Recruiting Revealed - The Secret Sauce

I could spend a while discussing all the different things that can make a recruiter successful. Everybody has their own flare, and finding that will help you be the best recruiter you can be, but first you need to get down the basics. I've thought a fair bit about all the different styles of recruiting: old school, new school, industry specific, niche skill, corporate, executive searches, and agency, and I've come to the conclusion that there are a couple important ingredients among all of these to that lead to success - tenacity and hustle.

The fact is, you're going to face a lot of rejection as a recruiter. Regardless of your business you're going to get rejected by clients, candidates, hiring managers, teammates, managers, or companies - sometimes one of them, sometimes all of them. It sucks! If you can't figure out a way to get past that then recruiting might not be the job for you. The truth is, I almost quit recruiting. I was looking for a way out nearly as soon as I started and much of the reason for that is because I had a very hard time with rejection. I had a hard time working so hard (or so I thought) and having nothing to show for it. I wanted OUT, but thankfully or not, I could never find the right job away from it and here I am. Six years later. Still recruiting. After my first year and some change I knew I had to "buck up" as my mom, Betty, so endearingly told me too many times to count.  I had to figure out a way to pull myself up by my bootstraps and kick some ass (figuratively speaking). Thats when I first realized what it was really going to take to be good at this whole recruiting thing.

I'm an athlete. Correction, I was an athlete. Now I'm more of a soft potato that recalls the days of practice and games longingly. Through nearly 20 years of playing at least 2, sometimes 3 different sports in a year you would think the whole tenacity and hustle thing would have landed a bit sooner in my work life than it did. Lets be clear, I wasn't a slacker and I did work hard, but I just didn't know what that actually meant so it was a bit misplaced. What I came to realize is that you have to be specific about where you place that tenacity and hustle. Tenacity is used to rebuff rejection and cross the finish line. Hustle is used to get the ball started and keep it going; its endurance. Learning how and when to use those two ingredients were what finally made me enjoy recruiting. I always thought you needed to just show up. Just put in the hours, and sure - that helps, but thats not really what gets you there. Its the specific dosages at the right time that make the whole thing work. Its like a family recipe that recruiters have shared year over year making you swear not to change the foundation.

I follow a few recruiting groups on Facebook and LinkedIn because like any job or industry its important to keep up with new tactics or how others solve similar problems. What is cool about these groups is its not skill set specific which means you can really recognize the common themes among all the members. Every now and again somebody will post a "I'm new to recruiting, what tips do you have for me?" post, and its interesting to see how similar every response is. They all harken back to hustle and tenacity. Sure, they give different tips, but they're all related. Don't be afraid to fail, don't stop, put in the work, just pick up the phone, etc. While the actions of hustle and tenacity are different the sentiment is the same. You want to make this work? You want to be the best at what you do? Hustle, and don't take no for an answer. Where there is a will there is a way. For every problem there is a solution (apply more corny, cliche phrases here). Be the solution finder and you'll be just fine.

One of the things I have found I enjoy the most about recruiting is the common thread that keeps us all related. The recipe that is handed down again and again. Recruiting is made up of a large group of people who have the desire to help other people, but the steeliness to handle the hard stuff. Its an interesting result that has specific ingredients. Don't be afraid to add your own flare, but start with the basics and the rest will be gravy (well, mostly).

Thanks for reading my post! Comments and topic ideas are always appreciated.