In my first piece I spoke about my introduction to recruiting and my role as a sourcer. I’ve experienced some new and exciting things since then and wanted to give you all a quick update. Now, as a follow-up from ‘Life of a Sourcer, Part 1’, I was given the opportunity to act as the interim recruiter while my colleague was away on her honeymoon (congrats AS!). This was for a client who I was actually sourcing for back when our contract first started, so luckily I already had a relationship with the team. I was excited to switch it up from my usual task of sourcing and gain some more experience working the full cycle. I’ve shadowed the team numerous times before so I felt pretty comfortable taking it on, but this time it would be a little different knowing I was on my own. I was brought in to keep the process running smoothly, and even though I’d only be there a short amount of time, I wanted to get as many candidates as possible through the funnel. Luckily my colleague (who was the consultant beforehand) made the transition pretty seamless, leaving me in a good spot to do so.

Surprise!

Midway through my time in this interim-recruiter role, I received a promotion. Knowing I’ve been in a sourcer role for about a year, it still came to me as a bit of a surprise and really boosted my confidence. I was even more inclined to do well and eager to get some traction going on the open roles.

Busy bee

I knew that I would be busy to a degree, but juggling agencies, inbound, and project managing really left me zero time to source. Now I really understood the busy schedules that most of my colleagues have, and why having sourcing help does make a difference. In addition to the numerous phone calls that make up such a big part of the role, I was able to facilitate on-sites, hold feedback sessions, and even got to run my first weekly recruiting meeting. It was quite a change, going from just shadowing and taking notes to actually being the one in charge, which in turn allowed me to feel more confident. I was able to really test my skills on every aspect of the cycle, improving not only my relationship with candidates and the client but my abilities as well.

Unexpected events

As expected I ran into some challenging situations. And I’ll even admit that I made a mistake or two (note to self: don’t try to multi-task first thing in the morning) but with the help of the client’s office manager it was an easy fix. It was a good reminder to take your time and not rush things. I did, however, encounter some situations that proved to be more of a challenge. I had met with one candidate after his onsite and he’d told me what a terrible experience he’d been having throughout the entire process. He complained that no one had been in communication with him, he had no knowledge of the compensation, and overall he felt he had been kept in the dark. Thinking ahead and anticipating his answers, I quickly consoled the candidate and offered some solutions. Surprisingly and thankfully the candidate was receptive to my response. Another candidate absolutely refused to disclose his compensation. Like most of us, we naturally ask during the first call and do expect some pushback but even after attempting a few times, he refused. The hiring manager even tried and didn’t have much luck. So I came out of that situation a little bummed, but it was also important to note that some situations can be out of your control, no matter how hard you try to navigate around it. I know each client has their own set of difficulties but by staying positive and determined, you can really change how you approach them.

Onto the next challenge

These past two weeks gave me a taste of what the recruiting world is really like: it’s a constant rollercoaster. I’d heard it all before, but it was great l to experience it firsthand. It gave me a taste of what to expect. I experienced some small obstacles, managed to overcome them, and despite the short time I was there, I was even able to get an offer out! It has given me a list of things that I would like to improve upon, specifically towards the end of the process where you’re required to pre-close candidates and negotiate offers. But what I value the most is being put in those unexpected situations, something that can’t necessarily be learnt by the book. So I’m onto the next client, excited to work a full desk and I’m ready to take own a new set of challenges.

Yvette Martinez graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Molecular Biology. She was born and raised in Los Angeles but has fallen in love with the San Francisco Bay area, and continues to be an integral part of the MitchelLake team. To read her first installation of this blog, Life of a Sourcer Part 1, click here. To chat to the MitchelLake team about your next role or talent aims, contact us here.

Author

Yvette Martinez graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Molecular Biology. She was born and raised in Los Angeles but has fallen in love with the San Francisco Bay area. In her free time she enjoys playing tennis, singing her heart out at karaoke and eating amazing food!

YvetteMartinez

yvettem@mitchellake.com