Even the greatest golfers in the world find themselves staring down a Par 3 that is surrounded by water, with the match on the line and thinking,
“Please God, don’t let me mess this up.” In that moment, a voice of reason leans over and says, “It’s an easy 7 iron.
Pick your target, commit to that line, and trust your swing.”
What many don’t see behind those simple, yet impactful words, were the years that each individual spent maturing their craft and then the countless hours the caddie and player spent building trust. In the end, the caddie has developed a level of knowledge of the golfer that, when combined with their own wisdom and understanding of the course and the elements, is a powerful partnership.
“I don’t think anywhere is there a symbiotic relationship between caddie and player like there is in golf.” -Johnny Miller
Navigating through the uncertainty and challenges of your career can feel a lot like golf.
You continuously develop your skills, study your industry/field, and strive towards getting better every day.
Combining all of this with the right recruitment partner can be the career caddie you have been seeking.
So, how do you differentiate a recruiter from a Career Caddie? Let’s break it down…
Knowledge and Experience:
A successful player-caddie relationship must start with their knowledge and passion in the game of golf. You should expect the same for your career caddie.
As you get to know the recruiter, you should also observe the level of his/her knowledge in your industry, line of work, and success with similar folks.
Don’t expect him/her to have enough experience to do your job (after all, you are still the golfer), but a caddie with course knowledge, similar success, and passion is a great place to begin.
A GENUINE desire to understand YOU:
A great caddie has to know the player’s golf game almost better than the player himself/herself. That’s a tall task to expect from a recruiter, but I CAN tell you that an exceptional Career Caddie will always show a strong desire to really get to know you. When speaking to a recruiter, it should never feel like he/she is interviewing you based on whether you check the box on a pre-determined set of questions.
A career caddie will dive deep to understand your journey, strengths, goals, and more.
You can work with the greatest caddie in the world, but until the caddie knows your golf game, he/she is only as good as his/her knowledge of the course.
Similarly, in a recruiter’s case, he/she is only as good as his/her knowledge in the positions he/she is trying to fill at that moment.
Accountability and Consistency:
The partnership formed between a golfer and the caddie doesn’t start and stop as the tournaments are played.
So, when you invest in a true Career Caddie partnership, you want to know that this person genuinely cares about seeing you succeed whether you are actively looking for a job or not.
Just like in golf, though, that responsibility falls on you and the recruiter to keep a healthy and beneficial partnership alive. Whether there is a check-in once a week or once every six months, that ongoing accountability for you and the recruiter to reconnect and align is a valuable piece to the partnership’s longevity.
With technological advancements, the job market and industries are changing rapidly, and a reliable Career Caddie will offer a great deal of insight and perspective that can help you stay on top of your game.
At Lone Star Staffing Solutions, we aim to be more than your staffing resource. We aim to be YOUR Career Caddie and someone that you can trust to know your game.
Our leadership has been blessed to have 30+ years of industry experience and a team of highly passionate and knowledgeable Career Caddies ready to help.