Head Above Water

The chilly weather didn't stop Fresno State Senior Darina Khisiamova from dominating the water against the Pepperdine Waves. Khisiamova, a Russian native IS FRESNO STATE SWIMMING. Her drive for greatness is evident in each stroke she swims. Khisiamova is one of the top performing swimmers and she is a PROBLEM for her opponents. 3 takeaways I learned from watching Darina:

1) Don't look back: seems obvious, especially in swimming. In recruiting, we cannot dwell on the what if's. It is one thing to learn from the past and strategize to get better but its another to ponder on it. Swimmers are so focused the perfection of the stroke, they are only looking forward. Every breath, every movement must be in alignment with the clock.

2) Warm up & warm down: warming up is the most essential part of preparing for a race. After the race, you must warm down. As a key player of the hiring team, prepare your hiring team before the interview. Give them some talking points, some hiring managers may have their mind made up about candidates before they even speak to them. Be that advocate, share your experience as to why you like the candidate. After the interview, warm down. Speak to your team, discuss next steps and do this fast. Ride the wave of momentum, keep the team and candidate excited about what's next. Keep the candidate warm while getting your team in alignment for the next steps, keeping the clock in mind and take action.

3) Have a cheering section: Swimming is not usually a spectator sport. Much like Darina's approach, she invited me to come watch her. I was truly amazed and her grit and desire to win. Her invitation did more for me than she will ever know. As recruiters, it is important we have those cheerleaders in place. We live in a world of constant rejection, declined LinkedIn inMails, hiring managers who don't communicate and unreachable expectation. We need those who see the strength in us to keep us moving. Khisiamova is a true pillar of strength and resilience, who are the cheerleaders in your life?