Walking a Tightrope Act
The exhilaration of landing the next engagement, next placement, the discipline, concentration, and grace that mastering my profession require, is like doing a Tightrope act. No two days are the same!
Many people out there have asked me what I do. On hearing that I am a recruiter, if it is not with some negativity they respond, they say: it must be so easy, meeting candidates, having long client lunches, coffee dates, long meetings, walking blissfully into the sunset…(I wish) So let me outline a day in the life of a recruiter – my life.
I wake up and immediately check my emails to ensure that the candidates, whom I placed last week, has not woken up with amnesia or decided to stay where they are.
Then it is off to a meeting with a hiring manager on the other side of Cape Town, in the meantime I have been on the phone with a last minute client need, now I need to rush as quickly as I can so I’m not late.
After the meeting, back to my office for back to back interviews. In steps Murphy’s Law. The one candidate’s car has broken down, they will be late, and the other candidate cancelled at the last minute as their child fell ill at school. Now walking into the office, a candidate is there, and I meet, greet and interview them, the one after the other.
It is already 14h00, I did not get around to lunch yet, not even a remote thought – let alone a cup of coffee. Online applications for your developer position, carefully review, phone screen and interview all the candidates with matching criteria. Calling candidates, preparing them for interviews, making sure they arrive on time (if that is at all possible), calling hiring managers to obtain feedback on candidate’s interviews. Business development, always filling your pipeline, calling prospective and current clients, reviewing online job boards, LinkedIn, etc.
Tick tock, tick tock… reminder that it is way pass 17h00. Still calling clients, checking in with candidates, interviewing, filling jobs, completing administration, taking calls, responding to emails. My landline already diverted to my mobile, so I am contactable after close of business. As I said in the beginning: The best part is… no two days are the same and I love every last minute of it!
By: Therese Otten