I recently took the time to ask myself, “What has helped me to thrive in my role as Tech Recruiter at Recruiting Experiences?”. One word came to mind because of how often my clients say they WANT it, and how often my team members say that I lean into it: AMBIGUITY. I will define what ambiguity means to me first, then lead you through several experiences I have had stepping into ambiguity.
What is Ambiguity?
Am. Bee. Gooey. T. Now say it fast! To me, ambiguity means: a situation or circumstance where you are directly involved in making an impact but have limited direction, guidance, or resources readily available. Notice I said ‘readily’ available because, in my opinion, you can always find or create resources to get the job done.
My First Recruiting Project EVER
It was my first official week working at our office. My supervisor asked me if I wanted to take a phone screen for a field adjuster at 4:30PM. Without thinking twice, I said, “Absolutely!” Let me offer a little background: it was my second week of working, and I still had not gone through our Recruiting Immersion training program, AND I had never spoken to, seen, or heard of a field adjuster in my work life. This was a completely new situation to me.
Although I loved the challenge, I wondered if the candidate would be able to sniff out my lack of understanding of their work. I did not even know what I would ask the candidate at first- but I knew this would help me learn on the fly and expose me to a new industry. I believe this moment and my willingness to jump in led Amy to let me work directly with our client and, over the next 2.5-month period, I would help them to hire 5 field adjusters. I also gained the confidence to recruit for any role that our clients need! It just takes understanding the business and the requirements needed for success in the role, and I can begin my search for talent.
Leading My First 1:1 Client Meetings
I am a talkative guy, but in the business setting there are still many things for me to learn. One time, our CEO had a client meeting scheduled but could not attend, so she asked me to step in for her and lead the meeting. I happily did so, although internally I WAS a bit worried that what I would have to say would not satisfy the client. What if they did not want to talk to me alone? What if they did not trust me? I was getting into my own head.
During the meeting I was able to provide a recruiting update, set expectations, and agree on the next steps. I did not completely botch it, and the client was a happy camper! I did not NEED my awesome leader by my side (although that would have given me a safety net). I believe that moments like these are what built my confidence to comfortably lead client meetings in the future. I realized that I build the trust and confidence in our partnerships by delivering results, having data to share about the market, and driving positive experiences for our clients and candidates.
Behind the Curtain Webinar
With about 2 weeks’ notice, our CEO invited me and our Marketing Manager to brainstorm and execute a webinar. At a glance- two weeks is plenty of time! Now throw in a full-time workload and multiple client priorities. Plus, we were not just putting together slides; We were producing the idea, content, delivery method, and presenting, as well! I was excited for this project but also worried that I would not be able to invest enough time given my other priorities. Some days I had to push my originally scheduled work items so that I could build the draft for our webinar. And yes- I even had to put in extra hard work on the weekends. After working diligently, I am proud to say that we were able to successfully build and launch the webinar ,(click here to watch) with a short 1-week planning period and it was a success!
Final Thoughts
Stepping into ambiguity has afforded me experiences that have helped me to grow my skillset as a Tech Recruiter. It gives me energy to win, and even if things do not go as planned, I am STILL learning. That is the beauty in stepping into ambiguity. These experiences have helped me to jump into new recruiting projects, lead important discussions, and collaborate with my coworkers to bring job seekers value in their career journeys. These experiences are what shape me and the Rec Ex team into the successes that we are and allow us to bring that same open mentality to our partnerships.
