Back in the olden days (a.k.a. the ‘90s) I was in graduate school in San Francisco, working towards my master’s in counseling psychology. I needed a job. I had survived California’s 8.1 Loma Prieta earthquake with only a broken leg and foot, but my finances were not surviving. I saw an ad in the San Francisco Chronicle for a researcher at an executive recruiting firm called Interdatum, located in the iconic Transamerica Pyramid building. My interview consisted of a guy lasciviously eyeballing me and asking, “you went to Georgetown undergrad?”. When I nodded, he said “you’re hired!”.
Executive recruiting research in those days (pre-widespread use of the internet) involved dialing through the Yellow Pages to what might be relevant companies. I was good at it and quickly got promoted from researcher to recruiter. But I was convinced that my destiny was to be a psychotherapist. Having recovered from my own bout of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the earthquake, I wanted to help other people who had been through similar ordeals.
After finishing grad school, I spent the next 14 years as a therapist in private practice, first in California, then in North Carolina. I specialized in trauma. I don’t mind saying that I was good at being a therapist – very, very good at it. But after 14 years of working with a lot of physical and sexual abuse victims, there came a day when I just wanted to do something different. I went back to executive recruiting, initially in commercial finance, then fortuitously found my way into recruiting in my current specialty, educational technology and educational non-profit.
My friends and family were aghast when I told them about my decision. “You’re giving up being a therapist? You’re going to be a recruiter? Why such a drastic career change?!” I explained that it wasn’t really that big a change. In fact, it’s almost exactly the same job. I help people and companies get where they want to go and become who they were meant to be.
In my mind, being a psychotherapist is an ideal background for an executive recruiter. That might sound surprising at first, but when you consider the skillset that therapists possess, it becomes clear that it’s a natural fit. Here are six skills that make former psychotherapists great executive recruiters:
1. Active Listening
One of the most important skills that therapists possess is active listening. In psychotherapy, the therapist must listen carefully to what the client is saying and understand their perspective. This skill is equally important in executive recruitment, where the recruiter must listen carefully to the needs of the company and the requirements of the job to find the right candidate.
2. Empathy
Empathy is another essential skill that therapists possess. They need to be able to understand the client’s emotions and put themselves in their shoes. This skill is invaluable in executive recruitment, where the recruiter must empathize with both the company and the candidates’ situations and try to find the best fit for both.
3. Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and manage one’s own emotions and the emotions of others. Therapists are highly trained in emotional intelligence, as they must be able to manage their own emotions and respond appropriately to their clients’ emotions. This skill is also critical in executive recruitment, where the recruiter needs to be able to navigate emotional situations and understand people’s personalities and behavior and how they might fit into company culture.
4. Problem-solving
Psychotherapists are trained problem-solvers. They must be able to identify the root cause of their client’s problems and develop a treatment plan to address them. This skill is highly valuable in executive recruitment, where the recruiter must identify the root cause of a company’s hiring problems and develop a plan to find the right candidate.
5. Communication
Communication is a critical skill for therapists, as they must be able to explain complex concepts to their clients in a way that is easy to understand. This skill is equally important in recruiting, where the recruiter must communicate complex job requirements and qualifications to candidates and negotiate job offers.
6. Creativity
Therapists must be creative in developing treatment plans that are tailored to their client’s unique needs. This creativity can be applied to executive recruitment, where the recruiter must be extremely creative in finding and attracting top talent to the company.
I hope that I’ve made clear, changing from being a therapist to being a recruiter was not such a big leap after all! The things I learned as a psychotherapist have been invaluable in my career. I love what I do, and if you’re a company looking to hire amazing talent, I would love to put my skills to work for you!
