I was walking through Green Park after having just visited Buckingham Palace when I overheard a parent teasingly ask his child, "Would you rather have squirrel soup or magpie stew?" I actually laughed out loud for squirrels, pidgeons, and crows were also finding exercise in the park on a cold, rainy day. I winked at the child as we passed each other. He looked at me curiously but shyly smiled back. I continued to walk fiercely up a hill in a city I didn't know; I tried not to but couldn't help but smile broadly.

Each day we have an opportunity to decide our future and possibly the future of others. Soup or stew. Chucky or creamy. Paper or plastic. Walk or ride. Run or skip. Laugh or cry. Give or take. One or two. Not as easy as it sounds. And most decisions are not as frivolous or silly as magpie or squirrel. We ask clients and hiring managers all the time, thoughtful questions to give us a better idea of the type of employee for which they are looking. And it is never as easy as a yes or no, or a two-choice question.

Once we have gained an understanding of the type of individual that makes up the ideal placement, it then becomes our responsibility to develop a presentable field of candidates, one which will not only represent our client/hiring manager well but also ourselves, the sourcer/recruiter/HR professional. Is it our duty? Or is it a curse? There are those that take it more seriously than others. I have often thought of it as a privilege.

Duty seems a little harsh, like I should be wearing shackles or that I will get out of it once my time has been served or my indenturement is through. Recruiting is not an easy task. If it were easy, I am guessing, we wouldn't have jobs; hiring managers would do it themselves. Our specific services wouldn't be required and we would be like dust in the wind, feathers on a freeway, not even important enough to be litter.

We are brought in to solve a problem, to cure a plight, to remove an issue that someone is facing. It isn't a yes or no problem. It isn't one, multiple-choice question. It is the combination of many answers to many questions. And we are looking for the perfect fit, the last piece, the solution to a difficult equation, the final ingredient that makes the soup taste so good and the stew so meaty. The heat brings out the best flavors. Don't be afraid of it, relish it.

© by rayannethorn


Today marks the one-year anniversary of Bonus Track. Thanks for giving it a spin....

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Congratulations on your one-year anniversary!

I have always been awed at the effect my work has had on other people's lives. I've touched their lives in a most significant way by being involved with their career. The decisions I've made might not have cured cancer but they have changed the course of careers and the success of my client companies. It is a privilege....its given meaning to my 37 years of working as a recruiter. It’s what keeps me going through the bad days.

Thank you Rayanne for writing meaningful, thought provoking posts EVERY DAY for the past year!!

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