Why do you all hate your jobs?

This might be a bit untrendy, and I’m not expected to get featured anywhere for it, but I’m going to say it anyway. I think most Recruiters and most H.R. professionals do a pretty good job. I also think that most care about their candidates and clients and add plenty of value to the recruitment process.

I don’t think there is anything wrong in recruiters selling in order to get new opportunities or to get their candidates seen. I think there are plenty of H.R. people that have a level of influence and “get” social media.

I don’t think job boards are dying or will be replaced by Twitter or Facebook any time soon. There, I’ve said it.

For 27 years I have either worked as a recruiter or supporting Recruiters. I’ve also had some fairly heavy H.R. responsibilities in my last corporate role. In that time, the Recruiters I have come across have been mostly professionals that work more hours and go out of their way to find people work. It is how they make their money and they do it ethically and honestly.

I have heard the horror stories, and I’ve been equally shocked by them, but these on the whole have been very much in the minority. What concerns me is that reading the many blogs out there, it would seem everyone hates their profession and believes everyone in it (apart from themselves of course), have got it wrong. If you were in College and looking at recruitment or HR for a career, and read these blogs or blogging communities would you choose one of the professions, where the practitioners spend their time bemoaning their colleagues or their lack of influence? Probably not!

It’s said in the media that bad news sells, seems the same is true of blogging. No one wants to read how a recruiter got someone back in to work or how an H.R. manager solved a dispute where everyone was happy. Good news and good practice is just not interesting enough. Better to point out all the sharp practices and warn how the industry is going to die any day soon.

How about every so often we write something positive. A good news story or a simple praise of the professions that if we are honest, we all love doing. I was privileged to be a recruiter. People trusted me with their careers or important hires in their organisation. I was flattered by that and never lost sight of the responsibility and trust placed in me. I’m sure I was far from alone in that attitude. How about we see something positive for a change?

Be ambassadors for your great profession,

Bill