What is a modern recruiter? Someone who is honest first, knowledgeable second, consistent third, humble fourth, helpful fifth, personable sixth, and resilient seventh – of course these are equally valid in other arrangements.

Too many people who call themselves recruiters don’t take pride in their craft; aren’t continuously learning; believe they have ESP-like abilities to read a person’s body language during an interview or read between the lines of a resume; assume the job down on paper describes the real job; and recoil when asked questions about how they do their jobs. They use their mouths and ears in inverse proportions…

These are the folks who came into the profession because the barrier to entry was so low; the truly professional modern recruiter – doesn’t matter where they practice their craft in-house or out-house – believes that they didn’t find recruiting but recruiting found them. They feel a personal responsibility to steward the profession.

Excellence first, paycheck second.