I had just boarded a flight back to Baltimore after WEFTEC 2016. As usual New Orleans was a wonderful host...is it possible to find a bad meal in NOLA? As I was walking tiredly down the isle of my Southwest flight, I heard voice call out my name, "Austin!".
I look to my right to see a professorial gentleman with glinting eyes staring at me. I say to myself, "I have NO idea who this person is...." The gentleman then introduces himself by name. Immediately, I am overwhelmed.
I had placed him with a US client several years ago (before the mustache and goatee) directly out of PhD program in Canada. He had started with my client as a Technical Services Manager and had been promoted multiple times to a VP role. When I had worked with him, his genius was undeniable but he lacked commercial chops. My client took a chance on him because they saw something that I saw as well....a raw, gritty, client-focused determination. All of these recollections raced through my mind in the span of milliseconds.
I took the empty seat next to the gentleman. It took me a minute to get settled in and when I gave my attention back to my familiar neighbor I realized he was still staring intensely at me. He said, and I will never forget this, "You have no idea of the impact you have had on my life.....It is because of you, that I moved with my wife to the US! It is because of you that I have this awesome job and have met so many great people! It is because of you that I now own a house and my children are growing up here in the US! Do you have any idea how amazing and impactful your work is?"
Even now as I reflect on that moment, I can't help but smile. While it isn't an "everyday" in recruiting, the fact that it is a "some days" gives me a tremendous sense of satisfaction. Here is to the Some Days!
Written by: Austin Meyermann, Founder and President of Hunter Crown, LLC
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