Long, Long Ago

In the last fifth of the 20th Century (aka the 1980's), I began my journey as a rookie recruiter with a small staffing firm. Picture this: no Linkedin, no Twitter, no texting, no email, no cell phones, no internet search engines, not even a fax machine!! The tools of the trade consisted of a telephone used to cold call both companies and potential candidates, the classifieds from the Sunday papers, industry specific directories, word of mouth referrals, and an IBM Selectric typewriter.

Some of my younger readers must be rolling in laughter about now! Laugh on! Without all the electronic tools, a good recruiter was obliged to dial at least 40-50 potential hiring managers each day and make live contact. We actually spoke to candidates at length in the evening after hours as most could not be phoned at work as calls went into a staffed switchboard. There was a tendency to build relationships this way. Instead of emailing a resume, many candidates sketched out their profiles in prolonged late evening phone calls (I remember conducting a phone screen at 3:00 AM while a computer operator took his 3rd shift lunch break) leading to having a solid understanding of who they really were.

To expedite delivery of resumes to my clients, I would drive as much as 35-40 miles to hand them over in person along with a sack of donuts or bagels which usually led to a nice conversation. Clients became friends and colleagues and deep levels of trust were developed. With the economy slowing down the staffing industry, I have actually visited a few clients in recent months with incredible results. There have many days in the last year or so when I have wondered if rolling the clock back a bit might prove to be a good idea. Sometimes, less is more and we may be approaching one of those time periods.