Use Your Lifeline

Hi Recruiters,

I want to be clear about something. It’s a bit of a harsh truth, but I say it because I care.

The most powerful tool as a recruiter is your network.

Many will understand this from a purely professional point of view, in that they’ve leveraged the ability to build strong networks of talent to excel in their roles.

But you also need a network of professionals in the business to go to when you want (or have been forced) to make a career move.

Your communities are your lifeline. Within them, empathy, direction and direct assistance are aplenty. But there’s a catch: You have to take the first step.

In other words, you have to make a deposit before you can withdraw.

Crazy World

We’re in a strange time where the paradox of companies asking TA leaders to cut spending while also admitting that skills shortages are getting worse is creating a lot of confusion.

It’s also contributing to extreme levels of stress, especially for the many recruiters who are currently out of work. As Nichole Foley mentioned in a recent episode of Recruiter Therapy, “It’s super discouraging getting all those rejections.”

I don’t bring this up to state the obvious.

While the tendency might be to pull the covers over your head, I hope to encourage folks to instead get involved in a community. Whether online, in-person, or both, there is solace and support to find. And it’s important that the support is coming from folks who truly understand your world — AKA, not your friends or family (unless they are also recruiters… In that case, I send prayers).

I’ve mentioned Cassie Lundquist, PRC, CIR, ACIR, CIR-IT, CDR, CMVR, CSMR ’s story before, but it really is a great example of how a community will come together to lift you up when you’re feeling knocked down.

Within days of being unexpectedly let go from her last contract position, she began receiving calls and messages from fellow teammates, hiring managers she had worked with before, and others in the recruiting community offering to help. That’s all due to her presence and the relationships she’s built over time.

Unfortunately, for the reasons above, it’s harder and taking longer for even the best recruiters to find solid footing again. But those who have invested time and emotion in building their network in the community have an incredibly deep resource to lean on when times are tough. And that is often just enough to get someone through a hard time a little faster and a little easier.

The cool thing about the recruiting community in particular? We’re not just a shoulder to cry on, but a group of folks who are willing to actually pitch in and make a difference.

Get Involved

To paraphrase Steve Levy , you gotta push yourself to get involved. And, as Steve also recently pointed out, here’s why: “Communities benefit recruiters’ professional careers not only by maintaining and nurturing important relationships but also to expose them to new ideas, better ways of doing things, new opportunities.”

Anyone who’s joined a Recruiter Therapy session or our F.R.B.R. conferences recently can attest to how much knowledge, time and energy is being offered up to help level up everyone’s game. Whether sharing best practices for using new tech and tools, sharing niche resources that can broaden how you find candidates, build relationships or conduct interviews, or even hear about jobs before they are posted or get referred by a peer, this community is constantly up to a lot of good.

Paul DeBettignies sums it up best when he says things like, “We are all frogs in the boiling pot.”

So, if you’re feeling like you’re alone in the struggle, please get involved. We’ve got all sorts of stuff happening in the TA Community.?

No hard feelings if there’s a different gang you want to join (but if they ask you to do any initiation challenges, like a bank heist, that’s probably a sign that you should run).

What else is happening in hiring?

• How The Federal Government Approaches Skills-Based Hiring
• US Weekly Jobless Claims Fall to 207K
• AI Recruitment Myths Busted

Aaron's Corner

Aaron Iba?ez here! Strengthening the recruitment community is important to us at hireEZ. So is diversity. We've got an important conversation coming next week about the real challenges recruiters face promoting diversity, strategies for how to overcome them, and what true inclusion looks like in today's workplace.

Join industry leaders Keirsten Greggs and Kevin W. as they unpack the critical topic of diversity and inclusion in recruiting and answer the question: Is diversity dead? Register here: https://hireez.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RB093fZJQGS8j9cnUcL49A#/registration

— Recruiters