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The Dream

Over the years, children have announced their lofty career aspirations proudly: “When I grow up I want to be a Doctor, an Astronaut or even President”.  Not as often have I heard (OK never have I heard) a child confess their lifelong desire to become a Technical Recruiter.  

My Path

I’m often asked, “How did you become a recruiter”?  My answer, like most in the industry, is I just happened upon it.  To be honest, before I took a job as a recruiter, I didn’t even know the industry existed.  I remember thinking, “Why would one company need to pay another company to hire people for their own company?  Isn’t that what HR does?”  My “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” (recently “proven” by Microsoft) goes something like this: Planning on majoring in Engineering (I was always good at math so what not become an engineer - Chemistry II answered that question), to graduating with a Business degree in Marketing from UF, to attending graduate school and earning my MBA from UCF, to working at the Orlando Magic in Marketing and Sponsorship Sales to my first job in recruiting in 1999 as a PC Tech Recruiter.  Pretty direct path huh?  I by no means am unique; many recruiters have equally circuitous tales of a winding path that led them to their position as a recruiter. 

Surprising Stats

But even though I like thousands of others didn’t always dream of becoming a technical recruiter, many of us have embraced the career and flourished in it for many years, turning a happenstance job into a career.  In fact, most people would be surprised to learn (I know I was), that according to Money Magazine’s 2007 Best Jobs in America Report, Executive Recruiter ranks #1 overall in the “Parents Returning to Work” category and Recruiter ranks #18 overall in the “Young and Restless” category. 

What’s the Appeal?

So there must be something appealing and rewarding (at least to some) in becoming a recruiter.  To me, the appeal seems to be a result of a few factors.  And yes, it’s more than the free coffees, lunches and happy hours. 

• Fast paced nature of the work - I’m never looking at the clock waiting for the end of the day, more commonly I’m wondering when February became June. This pace is only magnified as a “Technical Recruiter” by the ever changing world of technology
• Unlimited earning potential - With pay for performance that creates financial rewards for increased results, with respect to Gordon Gekko
• It’s never boring (Painfully disappointing and frustrating at times, but never boring!) -There’s a book or movie script to be sold with all of the random and often ridiculously comical stories that recruiters have accumulated over the years. Tales of great wins and losses, elaborate excuses for missed interviews, outlandish statements on resumes and all of those “explanations” for a failed drug test
• Helping people get jobs - While I’ve never claimed and don’t pretend to be a social worker, there is certainly a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in helping someone find a new job or career (Note priority - reason #2 versus reason #4 - ha-ha) 

Wrap it up

What I’ve learned in the last 9 ½ years is being a Technical Recruiter really means being a salesperson, a research analyst, a roller coaster ride operator, a marketer, a hostage negotiator, a counselor, an agent and a juggler.  I guess some of those careers don’t sound so bad for a child to aspire to…

All Press is Good Press

So what did you want to be when you grew up?  Was it a lifelong dream or a leap of faith or somewhere in between?  Please post comments or feel free to list your “Six degrees” that led you to your career in recruiting or IT.

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