The Art of Slow Recruiting
Most recruiters are trying to win a sprint. They chase quick wins, immediate placements, and instant commissions. But about 18 months into my recruiting career, I realized I was training for the wrong race. This wasn’t about speed – it was about excellence.
Think about fine dining for a moment. The best restaurants in the world don’t rush their food out the door. They don’t compete with fast food chains. Instead, they focus on crafting exceptional experiences through careful preparation, attention to detail, and unwavering standards.
This is exactly how I approached my transition from contingency to retained search. Instead of playing the numbers game, I began treating recruiting like a craft. Every search became a carefully choreographed process, starting with hour-long briefing sessions and resulting in detailed 10-page job invitation documents. It’s the difference between throwing spaghetti at the wall and carefully plating a soufflé.
But here’s what most people miss: this isn’t just about being thorough – it’s about respect. Respect for the client’s time. Respect for the candidates’ careers. Respect for the profession itself. When you map 80-90% of the available talent pool and present only 3-5 exceptional candidates, you’re saying something important about your standards.
The French market, with its three-month notice periods and methodical hiring processes, taught me something crucial: speed is often the enemy of quality. While others rushed to fill roles, I learned to embrace the slower, more deliberate approach that retained search demands.
This mindset extends beyond just recruiting methodology. I treat this profession like professional athletics – because that’s what it is. Proper nutrition, adequate sleep, regular exercise – these aren’t nice-to-haves, they’re essential components of peak performance. Just as an athlete wouldn’t show up unprepared for the Olympics, I won’t approach a client engagement without proper preparation.
The results speak for themselves. By positioning myself as a specialist in data science and AI recruiting, maintaining a structured approach, and focusing on the top 1-5% of talent, I’ve built something sustainable. It’s not just about making placements – it’s about building a practice that stands for something.
Remember: You can’t rush expertise. You can’t hurry trust. And you certainly can’t fast-track excellence.