I'm awake late tonight - much on my mind and much to think about.  The past few years have literally opened career doors I never would have thought possible - in addition an economy complete with a recession, a recovery, and literal business uncertainty gives us a great deal to ponder.  Along the way I have personally met, worked with, and collaborated on some of the most amazing teams in memory.  I've had to hone my own purpose as a staffing professional never forgetting my ultimate purpose - above filling jobs, above going to work daily, above candidate experience, above anything else is - INWARD PURPOSE. 

Inward Purpose - how can one even define this?  It's what gets us up in the morning, it's what drives us, it's what helps us dial one more number, find one more resume, and keep driving passionately towards a hiring outcome.  If any one thing defines why we do what we do - it is purpose.  There are a number of purposes to why I LOVE recruiting:

• Service Excellence - there is nothing more satisfying then opening the career door for a candidate or solving a stressed hiring manager's problem of the open seat with the right person.  Ultimate service excellence is the fill - each staffing fill is carefully maneuvered, carefully crafted to enable trust and good onboarding experience and a new career start, as well assisting and supporting hiring managers to find their way.
• Kaizen - yes I used a Japanese word - but this is the heart of every staffing venture - continuous improvement in a career choice that requires our every commitment to gain success is at the heart of what we do.
• Finding the needle in the haystack - coming up with the ultimate search string, and going for the gold in striving to find the brilliant candidate, and making connections that matter - this is purpose and what drives us.
• Career Coach and Counselor - the ultimate award of a staffing professionals day may just be guiding a candidate to their goals, and providing managers with coaching they need to interview well, likewise providing help and insight to the internal talent pool - there are many times changes come, but seeing others succeed is a motivating purpose.
• Long Term Gratefulness - every recruiter that is good has their hires whom may sing their praises and remember the key relationship that brought them to a life changing path - the relationship with the recruiter whom placed them.  There is nothing more motivating to a recruiter's purpose than having opened the door for a candidate and becoming in many respects great professional friends and networking contacts.
• Process Improvement - approaching a manager who is used to a certain way only to win them over as trust builds.  Vital and motivating is helping a hiring manager gain more confidence in their managerial capacity and seeing them blossom as leaders.
• The building of Leadership and Assertiveness Skills - so vital to great recruiting is vast knowledge and comfort being a natural leader and being assertive when need requires to build further trust.
• Bringing key talent to the organization - many times the hiring manager is struggling to figure out what they need - by bringing new key talent into the organization you gain new pride to move forward.
• Candidate Enthusiasm - nothing is more wonderful than a motivated and enthusiastic candidate, they really light a fire in the recruiter they work with - especially if the candidate is genuine and follows up with the recruiter.

These are just some of the great areas of staffing we get involved in - but nothing even compares to our own inward motivation of what drives us, and knowing that backwards and forwards is what contributes to purpose.

As I ponder this area of career purpose I realize how increasingly important it is to go in with a career purpose to each search.  This will then in turn create a more positive culture and open further doors for career advancement and recruiting advancment.

Career Purpose is as key to successful recruiting as sourcing and screening, for when a confident recruiter finds their purpose life and career are harmonious.  Sometimes I think it just serves us well when we know why it is we do what we do, and having a sense of purpose can enhance your companies' self esteem and revitalize the culture, whether in agency side, or corporate the above factors still remain as important.

I am so blessed and thankful to be a recruiter - what better place to be?

DISCLAIMER - this post is of my own creation and does not represent the views of ADP, it's shareholders, or associates.  I am a proud recruiting associate.