Have you ever felt like you were floundering to find your professional purpose? Maybe your work doesn’t offer the same fulfillment it once did. Or maybe you feel like you’ve outgrown your field. Either way, you’re itching to find something new.
I’ve been in staffing for decades. Though much has changed in the industry, my passion for it is unwavering. I look around at my friends experiencing burnout in their jobs and wonder, What makes me so special? Then, I realize—it’s not me. It’s the nature of this work.
I reflected on everything that brought me to staffing. When I first started out in pharmaceutical recruiting, I had no idea what I was doing. What I did have, however, was my phone and a personal vow to make more calls a day than I had the last. Turns out, that was all I needed to make it to where I am now.
There’s so much to love about this line of work, but I want to share with you seven reasons why becoming a recruiter is the best career move you can make.
The opportunities are unlimited. Recruiting is one of those rare professions that is a genuine meritocracy. Nobody cares who or what you know, so long as you put in the work every day. With every call, you’re forging the bridge to your next opportunity. The more professionals you connect with, the more placements you make, the more happy clients and candidates you have—it all boils down to you. Your hard work never goes unnoticed or unrewarded.
It doesn’t matter where you are in your career. Whether you’re a recent grad or a veteran in the workforce, the staffing industry is open to people of all backgrounds, experiences and skills. As long as you’re trainable and enjoy helping others, you can make it far in this career.
You have total autonomy. One of the best, and most challenging, aspects of this work is that you have to make it your own. Even after weeks of training, the majority of what you learn comes on the fly. For instance, when you first start, your manager will give you a script to guide your phone conversations. That script is just a training tool to get the information you need from candidates. A skilled recruiter masters the script, then goes beyond it to create real dialogues. Until you start making those calls though, you can’t learn how to bring your personality into it and make your conversations more genuine. In other words, you must master the script before you can ditch it.
The competition is thrilling. No one said recruiting was easy, but having challenges to overcome at work plays a huge part in your job satisfaction. One of these challenges comes from a healthy dose of competition among you and your colleagues. Like I said, staffing is a true meritocracy where only the best recruiter wins. It also means that every day is a new opportunity for you to be the best.
You connect with new people every day. When you pick up the phone, you never know who you’re going to talk to or what you might learn from them. Of course, you’ll have the person’s name and your basic questions to ask. You have to remember though that every call is a new connection in your professional network. It’s potential for a long-term working relationship. The better you do your job, the more people will want to work with you. That alone opens up huge opportunities for the future.
It fosters invaluable skills. There’s a particular advantage to the skills you learn as a recruiter. For one, you master the art of job hunting, and you know exactly what looks good to employers. You also learn how to network effectively, conduct research and problem solve. These skills will help you take on your career path in stride, wherever it might lead you.
Your work impacts people’s lives. Above all else, being a recruiter is about helping others pursue their dreams. You’re presenting candidates with opportunities they wouldn’t be able to find on their own. Your work changes people’s lives. You become people’s professional matchmaker, their support system and sometimes even their friend. Your purpose is to help others find theirs.
What makes a job fulfilling is the challenges and rewards it has to offer. With staffing, neither are in short supply. As amazing as this industry is though, it’s up to you to find meaning in it. You have to take charge of your career—not the other way around.
Staffing offers incredible opportunities, but sometimes what you need is a launchpad to help you pursue them. Find a place that both nurtures your dreams and pushes you to achieve. That’s the kind of place I created for my employees. Don’t just take my word for it though. See for yourself what ICON can do for you.
