I don’t take drugs.  It’s not that I’m anti-drug, I just had something happen in my formative years that scared the hell out of me, so I never really went down that path. I’m 16 years old in 1986, and I’m sitting at home watching this cool new cable show called ESPN SportsCenter and they announce Boston Celtic’s first round draft pick, Len Bias, overdosed using cocaine, and died. I was in complete shock. His friends came out and said it was the first time he ever tried drugs.  First time, dead.  I was scared straight.

Don’t get me wrong, if I’m in pain, drugs are good.  If I’m sick, give me a pill to get better.  I would love it if there was a pill I could take and never get fat.  Also, to give me a full head of hair again.  One second thought, it sounds like I’m actually pro-drug!

I think all of us find certain things that tend to get us going.  For many people that is exercise. Others like to go out and drink and have fun.  I get super energized when I’m recruiting!  I know, geeky, right!?

Like most drugs, recruiting can bring out the best and worse in me.  When recruiting is great, you have a great opportunity for someone, you find the perfect person for that opportunity, it makes you feel like you can do anything.  It’s the high!  When recruiting is bad, you have positions no one wants, you find talent without any other options, your hiring managers think you couldn’t find ice in the North Pole, well, that’s the down side of drugs.

The high brings you back, though.

The right job, the right person, when it seems like no one else has had success.  It reminds me a lot of golfers.  I golf, but I’m terrible.  I still like to golf, because out of a round you’ll get a handful of really, really good shots, and it feels so good, it makes you forget about the downside.  That’s recruiting.  The positives out weigh the negatives.

I tend to find most people in HR, and many of those in Recruiting, hate to actually recruit.  It’s not their drug.  Maybe they like FMLA or developing comp plans. I don’t get high off those, but who am I to judge the drug of another!

People will read into this (besides that I might have a drug problem) that I ‘Love’ recruiting.  Let’s not confuse love and drugs. I love my wife and kids.  I like how recruiting makes me feel when it all works well.   “Oh, it’s so great that you found work that you love!”  Slow down.  If someone would pay me to fish all day, I’d love that! Recruiting is something I found that I’m really good at.  That’s important, for all of us.  Way too many times I meet people who haven’t found that, so I’m grateful for finding recruiting.

What’s your drug?