Mindset is everything in this recruiting game.

It is all about hustle- not getting too high or too low. Making hay while the sun is shining, piling it up, and having it available when you can’t be harvesting.

I read this somewhere, not sure who the author is, but it was passed around my office one time. I think it is kind of the perfect description of a recruiter.

Hustle is doing something everyone else is certain can't be done

It is the ultimate rush when you prove someone wrong and you get paid for it. I imagine it is a lot like the promise Kennedy made when he said that we would win the space race an put a man on the moon. It is too bad he did not live to see it done, but he set the course.

Recruiters get challenges like this every day. The most money is made in this business with the 'impossible' search where you are trying to find a purple squirrel or a unicorn in a scary economy. A great recruiter is one who can face adversity and runs into the face of adversity. A great recruiter gets knocked down and hit hard, but always gets back up.

Over the years I have had colleagues bet me steak dinners, a bottle of bourbon, or some other activity if I would place a candidate that they called unplaceable or fill an 'impossible' job. Nothing tastes better than a steak or a bourbon won on the heels of what cannot be done.

Hustle is getting the order because you got there first or stayed with it after everyone else gave up.

I remember early in my career I had a colleague who showed up late and left early. He had a personality of a cat. I am the opposite. One day he came in late as usual and I was working through my list when he got a hold of a candidate I had tried to reach earlier. Later, we placed that candidate at my company. That 50% split never sat right with me.

The benefit was, however, that situation placed a chip on my shoulder that made me determined to get to every candidate first. I started an hour before everybody on my team (at least). A year later I was in Mexico on the company trip and he was no longer with the company. 19 Months later I was #2 in placements in the whole company, and number one in my division. I still have not lost that chip on my shoulder, and though I have been in a recruiting partnership for the last 5 years, I still want to be the guy that gets the company signed and the best placeable candidate before he does.

Hustle is shoe leather and elbow grease and sweat and missing lunch.

We have a saying in our office. When it is the middle of the grind, we are chopping wood and carrying water. What this means is that when you are prospecting, sourcing candidates, gathering resumes, references, doing interview preparations, interview debriefs, and the background checks - all the necessary things to make a placement, you are chopping wood and carrying water.

In the middle of the summer, chopping wood does not seem to make sense. Carrying water might seem like it makes sense, but certainly chopping wood does not.

That is, until you need heat when it is -50 outside. You do not want to source firewood when it is -50 outside. You do not want to have to chop through a foot of ice to get some water either- nor do you want to pump it when it is really cold outside- or really hot either!

In recruiting, we do a lot of mundane tasks day in and day out. Newer recruiters often cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. But it is those days where you get a great candidate on the 100th call or a placement after a rejection that makes all the hard work worth it. Hustle is all about doing all the little, unattractive things on a consistent basis day in and day out.

Hustle is getting prospects to say yes after they have said no twenty times.

I have hundreds of stories to tell about this but my favorite is the company that told me no because my fee was too high and after all they simply do not use recruiters. They repeated this line about 20 times until I sent one more candidate profile over. The conversation went something like this:

"We' really like to see this candidate. They look good"

"That's great- I need to get our agreement signed and we can send them right over"

"Sounds good- your fee is X% correct?"

"No, that was a year ago when we started the conversations. We are now at Y%.. These candidates are hard to find".

Silence.

Then- "Okay, send it on over. We will sign the agreement".

Not only did they sign it, but they interviewed and hired the candidate, and dozens more from me. About one year from the first hire, they fired all their other, lower fee recruiters. The reason? They did not bring them good candidates that fit what they were looking for. Hustle still requires bringing a better product- so the next point of "Hustle" is.....

Hustle is doing more unto a customer than the other guy is doing unto him.

Hustle is all about customer service and doing it better than the other person is doing it. For Solid Rock Recruiting, this means that we act in integrity in all of our dealings and we simply work harder and do better when it comes to our dealings with our consumers- candidates and companies.

In the previous example, we charge more not because we perform a different service but because we perform a superior service. The key is communication- we bring candidates that the companies tell us they want. We provide a service that above all else is efficient and time saving for the company. We do not send in candidates that are not going to be a fit for them. We do not inundate them with marketing communications. And we never, ever send over fake candidates for a fishing expedition to see if they have job openings. We do not lie to our companies or deal in a manner that compromises our integrity.

We do not put candidates into companies that will not provide what they are looking for in order to make a change. We never send out resumes or specific information about our candidates without their express permission. We do not "ghost" candidates- a common complaint- where we do not have any communication with them. If we cannot help them, we clearly communicate it. Lastly, we do not put fake job postings out there to fish for candidates. That is a highly frustrating practice that destroys the will of the candidate to be able to have trust in the process. of finding something better.

Bottom line- we believe in treating others in the same manner that we would like to be treated. That is hustle.

Hustle is believing in yourself and the business you're in

Many young recruiters apologize way too much. I hear it on the phone all the time. "I am sorry for disturbing you" Or "I hope I am not bothering you". Stop it. Recruiting changes lives for the better. We provide a valuable service for companies and candidates. What we have to offer is truly life changing (in a positive way) for people.

What we offer for companies is a proven way to infuse talent into their company and to help them grow in a positive way. We also save them time and money because they do not have to hire a staff for recruiting or overwhelm their HR department. In many cases, the hire is one that is required for many different reasons- it could be a retirement or it could be lessening the load on other employees, even to speed up project completion so the company will not lose money. Whatever the reason, a recruiter partners with companies to bring them talent that will ultimately save or make the company money. That has a positive impact on the lives of owners and other employees.

What we offer candidates is an opportunity to make a change for the better.

-Better work/life balance
-Better location
-Better compensation
-Better growth/career trajectory
-Better culture

It is human nature to wonder if there is anything better out there. As recruiters, we have access to the hidden job market. We also are aware of industry trends. What we have to offer candidates is the opportunity to explore their options in a way that is confidential and will not threaten their current role. This makes good recruiters better than Zip Recruiter, Indeed, or any of the other online platforms. We also partner with candidates to build a marketing profile that allows them to present themselves in the best manner possible to get the job they are looking for.

Being a recruiter who hustles is a valuable service. Don't ever apologize for it.

Hustle is the sheer joy of winning

Anyone who has competed understands the feeling when all your hard work and effort pays off with a victory - even those who have been raised in an era of participation trophies. There is something great about coming out a winner- no matter what the reason is. Being a winner as a recruiter gives you that charge- for reasons beyond money (though that is nice). You have changed a life for the better and have made a positive impact on the economy. You have improved the lives of many people at that company by adding the missing piece that reduces their workload or adds to the bottom line. You have given families more time together. Bottom line, winning as a recruiter is a satisfying and addicting experience.

When you hustle for a win, take it all in and enjoy it. But then keep hustling and stack up the wins. Momentum is a real thing. Keep the foot on the gas and keep moving forward.

Hustle is being the sorest loser in town

I hate losing. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my teams' success especially when they are hustling. But when people win outside my team, I hate it. It bothers me. But I do not pout, I do not sit aside. I learn and I hustle so that I can win the next time.

My first 'loss' that I really noticed was spoken about earlier. It put a chip on my shoulder and motivated me to put systems in place to make sure that I could be out in front of every other recruiter in my industry. That same 'chip' causes me to always be learning about my industry and strive to be the number one top of mind recruiter in that industry.

Hustle does not mean you pout about losses. Hustle means you are sore but that pain motivates you to do better.

Hustle is hating to take a vacation because you might miss a piece of the action

This goes against the modern mantra of work/life balance- and if you are not in the recruiting industry, or you do not own your own business- you do not understand. I am not saying don't take a vacation. I am saying you almost hate doing so because you might miss out on making a deal.

When hustle is a lifestyle, it defines you. It is hard to step away. As a recruiter, if you have defined work hours (or defined locations where you work) you are not likely to be successful. I have closed deals on the beach in Mexico, on a cruise ship in Alaska, on a snowmobile trail, multiple deals on the golf course (I of course observe etiquette), and multiple unnamed coffeehouses all over the United States. The reality is anywhere there is internet and a smartphone can be a recruiter's office.

That being said, I have needed to learn to put boundaries in place to keep a good relationship with my wife. When I am on vacation, I do work before she is awake. We also have a set time limit when we are both together in which we catch up on e-mails and return calls. This still drives me a bit crazy because I want to be in the action all the time but believe me, you need a break.

Hustle is hating to take a vacation, but taking one because that is the only way you can always hustle.

Hustle is heaven if you hustle.

Hustle is hell if you don't.

There are major rewards to being a hustler as a recruiter. The biggest rewards are being successful- whatever your definition of success is. In this context (we can have a very different theological conversation) heaven is a place of peace and rest, hell is a place of torment and unrest.

When I am in match play as a golfer, If I get beat by a birdie or eagle on a hole, I don't get mad. I just move on to the next. I get frustrated when I get a 9 and the other competitor gets an 8. That is what hustle is. If I know I did my best in the day, hitting all the marks and giving all my effort toward money making activities, I can have peace, even if I do not arrange an interview, make a placement, or get a good candidate. I know that if I continue to hustle, I will be successful. I can sleep at night and come in refreshed every day.

On the other hand, If I am not focusing on money-making activities and I am not successful, I do not sleep well at night. For example, If I spent more time looking at the LinkedIn feed like I look at Facebook instead of searching recruiter for candidates, I am not doing money-making activities. If I spend prime recruiting time making personal calls instead of reaching out to potential candidates or companies, I am not hustling. I cannot go to sleep at night if I have not done everything in my power to do the hustle. I have no peace - my mind is tormented- when I do not hustle and one of my candidates gets a job outside of my network or one of my companies hires outside of my network because I didn't do my job.

Hustle is the mindset every recruiter must bring to the table on a daily basis or they will get beat. And when you get beat because you didn't hustle, it makes the far worse. You are going to get beat more often than you win because recruiting is hard. However, if you hustle, you put yourself in a position to win with every candidate and every company. When you don't hustle you may get lucky (like the cat) but you will not have a consistent flow of placements. Keep the pedal down. Do the hustle daily.

Brian Tjepkes