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Jan 25, 2018
This article is part of a series called Editor's Pick.

I genuinely love what I do. That’s right; I love what I do. I love being a sourcer. I love being a recruiter. In this time we live in, it is a rare thing even to type or read. In a recent Gallup poll, 51% of Americans are actively looking for a new job, which doesn’t also take into account those that aren’t looking but are actively disengaged at work. While it seems like the odds are stacked against happiness in the workplace, make no doubt, I love being a sourcer, and I wouldn’t do anything else in this season of my life. What is “My Why?”

I love the challenge!

It’s no secret; unemployment is at record lows in most markets here in the United States. With that said, it’s becoming harder and harder to find highly qualified candidates to fill our roles with highly skilled team members. It’s even worse in the healthcare/senior living space like I am, with us entering into a season of a major shortage of nurses of all types nurses for the next three decades. While this would scare off many people, for me, I love the challenge. I love being able to learn about all the new tools available (SourceCon does such a tremendous job of outlining the many tools to leverage!), and I love how hard this job is. Why? It keeps the job fresh, and it makes me a better sourcer, recruiter, and overall business partner. I know that the value I bring is a unique and unbelievably important value that no one else can. Because, at the end of the day, a company is only as good as the individuals that choose to work there.

I love the hustle!

If you were to ever see me in my cube at Prestige Care, you would see someone who is moving at a frantic pace. I’m pretty sure just today I was interviewing someone, producing an offer letter, and dispositioning unqualified applicants all at once. This has little to do with overall volume of work, but mainly because I know that every day I have a job open, is one less day my stakeholders (which are my local and regional leaders, but most importantly, Prestige Care’s residents) get the love, care, and value that who I bring into the business will provide. I love moving fast, and I love the hustle.

I love the competition!

I’m a very competitive guy by nature. Always have, always will. This edge was instilled in me early during my life and through college as I played college baseball. Leveraging this love of competition has been easy as a sourcer. The healthcare space is continuing to become an even more challenge space, with new companies sprouting up almost on the daily. Statistically, healthcare is the largest employer in the United States which makes recruiting qualified talent even more challenging. Why I love what I do is the ability to leverage that competitive spirit and side of my personality to build relationships with and eventually to hire the best talent to join my company as opposed to the hundreds of other companies in the space.

I love the payoff!

This is the end all be all for any sourcer or recruiter. The payoff. That email you get, that text you receive, or that conversation you have in the hallway with the hiring manager telling you how happy they are with their new team member. That is what it’s all about, and that’s what makes the challenge, the hustle, and the competition unequivocally worth it.

This is “My Why.” This is why I love being a sourcer. This is why I bring it every day. This is why I am typing this at 9:08 on an obscure Tuesday evening on a drizzly January evening in the great Pacific Northwest. Simply put, it’s because I love the challenge, I love the hustle, I love the competition, and I love the payoff.

This article is part of a series called Editor's Pick.