Recruiting as a Career: A Fitting Background

on 03 | 08 | 2016

When most people think of recruiting, they think sales. So it’s natural to assume that someone with a sales background would fit right in as a recruiter. While this isn’t patently untrue, the fact is that recruiting at Rivi is about a lot more than selling a job to a person or a person to a candidate. It’s execution, delivery, communication, human interaction, technical expertise–and a whole lot of organization.

In this business, you still have to define requirements, manage scope, have weekly status calls, and juggle multiple clients–all with their different challenges. That may seem daunting, but really it means that people from a variety of backgrounds are able to find a fitting career as a recruiter. At Rivi, we have several former engineers and product developers on our team–as a firm specializing in product and engineering hires, that’s probably no surprise. But walk around our offices, and you’ll also find former communications specialists, hiring managers, IT consultants and, yes, salespeople.

The key is a passion for the job. If you get excited about the chance to meet CEOs and execs of world class companies every few weeks, and the opportunity to help them solve a talent problem, then chances are you’ll fit right into our world of recruiting. Also, if you’ve ever been on the other side of the table–as someone who has worked at or hired for a technology startup–that experience and ability to relate translates into a valuable skill for this career.

This business is fast-paced and changing, helps you stay sharp and learn technology at top levels, and work with coolest companies in the world. And we’re only just beginning. We intend to reinvent the antiquated world of recruiting, just as the world changed for travel agents, and is changing for real estate agents. Anyone who’s excited for this change–and the challenges–will enjoy the ride.