“And what do you do?”…. pause. I answer “I work in IT Software Consulting and Staffing.” Longer pause and blank stares. I continue “Staffing…. Recruiting…? Ummmm.. I get computer people jobs at big companies.” Ahhhh – recognition spreads across his face and like those before him, he smiles and snidely replies “So… you’re a HEADHUNTER.”
Now – I realize that there are several terms out there describing what I do – but Headhunter is my least favorite. It has a negative connotation – similar to Lawyer or Telemarketer. But I realize that there are certain terms that people recognize. So I smile coyly and respond “No… I’m a Head Huntress.”
There are many industries out there with a bad rap – I’ve mentioned two prior but recruiting/staffing seems to have one of the worst raps and ironically, one of the most noble of purposes. We help people get jobs. Now – don’t get me wrong – there are always a few bad apples. A few “headhunters” who treat people like a commodity instead of a living, breathing being who is enlisting our help to garner work. But unlike those bad apples, I guess I tend to think of every candidate as a critic. Negative word of mouth is more damaging than any other type of critique so I view every potential candidate or potential placement, as a “Kelly the Head Huntress” critic capable of giving me a bad review and therefore – making me no better than those bad apples.
Thinking of this I have to wonder: How are we treating our candidates out there? In a time of recession, are we treating them less like people and more like an overabundance of wheat because there are less jobs and quite a few folks out of work?
This blog going forward – resume advice, job hunting advice, overall dialogue surrounding the big bad world of job hunting, funny stories, candidate nightmares, and how every now and again – we recruiters serve a very useful function.
Now – I realize that there are several terms out there describing what I do – but Headhunter is my least favorite. It has a negative connotation – similar to Lawyer or Telemarketer. But I realize that there are certain terms that people recognize. So I smile coyly and respond “No… I’m a Head Huntress.”
There are many industries out there with a bad rap – I’ve mentioned two prior but recruiting/staffing seems to have one of the worst raps and ironically, one of the most noble of purposes. We help people get jobs. Now – don’t get me wrong – there are always a few bad apples. A few “headhunters” who treat people like a commodity instead of a living, breathing being who is enlisting our help to garner work. But unlike those bad apples, I guess I tend to think of every candidate as a critic. Negative word of mouth is more damaging than any other type of critique so I view every potential candidate or potential placement, as a “Kelly the Head Huntress” critic capable of giving me a bad review and therefore – making me no better than those bad apples.
Thinking of this I have to wonder: How are we treating our candidates out there? In a time of recession, are we treating them less like people and more like an overabundance of wheat because there are less jobs and quite a few folks out of work?
This blog going forward – resume advice, job hunting advice, overall dialogue surrounding the big bad world of job hunting, funny stories, candidate nightmares, and how every now and again – we recruiters serve a very useful function.
