It has been a slump this summer. My job is to find people jobs, and lately that matching has been slow. A dry spell, honestly.
I will admit that it is not a comfortable thing to write. It feels vulnerable. When your job is to find people jobs and the placements are not happening, it is hard not to feel like a failure. But I think it is worth talking about, because every business owner hits a stretch like this, and what matters is how you respond to it.
About 30 days ago, the funnel felt empty. That is a hard place to sit as a recruiter.
Today the picture looks different. There are interviews scheduled, and candidates are moving into second and third rounds. Things are happening. I have been deliberate about doing different things to find people, get in front of them, and identify the right fit for the right positions. Some days it still feels like spinning my wheels. But movement is making a difference.
In recruiting, you get paid after a placed candidate starts the job, and that is a long way out from the day the offer lands.
Even if I talk to a candidate today and they receive an offer today, that offer is for a future start date, and payment comes after that. So when everything turns around immediately, the revenue takes time to follow.
I am dwelling on that part. All I can control is what I am doing today.
Part of this dry spell came from outside my control. We had a flow of candidates coming through a few main channels, and then those platforms closed off.
That forced a bit of reinvention. I have been identifying new channels to reach candidates while getting back to basics at the same time. In hindsight, relying too heavily on a handful of sources was a vulnerability, and building new ones makes the business stronger.
Because it really does come down to the basics. There are core building block activities that move you from zero to one, or simply move you forward at all.
For me, the core activity is talking to candidates. That is it. Anything I do that is not finding people jobs and talking to clients and candidates pulls me further away from the goal.
It also helps to remember what this work actually is. We are not selling something that costs a dollar for two dollars. We are matching people with jobs. There is an inherent good in that: finding talent for businesses and finding people their next opportunity. So I am focusing on that, tightening up everything, and putting one foot in front of the other.
The dry spell is real, and I am not going to pretend otherwise. What I keep coming back to is the people. I have written before about how the reward in this business comes from the people you help, and that is still the part that gets me back at the desk each morning. For the wider picture on hiring right now, I shared my notes from the Forum Club on the Fed's view of the labor market.
If you are hiring, or you are looking for your next role, reach out to me today.
