When I grow up, I want to be a Searchologist

Have you ever been to a "Career Day" at your kids school? For the uninitiated, that is when you sit in a classroom of your child's peers and try to make your vocation the best thing since "Harry Potter" and thereby incentivize young minds to study hard so they can be just like you when they grow up. When this happens to you, try not to follow a Policeman, Soldier or (groan...) a Fireman with a bright red truck parked in front of the school. I had the recent fortune (or misfortune) of being in that position and although I would like to believe that I "dazzled" as I compared sourcing candidates to playing hide-and-seek, my street-cred was shot the moment the siren rang on the engine outside. At the end of the day, all kiddies present wanted to be something else other than a "Searchologist." Sigh...

I imagine that such is the case for any other parent out there who has to explain what they do when what they do is recruiting or recruiting related. I mean, come on... How many kids do you know say, "When I grow up, I want to source the internet fro candidates? Or, I want to recruit people for companies all over the world. Or... nevermind."

I think one of the reasons why young people in elementary school (or college for that matter) rarely consider HR as a career of choice. Why? My thoughts is that it is not "cool" to the public at large and whose fault is that? Quite frankly, its yours...

If you are a sourcer, how much pride do you have in what you do? How often do you mentor others (via a blog for example) on "the craft?" Or, is it all just a job?

Well, color me naive, but I hope to change the mindset of Sourcing (and recruiting in general). How? With baby steps...

Baby Step #1: Make being a Sourcer "Hip"

Wear a t-shirt, hat, something or other that tells the world that what you do is cool.

Baby Step #2: Champion your skills internally.

Market every success vigorously and gain the respect of the hire-ups so that they see the value of what you do and how it affects the bottom line.

Baby Step #3: Get people talking

Share what you know, challenge what you have already learned and push, push, push innovation at every turn. If the methodologies of sourcing stagnate, so does the value of sourcing overall.

I LOVE what I do and am fortunate to work with people who see the value in what I do. If this is not the situation you operate in, begin with babystep #1. Remember, its not only for you, but the next generation of Searchologists as well.

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