I caught up with Blake Carruthers at the Rideau Club in Ottawa for lunch late last week. That smile is his natural state. Always positive. Blake lives life on his own terms. We quickly re-lived some pivotal moments in our relationship.
Blake was one of the very first people I placed after Anita, and I launched Perry-Martel International in 1988. I believe he was the 3rd placement-setting the stage for the Hattrick of placements to come. (I’m Canadian don’t you know)
I didn’t just place him once but – three times. And I advised him on four others. Early this week Blake was whom I spoke about on Tony Beshara’s radio show. The subject Tuesday night was ‘resiliency’ and the bonds some candidates and recruiters form.
Now Blake, he’s the ‘posterchild’ for resiliency. And that big silly grin? That’s his natural state. Everyone who knows him will attest to it. Blake chose a long long time ago to be happy. Truly content. One of many reasons we connect.
Now, most job hunters view their relationship with a recruiter as transactional. The job hunter gets a new job, and the recruiter gets paid… Done! Well, it needn’t be that cut and dry. Certainly has been with us. I mean he even sold me his sister. (For another day.)
Blake puts as much into our relationship as I have. Sure I’ve gotten him a couple of lucrative gigs. But Blake has brought me and back from the brink at least as many times as I’ve placed him. Always at critical junctures.
Shortly after the tech-wreck of 2001, when every deal we had (five searches) were shelved, Blake reminded me that, “the mind can only hold one thought at a time”.
“Dave, you can either complain about having no business or focus on writing more new business, but you can’t do both, AND only you can decide which to do”.
When he said that it really hit home! Always truthful though he wasn’t about to commiserate. At the time I was 5 months into a severe business drought. I had laid off my staff and helped them find new gigs…it wasn’t looking promising.
Blake’s gentle kick to the head rebooted my attitude. I chose to write more business and on my 1114th cold call my luck changed. And on my 1115th and 1116th. It was a very good year in the end. Every deal was hard fought…but frankly that’s the way we like it.
The point I wanted to make with job hunters, using Blake as an example, was that as you go through your job search you are inevitably going to be disappointed. People who don’t return your calls, or who don’t quite grasp your value, may dampen your spirits.
DO NOT LET THEM.
For sure, I can tell you that Hope is not a strategy! Nor is complaining on LinkedIn about how many job applications you’ve made OR interviewers you haven’t heard back from. Trust me nobody really cares.
It’s tuff out there. Scary even. Keep feeding your opportunity funnel. Learn from every failure. Become super resilient!
