Making a transition into recruiting – What I have learned in a year

Written By: Sarah Yun

“Hey dad? Can you see me working in recruiting?”

“Hmm.. what would you be doing?”

“I am not sure.. I guess I am going to be talking to people all day to find them jobs?”

This was the question and the perception I had of recruiting about a year ago. But here I am today, and I have learned that recruiting is so much more than that.

I came right out of college not knowing what my strengths and passions were. I thought my whole life I wanted to pursue a field working in healthcare administration, so that’s what I did. Although I gained a lot of experience working and connecting with patients, it did not feel like someplace where I could really learn and grow.

I came to Germer International almost a year and a half ago not knowing ANYTHING about recruiting or anything about pharmaceuticals. I knew I loved talking and connecting with people but that was it. When I first started, I worked closely with my boss, John Germer, the President of our company. I remember I would see him on the phone talking to random people who were looking for jobs and he had this skill to just make professionals want to open up to him as if he had known them for a very long time…I would think “wow, how did he do that, he made it look so easy!” I remember one day John asked me, “hey, do you want to make this phone call this time?” Although it seemed like such a simple task, I was so nervous! I did not know who would pick up on the other line, what type of questions I would ask, along with all other sorts of thoughts I had.

Here I am today, writing this, and regularly talking to around 30 different people every day without any hesitation or fear.  I never thought in a million years I would be the one helping someone find a new job, sometimes even across the world.  One of my favorite parts of recruiting is being able to build a strong relationship with someone…just over the phone! I’ve become a part of people’s journeys in finding them a new job. I’m talking to them almost every day, making sure they are comfortable each step in the process. Even after I help someone find a new job, I am still talking to them a year later, just to see how things are going. It is truly amazing to be able to network and build strong connections and I love it!

I am sharing my story because sometimes joining a new industry, that you know really nothing about, is very scary but also exciting because you are challenging and pushing yourself to do something new. I have grown so much as a person: professionally and personally. To me, recruiting is not only about finding people jobs, it is about representing our clients and building relationships with people all over the world. Working in the pharmaceutical field, I knew little to nothing about all the terminology that was used. Even today, I have people teaching me things over the phone about topics I have never even heard of, and I love hearing how passionate they are about their work.

I hope I can continue to help many others in finding new positions and making a difference in people’s lives. If you are someone looking, or starting to look, for a new job, feel free to reach out I would love to connect and find ways to help!