THAT RECRUITERS WHO HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH SITUATIONS RAISE THEIR HANDS !

Sometimes amazing things happen in our profession, right?

It is a strange profession indeed in that it requires us to wear several hats: that of an agent for job seekers, an advisor for employers and a salesman of our own services.

This delicate situation requires a fine balance. It also provides an exceptional viewpoint from which the consultant in us can observe a broad range of quirky situations from which valuable learnings are always gained.

For ten successive weeks, I have shared on LinkedIn and with my subscribers these recruitology chronicles.

It has proved impossible for me not to incorporate a touch of Africa as I see it. Integrating African proverbs and sayings at the end of most chronical has involved perilous linguistic contortions. The same challenge arose when it came to illustrating each lesson drawn with a visual symbol – all of them borrowed from the Adinkras Akan people of Ghana. Additionally, each tale was restricted by the limitation of 1300 characters imposed by LinkedIn articles.

Many of you have asked me through LinkedIn private messages how to access the full set of chronicles without having to browse through my seemingly endless list of articles. Well, it is my pleasure to share with you the complete works, which Hervé Dabla – aka Blacksad and a man of many talents - has graced with his unique touch and taste as an illustrator. My friend Jean-David Kouassigan kept the whole spirit of the original version of these chronicles intact in this English translation.

A warm thank to both for their contribution to this project.

Here after, the first chronicle of this collection as a teaser.

 Some years ago, I was looking to recruit a Research Director for a regional institution.

- Sir, I cannot possibly submit your 23 pages curriculum as it is.

- But...why?

- Well, hmmm…it is simply too long!

- Too long? On what basis? I am not prepared to exclude some of the many interesting things I have accomplished and that make me the professional I am.

- Of course…I understand. But maybe you could try and summarize them. Couldn’t you ?

- Absolutely not!

- (…)

- Speaking of summaries, do you know what the great Fela Anikulakpo Kuti used to say when his record label would ask him to create shorter music tracks? He would say: “Wagner needed 45 minutes to express his emotions through his compositions, why insist I do the same in less than 10 minutes?”

Sorry ooo ! I just gave up and politely took my leave.

But as the saying goes: “The river winds incessantly because it does not want to hear he who shows the way.”

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Access the 9 other chronicles via the download link in the 1st comment below.

I hope you will enjoy reading these chronicles and if you do, I kindly share them, and reshare the corresponding LinkedIn posts across your network.