Someone recently asked me why I enjoy working with staffing
and recruiting people. The answers
probably have something to do with why I myself, spent 25 years as an active
member of the industry.
Lets start with the industry as a whole; overall the staffing
industry, temp, perm (oops direct), contract staffing and executive search all
have something in common. We surround ourselves in people contact all day,
every day; as an industry we have a better finger on the pulse of why people stay
at companies and why people leave companies than any other industry on the
planet. We also know what
the job market needs and what it wants, before the newspapers and CNN have even
begun to think to ask. Additionally we are amongst the first that feel the
onset of a recession, so in some ways we are pretty astute economic
fortune-tellers. As an industry we
put people to work, we give people hope, dignity and purpose. As an industry we make new friends
easily, keep friends and maintain our networks.
When I look at the people who flock to and make it in the
staffing industry, I see so many commonalities, many which bring a smile to my
face, some don’t and I’ll list those as well.
Most people I have met, are friends with, or have assessed
all share a strong sense of urgency about their business, how they make
decisions and how they serve their customers. They also are for the most part bit on the competitive side,
they like to win the games they play and the business they go after. They like
a lot of action and enjoy the frenzy of the flurry of the deal or multiple
deals coming in or closing at once. They know the numbers tell the story so
they watch the numbers and encourage healthy activity. They learn from their mistakes, as one can only spend so
much time with the wrong candidates, clients, prospects, orders or
co-workers. They also like being
evaluated on performance, the bottom line. They do or they don’t, 
trying is not
something an experienced successful staffing person enjoys saying or hearing,
especially out of their own mouth.
I would say most of my colleagues in staffing have a good
sense of humor, and learn as time goes by, to find the humor in every no show,
mis hire, client debacle, lost fee or candidate betrayal. What starts out as a disappointment or
angry rant typically dissipates into some long lasting joke or key lesson for
future hires to laugh over and learn.
On the not so cheery side, most people in the staffing
industry have a very healthy dose of Ego, with a capital E. At times that Ego,
while shielding them from rejection also gets in their way of getting better, hearing the truth and making needed
changes – in business and in personal relationships. I know this because I have lived it.
And then there is the shoemakers kids, the staffing industry
by far a has the worse turn over of any professional services industry.
Although the BLS does not track our industry independently, most agency owners
report close to a 45% turn over of established staff in tough times and 65-68%
fall offs of new people hired who lack the right stuff to stay long enough to
make the impact the company needed to justify the hire. That is darn scary. Some people
attribute the turn over to us making the job look too easy, because we are just
so great at it, others say we adopt the practice 'place the best and hire the
rest', and others say it's because we take care of ourselves and our businesses
last.
All in all, the staffing industry houses some of my favorite
people, fondest memories and life long friendships, not to mention every aspect of my entire
adult business life. I am glad to
be a part of it and happy that I am working with so many great new comers,
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