A Good Day #1

Wow.... I am so tired of not working. It doesn't matter that between April-July I was putting in 70+ hours per week of work. Since my ouster from a place I used to love (it went downhill fast in the last 6 months)... I have been home, unemployed and worried. I do really enjoy working in Human Resources. I think I put a little "human" in the function. Most of the hard stuff (termination, layoff, discipline) I had to do as a an operations manager. The hard stuff is offset by the part of the job that I really have a passion for. Recruiting. I love to find people and match them to jobs that are good for them, where they can be good for the company. I try to be the "face" of the company, and make the hiring process as positive as I can. Naturally, I can't hire everyone. I turn down fewer people after interview than most recruiters, because I source, find and call candidates that will be what the hiring manager is looking for. To do that, you need a keen eye and a good working relationship with the person who is hiring. You need to understand completely, what they are looking for. That way, they can interview 3 people for 2 positions, instead of 10 people.

Mostly, I love the thought of not being lazy about it. I don't just open up the first 10 applications that come in. Or all of the applications where the last names start with "A" or "B" and they show up at the top of my list. I'm a sleuth. I want to open every app and really pick the best 5-6 to follow up on. I want to call the person that didn't get an interview last month for a job they weren't right for, and surprise them by telling them we now have a job they are right for, simply because I recognized their worth and saved their app for the right opportunity. That's why looking for a job MYSELF is disheartening. I may apply for a job I'd be great for, and never get a call. Why? There were hundreds of applicants and the process defeated the recruiter. He/she just opened up enough applicants to find 2-3 potential candidates, got the process started, and moved on (they probably had 30 open positions and not enough hours in the day). Their intellectual curiosity was not piqued by the fact that they didn't go to the "Q's" and find me there, just waiting to be discovered.

So, after a month's delay, I have found a temporary job where all I will do is recruit. I started today. I am dazzled by the company's technology and how much work they put into their research on efficient business processes, which result in thousands of hires each year, and, more importantly, a response for EVERY single one of the tens of thousands they have applying to hire the thousands they hire. I liked the people I met today. I was enervated at the thought of the hundreds I may get to hire in the next three months. Most importantly, I was impressed by the process, and how a company can intelligently put together the technology and the people process accompanying the technology, to get all this done quickly.

My heart's beating again. Hope it will last!!