Last week, one of my clients hosted a happy hour for all new employees who were hired during the past 6 months. The recruiters were invited since we’re the folks that were instrumental in hiring these people. Food and drink were provided and the execs addressed the crowd. I found myself sitting with about half a dozen new finance folks who I had placed. And then I realized how great it was to sit with them, to see how happy and excited they were with their new jobs. That was an immensely satisfying moment for me and it got me thinking. Why do we do this for a living?  8 s0 L5 J* C  [. p+ p9 z$ n

; y" B( T3 _% L* c1 W+ `' u1 m  
1 s9 e; s& E2 j. Y, c: H1 P# H  Y  l/ a
Of course the answers may differ for all of you but following is my take:  
  P# x+ L$ D" C
3 H' {# Y. @' z( z! l  
9 R# Y! E7 l. ]6 d! ~0 a. P1 C, C- x4 m% w$ Z8 i& R
1)    Needle in a haystack—it’s great fun to find a wonderful candidate who makes a real difference when hired.  / \; u! i: X# n
9 y: }* ?( W$ N$ B! Q" |
2)    Need to pay the rent—most of us need income. Along the way we’ve found that we’re good at this gig. It pays the bills!  ' {+ \1 Z9 f; G2 u
7 f5 \$ W8 t9 A; K: k$ q- P3 g& h
3)    Order out of chaos—20 to 30 plus requisitions, countless resumes to review, tons of voice mail, endless emails, visits from desperate hiring managers, the list goes on and on. Most of us thrive in an environment where there is just way more to do than could be done every day.  ! ~6 S, U: X" t% e
8 D) I  f9 t/ ]& u3 W- \
4)    Trust the process—unless you’re from the throw as much *!&# against the wall and see what sticks crowd, most highly successful recruiters know what works and make sure they’re doing enough of the right kinds of activities to keep the machine running.  2 @& R8 {" k! T! A1 g; U5 Z

" G3 [) O) |( J7 E. Q% m: `1 _0 O2 ?5)    Gotta Play on a team—some folks are happy working from home but most of us get our jollies working closely with others. There’s a lot to be gained by being part of an organization. You have to love walking through the office and seeing all those smiling faces of people you placed and their totally satisfied managers who see you as a valuable business partner.

6)    Art and science—finding wonderful candidates by using innovative sourcing techniques is invigorating. This is the same thrill as gold prospectors must feel when they hit the mother load.  . f0 u/ ?0 [+ }

3 j  A4 [- d" L, o7)    Technology junkie—lots of us just love technology. Why do the same mundane task day in and day out if you can automate it? How many ways can you be connected?  
$ H) W! ]; L/ K7 H0 v+ y) g
9 k4 K' {- P0 r8)    Love to network—it may be working a room at a trade event, making phone calls, IMing, emailing, Googleing, or blogging but we just love to network with people.  & O4 B" T" [, \9 m$ H2 ]

/ t8 ^& X" f9 K* }- U1 `8 C8 b9)    Share the wealth—working with new people, showing them the ropes and cultivating talent is truly rewarding.  
: P+ w7 t9 Y. B  Y6 [/ C, E1 e) J" a! @$ l2 [
10)Doing the impossible—we’ve all had that impossible to fill position. Who doesn’t want to be Superman or Superwoman? Defying the odds and making it happen is the best rush there is.  : o6 s( g8 W6 y

1 c. A4 l- {0 L/ D! L" N( H9 T  
9 Z" b8 |! _! G  t
0 f& u% k/ F* K+ N" T% oDo you have thoughts about my list? Let’s hear from you.