By now, cracking jokes about work has become an age-old tradition. From the water cooler talk about upper management to the sardonic wit of Dilbert and Office Space, we all love to make fun of the work we do – and how our offices operate. This is especially true for HR and recruiting pros as we juggle new office policies and facilitate new hire decision-making. When things run smoothly, we get to fly under the radar. But the second something veers off course, fingers get pointed and blame is assigned. The good news is, most of us have a pretty thick skin and just laugh it off. For the days when it all seems like too much, there’s always the internet – because knowing we’re not alone can make all the difference. For that reason, we give you: our favorite recruiter memes of 2018.
Also, check out our favorite recruiter memes of 2019.
Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? There have been many variations of this common meme over the years, but none that so accurately capture the popular perceptions of recruiters. A classic example of “it’s funny because it’s true”:
Meanwhile, the truth looks a little more like this – sheer chaos:
Even with every “solution” and “technology” at our fingertips, it’s all too easy for tasks to slide by and ambush our desktops. It’ll get cleaned up one of these days… maybe this Friday afternoon… maybe sometime next year. Until then, we’ll maintain that the system works. Besides, we’ve got other things to do. Rather than chasing our own tails, we’re chasing our teams’. No, a few random words does not make a job description, despite what the hiring manager says. The struggle is so very real:
With all of our time spent communicating, we’d expect some pretty enthusiastic responses. Well, that’s not how things usually go, is it? Despite living in the time of delivery notifications and read receipts, there’s always one or two people who never got the message:
At the same moment, while we chase down the purple squirrel unicorn or whoever it is we’re looking for, we find out that there are a few new reqs to fill – and quickly. Not a problem for a typical recruiter, right?
Oh, and did we mention that they’ll need to be diversity hires?
Don’t forget those very specific skillsets. Like eight years of experience programming in Swift – a language that’s only been around since 2014:
So, we buckle up, begin the search and prepare for the long haul. At this point, our recruiter to-do lists include the usual, everyday tasks – plus an ongoing battle for legitimate job descriptions, people and deliverables that went missing in action, and an ever-growing list of positions to fill. It’s enough to make a person’s head spin. But of course, there’s no time for that. Before we know it, we’re interviewing and advancing candidates. It’s showtime – the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Candidates strut their stuff and decisions get made – we hope:
But who to select? The experienced candidate with all the right qualifications? Or the one who seems like the right fit? Looks like we’ve entered the talent portion of our competition.
Hire for passion. Train for skill. When you have two finalists…how do you choose? The person that can walk right in and not be taught anything? Or the person that just has that special “something” with possible higher potential?#AllInterviewsShouldRequireDancing#Recruiting pic.twitter.com/cPbvDJOIZV — Adam Karpiak (@Adam_Karpiak) August 6, 2018
Stay with us and shake off the fatigue. The exhaustion is temporary, and we’re not just saying this: you look great.
Just sit tight a few more days – the team will follow up soon. So soon.
Sure, sourcing can be time-consuming, but without it, we wouldn’t have made it this far. Plus, we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. Candidates can be finicky – even after it seems like a done deal.
Frankly, it’s enough to take years off a life – or at the very least, hours of the day, the week, the month and even the year. Yet, nothing beats the feeling of making it happen and finding the perfect candidate.
When a recruiter’s job is to find jobs for others, it’s easy to get caught up in the particulars. We forget that what we’re really doing is improving the greater good and helping propel the organization forward. Yet most of the time, we’re expected to perform magic acts and pull candidates out of thin air, only to turn around and battle the technologies “powering” our functions and offering “insight” into our processes.
Sigh, it’s no wonder there are entire accounts dedicated to roasting the recruiter space – the material is never-ending. Ryan Leary helps create the processes, ideas and innovation that drives RecruitingDaily. He’s RecruitingDaily’s in-house expert for anything related to sourcing, tools or technology. A lead generation and brand buzz building machine, he has built superior funnel systems for some of the industry’s top HR Tech and Recruitment brands. He is a veteran of the online community and a partner at RecruitingDaily.
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