Over the past few months, as i’ve been looking for my next opportunity, there are a few things i’ve learned about people. Before i speak about that, let me first discuss what i value in people…
- Authenticity
- Honesty
- Integrity
Authenticity
I love when people dare to be themselves, no matter how nerdy, crazy or nuts they might be. As long as you are true to yourself and allow yourself to be that to others, i will respect you. I can’t promise that we’ll be best friends (reality is that we just might not gel, and that’s ok), but at least i’ll know who you truly are.
Honesty
This goes hand in hand with Authenticity. If you are comfortable with who you are, your ability to assess situations, you will be honest with others. I don’t need you to share your deepest secrets and you don’t have to answer my questions etc, but if you do choose to answer a question, be honest. Be truthful. I rather hurt from knowing the truth than to live in a fantasy world based on lies.
Integrity
This is probably the most important trait i value in people. Integrity defines your character. If you are a person that has integrity, your personal and professional relationships will be genuine and the people around you will know they can trust you. Having integrity is very important to me and should be to other people as well.
No matter how educated, talented, rich or cool you think you are, how you treat people tells all. Integrity is everything.
There you have it..the 3 most important attributes i value in people. Obviously there are other things i value in people as well but the above are significant to me.
I must have been in contact with close to 20 recruiters since i’ve been back on the market. Not necessarily because i’v
e been wanting to work with them, more so to hear them out to see what opportunities they are working to fill – that may suit me and my background. Truth be told, most of them are working on the exact same opportunities, they just work for different companies…
In addition to recruiters, i’ve also been dealing with hiring managers at companies directly. The experience i’ve had dealing with people at companies directly has been completely different than the experience of working with a recruiter. Working with companies directly makes you feel less disrespected and your time is more valued.
How i experience each interaction with recruiters or companies directly is based on what i value; authenticity, honesty, and integrity.
With these three attributes in mind, i can without a doubt say that most recruiters fail terribly to make a good impression. The one thing they lack is integrity.
You may not like what i have to say, i may not like you and you may not like me. Regardless – i will treat you with respect the best way i know how. My actions derive from a source called integrity. Because of that, i give people a chance to show me their true colors.
“All men are not created equal” – same thing goes with recruiters. There are recruiters who respect your time, your goals and you as a human being. They are truthful and they make sure to keep you updated on any opportunity they submitted your profile to. If the company chose not to move forward with a candidate, the recruiter with integrity will let the candidate know in a timely fashion. A recruiter with integrity will share any available feedback. A recruiter with integrity will respond to your email and not treat you like a spammer. LOL
About a year ago, a very good friend of mine introduced me to the SVP of Sales at CBS Sports. We had an informal sit down just to chat about my career and what i am looking to accomplish. He asked me how my job search is going, what i am doing to get in front of hiring managers etc. I told him that i’m doing various things, one is to speak to recruiters. His immediate advice was to start networking with VPs and SVPs at companies so that i wouldn’t have to rely on recruiters. That was the best advice i could have been given. Since then i have been speaking with recruiters, but i’ve made it a goal of mine to network more forcefully. The experience i’ve had with recruiters haven’t been a good one so i’m relying more on myself, pitching my background to various hiring managers. I have to say that i enjoy this approach much better!
So, what valuable advice can this post provide you? I’d have to second the advice i was given:
NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. Don’t rely on recruiters – they don’t have your best interest in mind. Most are looking to make a quick buck off of you without any regards to your goals.
