Ok, so I'm a little late to the 'Smart Recruiter' party, but I'll take a shot at this (at the risk of sounding pompous, of course). Here are the top 5 reasons I'm a 'Smart Recruiter':

1. Because I help Internal Recruiting Leaders with 'financial speak' when it comes to increasing their budgets and justifying an investment philosophy toward their critical/pivotal talent pools. This sounds cliche, but it isn't - I know of no other Executive Recruiter that helps their Clients get a greater of the FY budget by speaking the language of those they're competing against for the same $$$.

2. Because I assist Internal Recruiters and Recruiting Leaders move from reactive recruiting to proactive talent pooling. On the surface, this seems easy . . . until you get back to your desk and have 50 Hiring Managers breathing down your neck for candidates 'now, right now.' There is a time to play defense . . and a time to play offense. With each comes a series of plays. Understanding what fronts each is superior for (and what battles to fight versus which to avoid) is what will separate the best Recruiting Organizations from the average over the next 5 years.

3. Because I don't hoarde information from other TPRs and Consulting Firms that I compete against. In 2008, I did everything I could to give back to our industry by speaking at Kennedy, Sourcecon, and R4. I understand that 99.9% of the demand in our space is about the 'how' of recruiting, but those Internal Recruiters and HR Professionals I've seen reach the top took the time to dive into the 'why'. Some may think that sharing ideas and concepts on the 'why' is about self-promotion, but this is untrue. It's about wanting to see fellow Recruiters be successful, in addition to improving our ability (North America) to compete in the ever-shifting Global Economy.

4. Because I don't believe everything I read about recruiting and talent acquisition today, and I pride myself on my ability to think critically. There is a place for white-box best practices, however instead of looking for a magic pill or a one-size-fits-all, I do everything in my power to weigh everything against my current situation. While armed with concepts A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, etc., I do not assume that all can be brought to bear on every recruiting situation I find myself within. Perhaps, B, E, H are superior. Some people are born with these instincts; I must work to develop mine. I believe I'm like other Smart Recruiters by embracing tacit knowledge first, and the transactional second.

5. Because I have a love of the "game". Recruiting is more than a job to me; more than a means to an end. This is my passion . . . and I hope I might be able to convey that if only a little in my actions.