Talent is the lifeblood of innovation. A company that truly believes talent makes the difference will thrive even in the harshest of
economies. Ask Cisco. Ask HP. Better yet, ask Apple.

When the dotcom bubble burst at the end of 2000, Apple took advantage of the rarest of opportunities and went on a hiring spree. While
companies were folding, downsizing, and freezing hiring tickets, Apple brought
the very best talent it could find to Silicon Valley. It was an incredibly bold
move and an impressive investment in its future. I don’t need to tell you the
result of that investment; the iPhone, iPad, Appstore, iTunes it all. Apple’s
investment in difference-making talent paid off.

The decisions of a company’s leadership are based on what they believe they can achieve through the quality of their people. If a company
is working to become No. 1 in the market, it needs to have an organization
filled with employees spurred to achieve that same goal—difference-making employees.

The first step toward becoming No. 1 starts with the recruiting process. A highly skilled and trained recruiting organization injects
innovation, growth, and profitability into a company as it finds and attracts the
best candidates—Talent with a capital T.

But it’s not easy. Despite the belief of some misdirected managers, recruiting requires a skill set that goes far beyond merely posting
jobs on job boards, then reviewing resumes and forwarding them to the hiring
manager. Recruiters who see themselves in that role find and forward mediocre
candidates, not the kind that will take their organizations to the top of the
competition.

Even in times when the market is flooded with potential candidates, recruiting top-quality talent
is tough. Good recruiters turn over rocks and stones to find difference-making
talent. To do this, they learn to recognize talent on paper; hear it when they
listen to candidates on the phone; and validate it when they meet candidates in
person.

Recruiting is about knowing the culture of our company and demonstrating it through our actions as a respected representative of the
organization. It’s about becoming a true business partner. We recruiters offer
the first relationship, the first impression, and the first steps into our
company. We are the first connection to the internal network.

Recruiting requires the ability to build relationships and maintain credibility. A good recruiter is a business partner and a coach.
Through our behavior, we build a reputation as someone worth knowing.

Our competence is measured in every conversation we have with a candidate, and we'll pay a heavy price if we are the one who blow the ace
hire for our company.

Our responsibility—and our goal— is to find the rare candidate who possesses the appropriate level of specialized knowledge and
skills with the ability to take the appropriate amount of direction, to team
effectively, and to deliver excellent customer service through a work ethic
that exceeds the expectations of the hiring manager.

We are here to help companies flourish in times of growth as well as to draft a team that will defeat or even humble the competition when
times are ultra competitive—such as they are today.

Yes, talent is king. Recruiting Talent makes kings.