hear the melancholy the following song pops into my head…

‘Ain't nothin' gonna to break my stride. Nobody's gonna slow me down, OH-NO
I got to keep on movin' (Break My Stride – Matthew Wilder 1984)

Corny yes. Motivating – you betcha!

So this makes me wonder – in a recession, is the sheer paranoia of the situation causing us to essentially lather, rinse, and repeat several times in the same shower? Some could argue that washing your hair 3 times per day with $1 shampoo could be cheaper than once a day with the expensive brands – but is the outcome the same? Are my clients truly saving money by attempting to staff roles themselves or would finding a qualified candidate quickly save them more money in the long run? Are my candidates truly putting their best foot forward alone or are they lost in the abyss of resumes collecting in client inboxes? Is it time to bite the bullet and spring for the good shampoo?