Corporate matchmaker

Dragging clubs across a golf course was just a summer job for Mike Loiacano. But thanks to his expert networking skills, Loiacano went from being a caddy to being a senior vice president of Strategic Growth and Operations.
Loiacano is a headhunter—which is not just something you order in a Polynesian bar. He finds senior executives for his clients’ companies. For example, if you are an executive at Company X and Company Y has a job opening, Loiacano could try to convince you to work for Company Y instead. It’s often easier for companies to use third parties to recruit employees than to do it themselves. A third party helps reduce the awkwardness a prospective employee might feel if considering a rival company as a future employer. Established recruiting firms, such as the one for which Loiacano works, have the expertise to find the right person for a job.
The corporate-matchmaking field is always changing. At first, “everyone thought that monster.com and other recruiting sites would close us down,” Loiacano says. “But it’s always going to be a relationship-based industry. The need for eye-to-eye contact is not going away.” In fact, he believes that technology helps him do his job. When Loiacano began recruiting people six years ago, he didn’t have the Internet. Now, he has instant access to information about the locations, revenues and employees of companies. While in high school and college, Loiacano didn’t know he would become a recruiter. He says that most students don’t even think of it as a career possibility until after they finish school.
Loiacano began Merrimack College (http://www.merrimack.edu/bin/start.cgi) in Boston as an English-literature major, but soon found that his passion lay elsewhere. He graduated with a degree in political science and minors in both English and business. A nice foundation for any career, certainly, but what would Loiacano do with his education? Loiacano knew that he wanted to work with people. He had been the president of Student Government and proved himself a team player with hockey. Loiacano wanted a job in a field in which he could build and develop relationships. Recruiting was an ideal fit.
A slowing economy affects the recruiting industry directly, as fewer high-level job slots need filling. Still, The Occupational Outlook Handbook insists that the field is growing at an average rate. While the recruiting industry is competitive, those with strong networking skills are likely to do well. A strong recruiter has bright financial prospects and literally limitless opportunities. Loiacano has worked at the same place for six years, and he now makes a six-figure salary. He says there’s no salary cap for his industry, either. “I think that’s the way all salaries should be,” he says. “There should never be a cap.” Since this is a performance-based career, success comes through whatever business the recruiter can find. Thus, Loiacano's networking abilities are vital. Those involved in this field have many choices of related careers that all share a common thread: relationships. Human resource directors, executive coaches, consultants, executive trainers and career counselors are all job possibilities in the field.
Loiacano believes that recruiters should be personable and have good sales backgrounds. Ethics, good business judgment and an outgoing personality also help. Great networking skills are essential. While he is lucky enough to have flexible hours, Loiacano works between 45 and 65 hours each week. Still, his work is never done. “It’s work hard, play hard,” he says. During working hours, he makes a lot of phone calls and meets with people to work on building the company, discuss operational issues and real-estate matters. Regularly working on business-development issues with potential clients keeps him at the top of his professional game. After a full workday, there’s still plenty for him to do tomorrow.
Don’t think that Loiacano spends all day behind a desk. He travels often, visiting many major cities in the United States. He works at a general firm, not a specialized one, and loves learning about different industries from his clients. There is also plenty of potential for career growth. “It's a selling industry, and you can sell yourself within the industry too," he says. Although he chose a broad undergraduate major, Loiacano recommends that interested students study economics, business law or business ethics while in college. He also says that, after college, "kids need to be willing to go anywhere for a job." That kind of flexibility, he says, is more likely to lead to professional success. You might want to also practice that golf swing. E-mail Mike Loiacano for more information at [email protected].

Rachel Moran is an intern for The Next Step Magazine. If you would like to know more about recruiting as a career, try these resources: - www.huntscanlon.com - a popular site for those in the business - http://dhrintl.net - the company that Loiacano works at - Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty, by Harvey MacKay - Networking for Everyone, by L. Michelle Tullier

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