For over a quarter century, I’ve been a professional recruiter. Most days, that’s tough for me to fathom. There are times when I feel like, after all these years, I’ve seen it all—and yet I still find myself surprised by things I never expected.
Certain aspects of the job have definitely changed. There are fake recruiters and recruitment scams now, and AI is taking over in some areas of the recruitment process. We’ve transitioned from physical, paper resumes, faxes, and in-person interviews to digital resumes and video interviewing. I’ve watched the title evolve over the years from “headhunter” to “recruiter” to “talent acquisition,” but the core responsibility has remained the same: find the right person to fill the job opening.
I chose to make recruitment my career because I truly love it—the challenge of finding the ideal candidate, the thrill of placing someone in a role that matches their career goals, and the satisfaction of helping build a team. Of course, it’s more nuanced than that, but the overall objective is always to fill open roles with the best possible talent. I never had the desire to move into management or take my career in a different direction, even after all these years.
It’s interesting how people outside the industry view recruiters. There are people I’ve hired over the years who still stay in touch, many of them thanking me repeatedly for “finding them” or “getting them the job.” (I never got anyone a job—they did that themselves. Finding them? Maybe. But actually landing the job—that was 100% their win.) I’ve watched people I placed in entry-level positions eventually become C-level executives. And I’ve had others completely ghost me the moment they signed on the dotted line, not even responding to post-hire check-ins—perhaps assuming I was “just the recruiter” and somehow beneath their station.
After all this time, what stands out most is the human element. Trends, tools, and titles will continue to evolve, but at its core, recruitment is still about people—understanding them, advocating for them, and connecting them with opportunities that can change the course of their lives. That’s what has kept me here for over 25 years, and it’s what continues to make this work meaningful, even when it surprises me.
