I still remember bringing home my Kindergarten report card with a note written to my parents saying that they had “quite the social butterfly” on their hands. If I had only known at age 5 that my social skills and passion to be around people would have such an impact on my career path, I would have taken the leap into Sales much sooner.
I started my career at MatchPoint Consulting Group 4 ½ years ago with no expectations or real idea of what I wanted to do “when I grew up.” I just knew that I loved the honesty and integrity that the owner Craig Weintraub expressed and demonstrated as the core of his company. The one thing I did always know was that I wanted to be around people and that I wouldn’t work for a company that I didn’t believe in or that I felt was dishonest.
Let’s take it back to 2012 when I started at MatchPoint… Craig brought me on board and gave me the freedom to grow in any direction I wanted, but emphasized that to deeply learn the industry, I had to start as a recruiter. In addition to recruiting, I helped out in many other areas: payroll, sales support, consultant support, administration, etc., but my main job was as a recruiter.
Here we are today, and I am so thankful that Craig had me start as a recruiter. Let me tell you why starting as a recruiter has set me up for success as an Account Manager and ultimately made me “take the leap”:
- I learned how to “cold call”:
- Recruiting requires you to pick up the phone and call complete strangers and find the common ground so you can build a relationship. It is so easy to hide behind email and other electronic means of communication, but nothing beats that direct communication and interaction.
- I learned how to talk less, and listen more:
- In recruiting it was vital to listen to each candidate and learn what motivates them, what they like and don’t like in a job, to learn their personality and what they need to be successful. This is what we pride ourselves on at MatchPoint. We understand both our clients and our candidates on not just a technical level, but on a personal level. We incorporate this knowledge in every deal!
- I learned how to ask the right questions:
- This is somewhat related to talking less and listening more, but is there anything more important than asking the right questions? It is simple to go through a check list of questions and tick the box, but there is so much value in learning the deeper reason behind an answer.
- I learned how to deal with rejection:
- Recruiting and sales are similar in that every call, candidate or deal is not going to be a “win”. In fact, you will lose more often than you will win.
- I learned how valuable trust and honesty is:
- Throughout my recruiting years I saw that the best situations and deals happened when we all communicated openly and honestly. This is something that I will bring into every phase of my sales career. I treat every candidate like I would a close friend, and I will do the same with every single one of my clients.
As I am starting in my new role as an Account Manager, I pledge to never forget the things and lessons I have learned as a recruiter. I will carry on all of these lessons and grow with the honesty and integrity that Craig has built his company around.
Heather Termohlen
Account Manager