I used to dream about running my own recruiting practice.
It was a pipe dream, of course. I wasn’t sure what I’d focus on- creative, because I love it? Operations, because I’m good at it? Would I do executive search? How could I work on a contingent basis in a way that was sustainable? Or would I be retained? But then…oh, the pressure of operating a retained recruiting business! Would I miss the internal politics and thought partnership of being in house (yes, always yes)? Most importantly, how could I ever take the risk?
Of course, at the time, I knew at least that I’d focus on fashion if I ever did it. What else could there possibly be?!
LOL.
One year ago, in the worst job market in years, my beloved start-up employer shut down. Times were tough for everyone, but worse for recruiters. I had a new baby, mountains of fear…and an idea. I was networking out of my mind for a full-time role, to no avail. So I launched my lil’ old LLC to make some money while I looked for my next “real” gig. It never occurred to me that that could be my business.
What area did I choose to focus on? Everything. What industry did I choose to specialize in? All of them. What levels do I hire? Well…you get the gist.
Every person I spoke with who’d done this before me told me I *had* to specialize. “You have to choose! How else will you differentiate yourself???” And while that made sense, it also felt wrong for me. Not wrong…just wrong FOR ME. I do my best work with variety…and, honestly, a little bit of chaos 😬 So for only the second time in my career, I ignored the advice of experts and let my gut- my curiosity- lead me.
And ya know what? It led me to a real hole in the recruiting services market. Companies NEED agencies. They are also frustrated by the often disconnected and impersonal nature of working with one. When I realized that what I wanted to do for these companies was bring the speed of an agency with the deep understanding of an in-house partner (the part that REALLY makes me love recruiting)…well, the rest is history.
I don’t focus on only certain functions; I focus on on-brand cross-functional partnership. I don’t focus on only certain levels; I focus on building the whole team puzzle that will launch you into the future and help retention rates soar. This is why every client I’ve had the privilege of partnering with this last year has been a repeat.
I’m feeling all sorts of things as I mark a year of self employment tomorrow, but mostly proud. And surer than ever that if you follow your curiosity, you’ll never be steered wrong. Happy anniversary, leiman/holland search!! 🎉🎉🎉
Me in my early morning office, with my favorite coworker ❤️