Talent acquisition is a rewarding field, particularly when you are able to help a company find top talent that will help them grow and succeed. I love being able to work with so many different people—from candidates and employees to managers and executives. There’s always something new to learn and a new challenge to tackle. Moreover, I think each new talent acquisition is a new challenge. Talent acquisition encompasses many different aspects, such as sourcing, recruiting, selection, onboarding, and employee retention. This provides a varied and dynamic role that is never dull.
The truth is that I just kind of fell into it. If you were to ask me 20 years ago, would I be in talent acquisition, the answer would have been no. I was working in a Fortune 500 career. I was motivated by impact and at 26 years old I felt like a small fish in a big sea. Since I followed sports and was fascinated by how teams drafted players, I thought I wanted to be a general manager of a sports team versus being in corporate talent acquisition. When I got involved with it, I realized how much opportunity there was in this space. There hadn't been the level of transformation or disruption that you see in other industries. I got into talent acquisition because I saw a need. I love the quote from Mark Cuban - that he doesn't believe that professionally you should only pursue your professional passion. Instead, he said you should pursue your efforts because at the end of the day, you never give up what you're good at. For me and talent acquisition, the best is yet to come.
I've been in the TA industry for over a decade now, and I wouldn't change it for the world. Talent Acquisition definitely isn't the most stable industry and it certainly isn't the least stressful, but I find it to be the most rewarding. For me, the impact is twofold because I've been able to partner closely with execs and leaders to make a real impact on the business, but I've also been able to make a deep impact on the lives of individuals and their families. It's so exciting to learn about the teams within an organization - their strengths, weaknesses, and skill gaps - and then to go out and search for the best candidate for them. You get to watch the people you hire grow in their careers and drive business forward, and you also get to hear how the company has positively impacted that employee's life.