At first glance, it wouldn't seem that the restaurant industry and technical
recruiting have much in common. But a love of working with people led Jeanne
Hudson to tackle both careers.
"It's a tough job -- you kill yourself to make a few dollars," she says
of her former stint as a restaurant owner. Today she runs her own technical
recruiting firm in Houston.
Hudson admits she had a lot to learn in the beginning. Her first step was
to read several books on technical recruiting. Then she brushed up on her
knowledge of SAP (a type of computer software), and began contacting human
resources managers in large companies to ask them to outline the specific
qualifications they looked for when hiring.
From there she started recruiting candidates, had some business cards printed
up and hung out a shingle.
That was two years ago, and Hudson is still learning. There have been challenges
along the way. For one thing, talking to computer experts -- whether they're
employers or job candidates -- can be intimidating. "A person in computers
may have a PhD and you may not know what they're talking about half the time,
but you've got to act like you do."
And then there's the challenge of finding credible candidates. Like many
headhunters, she spends a great deal of time contacting people who are happy
in their current position, hoping to persuade them to switch jobs.
"I try to recruit out of a reputable company," she says. "I check for references,
but if I know someone at the company I'll contact them too, just in case the
person has given me the name of a relative or a good friend."
Despite the challenges, she is very pleased with the career change. "It's
a wonderful field," she says. "I've done everything, from selling real estate
to owning a restaurant, and this is the best of all of them." Why? "You change
their lives," she says of the clients she's helped to find new jobs.
Ivan Hnatiuk has been involved in computers in one capacity or another
since obtaining a bachelor's degree in computer science. After spending several
years working for a big company, he started his own computer company providing
information technology solutions.
When that ended seven years later, Hnatiuk was ready to re-enter the workforce,
"but I didn't want to get into the 9-to-5 role. I wanted something with freedom
and flexibility."
Today, Hnatiuk works at a recruiting firm. He says his background gives
him an advantage over other recruiters. "I have the combination of the information
technology background and the entrepreneurial experience."
It may make things easier, but technical recruiting is still a very demanding
job. Hnatiuk says there's more to his job than simply finding a person that
possesses the skills listed on a piece of paper. He believes it's equally
important that a candidate will fit into the company on a personal level.
"Each company has its own culture," he says. He adds that often the resume
of the candidate he presents to the employer and the original job description
are not at all similar. "These days, the soft or people skills are just as
important as the technical skills."
Because of this, finding the right candidate is often an intuitive process.
Hnatiuk says that technical recruiting demands more from an individual than
other careers. "Most people have a finite set of skills, and they build a
career on these skills and ignore the weaknesses. In the final spectrum, in
this career you're only as successful as your weaknesses. You can't ignore
them."
Even deciding how to approach a potential candidate is not as simple as
it might seem. When searching for qualified candidates to fill available positions,
Hnatiuk says it is extremely important that he doesn't come across as a salesman.
"Technical people are analytical types. They want information," he says.
"They don't want to be sold to."
Because technical people can be rather shy, he sometimes decides that making
his initial contact by e-mail is a wiser choice than picking up the telephone.
Despite all the stress, Hnatiuk enjoys making a difference in people's
lives. "There's a saying that everybody should have four telephone numbers
by their phone -- the doctor, the police, the fire department and their recruiter,"
he says. "Because the three most important things in your life are your health,
security and career."
Carolyn Steers found out about technical recruiting through an advertisement
in the classified section of the newspaper. The former teacher decided upon
a career change when she returned to work full time after having children.
"I liked working with people, so it seemed like a good idea," she says
of her decision to respond to the ad. Her first job was at a personnel agency,
which meant she was exposed to the marketing side of the job
as well as dealing with candidates.
Today Steers works for a computer consulting firm with offices worldwide.
She is part of a team of recruiters who strive to meet the company's ever-increasing
need for computer professionals. Sources for finding candidates include career
fairs and the Internet. "But our biggest source is referrals by other employees,"
she says.
Steers loves her job. "It's fun and it's never dull," she says. "What's
happening at 9 a.m. could be completely different by 4 p.m." She cautions
that anyone who thrives on a predictable workday routine wouldn't be happy
in this career.
On the other hand, she says, "If you're the sort of person who likes to
think, 'Wow, I wonder what's going to happen today,' then this is the job
for you."