For those who are familiar with speed dating or old enough to remember it during its rise, think of a pressurized room filled with enthusiastic single people searching for companionship under strict time constraints. As you move from table to table, person to person, you quickly begin to realize what works for you and what doesn’t. Those conversations, while brief, can convey a lot about you to the other person and vice versa. There’s hardly enough time to form an organic connection with someone, but many turn to it to increase their odds of ending the year in a relationship…
It’s timed due to the number of attendees with the purpose being to give everyone a chance to make an introduction. If a connection is made, you can opt to pull out with that person or you can proceed to the next table. The time constraint can be a friendly ally to someone who is completely disinterested or uncomfortable with the person they’re seated with…
This year marked my 15th year in recruitment, and like many, I was introduced to it in the conventional transactional manner. Need a body? Here you go! Send the cheque! There was no time to build a real partnership with a company because it was on to the next decision maker with a need, and you kept doing that until you felt completely burnt out at the end of the day…
Many prefer this approach because it gives them an easy exit if feelings about a search or company change, or it’s looking like your effort is not going to materialize into a placement…
Granted, it’s a thrill at times to engage in these scavenger hunt activities to fill a position, racing to beat your competition and collect a fee payout. Many have done quite well under this model…
The pivot for me came once I realized the value and importance of time. I was still newly married, and my second child was here. My Wife was the primary caregiver to our kids, and I vowed to take care of them…
…something had to change.
Personally, working in this way contradicted the very essence of who I am as a human being. I’ll take one meaningful relationship over 5 or 6 open-ended connections with no real value add for either side.
I was speed dating my way through the industry. I was having conversations with a lot of people, but hardly establishing anything that was sustainable with repeatable business, and lasting value.
I was waiting for that bell to ring or that cheque to clear, and on to the next. What’s interesting is that I tried to convince myself that I wasn’t transactional, yet my fruit declared differently.
I operated unethically, not because I was unethical, but because of the pressure I was under to produce. You pounced all over a client request because you never knew if or when the next one would come knocking. The rollercoaster of emotions coupled with financial unpredictability forced me to double click on what I wanted from a career in recruitment, and how I wanted to be remembered.
Did I want to be just another guy at a table in a crowded room, or a strategic partner with a permanent seat at the table? There’s a difference.
Cue the transformation to what has now become a search boutique predicated on delivering tangible results (not just lip-service) to people. We’re still driven by numbers to remain in business, but we don’t treat people like numbers…
If you’re at a similar place professionally, reach out to me directly. I would enjoy hearing your story…
For the past 15 years, I’ve facilitated placements within engineering and technology, with a focus of late on improving outcomes for organizations through better leadership…
There’s a better way to grow your business…
…let’s explore this together.