Step 1: Identifying yourself

My unpaid profession:
I’m a parent. I have no book or answers to parenting. It is one of the hardest jobs but the most rewarding career I could have chosen. After 4 kids, a lot of disappointments, a multitude of trophies and accomplishments, and years of tears and laughter – I consciously try not to equate my children’s success as my accomplishment, but being a proud parent, internally it is my barometer as to how much I have put in. Not that we should, but as parents we identify our own success through our children. How well they do is how well we’ve done. I cannot take any of the claims to their success, but find myself taking all the blame if they fail. If you’re a parent you know what it is to feel your children’s pain and take pride in their accomplishments.

My paid profession:
I am a headhunter. I recruit for a living. I take staffing to a new level. I find the untouchables in management and match them to a company that needs an impact player to improve their team and get to the next level. A complete parallel to what college coaches do. They have a job and need to get it filled. They try to find “the one” that is going to help build their empire and help them achieve their goals. They work off of a job description and try to find the most qualified candidate to advance their cause.

How my professions come together:
From a business perspective, as a manager and recruiter, college coaches are business professionals. They use key words and terms to attract you and try to paint a picture of how wonderful their world is. They will flatter you, tell you what you want to hear, and do what it takes to get you – if they want you. As a parent, I only want to hear how wonderful my daughter is. They will find out my hot buttons and dwell on it just like a used car salesman trying to sell me the lime green caddy. Having the knowledge of my emotional attachment and one-sidedness – I have surrounded my daughter with a support system that gives her what she needs for success. She can count on me for support – a ride to practices and games, to buy her a drink, help fundraise, I do not put her coach or her teammates down, and I do not yell at the refs. From her basketball support system – she has people that I trust – people that have been to where she is trying to go. They give her different perspective and opinion, build her court confidence, strengthen her skillsets, correct her faults, and teach her the game of basketball. I do not allow my daughter to associate with people with personal agendas – there are a lot of sharks out there, my daughter will not be used as bait.

Recognizing who I am keeps the recruiting process in perspective. Knowing my own strengths and weaknesses allows for reason and evaluation – not impulsive and uninformed.