The Tao of The Hire

Somewhere a True Believer is training to recruit your candidate. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his phone and his Web 2.0 gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when his Candidate is hired and the Hiring Manager's need is filled.

This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or he does not. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home. He knows only The Cause.

Still want to quit?

Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely judicious in how you communicate, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of your relationships with you partners; Hiring Managers and Candidates.

Better stop short than fill to the brim. Over sharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt. Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it. Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow. Retire when the work is done. This is the way of your Hire.

With apologies to Lao Tzu and Sun Tzu.

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Comment by Aasia on January 14, 2009 at 1:15am: The art of war is fascinating! I enjoy the microcosm you have illustrated here.. the application of war to recruitment and persevering to the end of the hire. I find this quite motivational indeed!

Comment by Steve Levy on January 15, 2009 at 6:51am: The Art of War always seems to come up when two or more recruiters cobble some time together - Maureen Sharib has been on the edge of this one for many years.

If I were to ride your war analogy - which I don't like to do because recruiting is not a war - are you sure that you want to focus on the battle and not the war? The work of the True Believer - or better yet the True Practitioner - never ends when the hire is made for closing the order (from the agency side) or the close of the job req (from the corp side) is the focus of the neophyte.

The True Practitioner is many steps ahead of hiring managers and potential employees and relies more on handshakes and tête-à-têtes than the digital counterparts. The Old Warrior is the one who develops the strategy that guides the Two Point Ohs. Never forget about the Old Warrior who always remembers how to stay many steps in front...

Comment by Dave Graziano on January 15, 2009 at 8:24am: Well said Steve! My focus is not on the War, rather on the preparation and singularity of purpose. I do believe that the spirit of the Two Point Ohs, is that singularity of purpose. I strongly agree with the personal contact, though there are challenges to that in the market today for those of us that work nationally and internationally. The telephone is still THE BEST, second only to a personal meeting.

Great insight!