May 30th is National Recruiter Day and every year a new People’s Choice Best Recruiter is named.
Update 5/30/22: Our very own Steven Lowell was nominated as this year’s People’s Choice Recruiter of 2022! Steven is a reverse recruiter. A reverse recruiter works on behalf of job seekers to match them with their dream jobs.
Update 5/30/21: We had 2 recruiters win People’s Choice Recruiter of 2021! Evan May, and Rachel Galvanin! Read our winners’ advice on what it takes to be a great recruiter below.
Update 5/30/20: Tom Nearing has taken the throne and showed us that yes, it is possible for a man to win the People’s Choice Best Recruiter award!
Update 5/30/19: What an amazing year. We received more than 100 recruiter nominations for our People’s Choice Best Recruiter Award and the winner is…. Rebecca Oppenheim from nextOPP Search.
Update 5/30/18: National Recruiter Day 2018 was a huge success. We hosted our first ever People’s Choice Best Recruiter Award where Tabitha Cavanagh was named the best recruiter of 2018.
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Can you believe it!? Up until May 2017, there was no National Recruiter Day.
There is a National Popcorn Day, a National Vodka Day, and even a National Custodial Workers Recognition Day.
There are thousands of national holidays but for some reason, no National Recruiter Day.
Well, the moment that every recruiter has been waiting for is here.
National Recruiter Day!
On May 30th, 2017, National Recruiter Day was born via a LinkedIn post that went viral:
What is National Recruiter Day?
National Recruiter Day is the one day of the year when recruiters can take a break.
Recruiting is not easy. There are a lot of negative attitudes towards recruiters.
The least we can do is allow them one single day when we appreciate the good ones out there.
Sadly, as in every profession, there are some bad recruiters out there who have tainted the title ‘recruiter’.
National Recruiter Day is a day for everyone to hear about the life-changing impact a good recruiter can have on a job seekers career.
People’s Choice Best Recruiter Awards
Every year, the pros at Find My Profession survey hundreds of LinkedIn users to discover the “People’s Choice Best Recruiters”.
The recruiter with the most endorsements is featured in our ever-growing list of amazing recruiters that make a difference in the lives of job seekers across the globe.
Steven Lowell – Voted Best Recruiter 2022
Steven Lowell was voted by LinkedIn members as the #1 recruiter in 2022.
We asked Steven how it felt to be the winner and what advice he has for other recruiters.
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I am beyond humbled, and blushing quite a bit, because I have been awarded this year’s People’s Choice Best Recruiter award. I know many amazing recruiters and I did not think this is something I would ever be awarded.
I am very grateful for the people who put their trust in me or write me personally to tell me, “You say things no one else does and it is always very helpful and refreshing.”
This all serves as a reminder for me to stay focused on the impact I can offer people due to my experiences.
Steven's Top Tips For Recruiters
Whether you started recruiting later in your career or started right out of school, remember to play the long-game in your career. You do this by:
Treating people with respect and communicating because you expect the same in return.
Never stop building connections. Remember the person you helped get that business analyst job today, may one day be a Vice President or CEO. And they will remember you.
Remember that the person you are interviewing was just like you the day before you were hired – a person looking for work, and probably not liking it.
Finally, this is not a game of word-matching and snap judgments. Stop, think, and research the very human reasons behind the strange things you see in your career. For example, why would a former actor/online community manager suddenly think, “I can be a recruiter at age 43.”
You are in a great position as a recruiter! There is lots to learn! Keep an open mind.
Evan May – Voted Best Recruiter 2021
Evan May was voted by LinkedIn members as the #1 recruiter in 2021.
We asked Evan how it felt to be the winner and what advice he has for other recruiters.
I’m grateful and humbled to have been awarded this year’s People’s Choice Best Recruiter award. It makes me question the discernment of “the People”!
I’m thankful for the community I’ve encountered in the LinkedIn talent acquisition world. I’ve found mentors and cheerleaders and family. I’m wondering where all the horrible recruiters are?
Evan's Top Tips For Recruiters
It’s easy for me to offer advice to new recruiters because I’m still green in this profession. Green enough, in fact, to think I have wisdom worth sharing! Here are two perspectives that have served me:
- Every failure forms you. This week I was speaking with a software developer. He appreciated that I understood some of the nuances of the technologies he uses, and I empathized with the challenges he faces. He said, “So many recruiters assume I’d be perfect for a role that has nothing to do with my experience.” But since I’m not a programmer, the only reason I could have an informed conversation about this is that I’ve misfired enough times! Everything that feels like a failure or a redirect is helpfully formative. These experiences shape you in ways that ultimately serve candidates and clients.
- Every conversation is an opportunity to learn. Guiding candidates. Consulting companies. Closing deals. These functions create a posture of authority. You can begin to believe that your voice is the most important one in the conversation. But what will make your voice have any weight is if you’ve learned to listen. Listened to the insights and pain points and successes of candidates and hiring managers and hr professionals. Recruiters are consultants when they’ve become connoisseurs of conversations.
Rachel Galvanin – Voted Best Recruiter 2021
Rachel Galvanin was voted by LinkedIn members as the #1 recruiter in 2021.
We asked Rachel how it felt to be the winner and what advice he has for other recruiters.
I was shocked and dropped my bagel on the ground. I am extremely grateful and thankful and it just pushes me to be the best!
Rachel's Top Tips For Recruiters
Be less salesy and more engaging. I still talk to hiring managers and contractors I placed over 8 years ago because I built such a great relationship with them and they trusted me. They then passed my name around to friends that were looking for new jobs and I got to know them on a personal level. Everyone wants that personal touch.
Also remember every day won’t be easy so you must be ready to fail. You will hit many road blocks and have candidates back out last minute which can be frustrating, but it’s life! You can’t be in control of everything and you will need to learn to face rejection head on to continue to be successful!!!
Tom Nearing – Voted Best Recruiter 2020
Tom Nearing was voted by LinkedIn members as the #1 recruiter in 2020.
We asked Tom how it felt to be the winner and what advice he has for other recruiters.
I was totally humbled and blown away to be nominated and the response from those that supported me was surreal. Incredibly grateful to have been able to impact people in a way that they felt was valuable and beneficial. Grateful to Mike for his advocacy in this profession and encouraging best practices industry wide.
Tom's Top Tips For Recruiters
- Focus on relationships. Reputation is more valuable than gold. Focus on the money and both your reputation and the money will disappear. Focus on people and serving them to the best of your ability and the rest will take care of itself.
- Be patient. While the mechanics are super straightforward and obvious, this profession is incredibly nuanced. This is one of the most people centric professions you could choose. Navigating human relationships and emotions is a skill learned over a lifetime. So, find someone you respect that has been here awhile and listen to their stories and takeaways.
- If you don’t like roller coasters, this might not be a great fit for you. If you enjoy assisting two parties through delicate situations where fear and or anxiety is sometimes taken out on you, congrats, you landed your dream job.
- Have fun. Be creative. Don’t entertain haters. Be honest. Be yourself. Make friends. Explore industries.Create fun content. Be helpful. Take road trips. Take chances. Don’t settle. Chase interests. Cultivate the Golden rule mentality – love others + about 1000 other things. Jump in, get your hands dirty, and come back and add to this list.
Rebecca Oppenheim – Voted Best Recruiter 2019
Rebecca Oppenheim was voted by LinkedIn members as the #1 recruiter in 2019.
We asked Rebecca how it felt to be the winner and what advice she has for other recruiters.
I am humbled to be chosen for this year’s People’s Choice Best Recruiter! And thank you Mike for personally nominating me. It means a lot, especially since my company, nextOPP Search, helped you fill a leadership role earlier this year. There were a lot of incredible recruiters mentioned in the comments – people I am lucky to continually learn from. This is really for all of us.
Rebecca's Top Tips For Recruiters
Find mentors. Recruiting is a roller coaster filled with daily wins and losses, but you aren’t alone. There are so many successful ones before you who love paying it forward – sharing best practices and lending advice when you are in a rut. I’m lucky to have found my now co-founder, Gail Buck, when I first started recruiting. She’s helped me accelerate my recruiting career and I’m forever grateful. But it doesn’t have to be someone within your company, or even your city. We constantly tell candidates to network – we should do it as well!
Tabitha Cavanagh – Voted Best Recruiter 2018
Tabitha Cavanagh was voted by LinkedIn members as the #1 recruiter for 2018.
We asked Tabitha how it felt to be the winner and what advice she has for other recruiters.
I am extremely grateful and humbled to have been chosen as this year’s People’s Choice Best Recruiter! There are so many wonderful & deserving recruiters out there, some who were named and many who were not. To share the recruiter spotlight among these elite professionals is a true honor.
Tabitha's Top Tips For Recruiters
Always begin with your WHY. That will drive you when the going gets tough. This business revolves around consistently and passionately elevating others. Be their advocate. Build authentic relationships and, at the end of the day, simply care about people. Ezra 10:4
How to Show Appreciation to Recruiters
Since National Recruiter Day was born on LinkedIn, it is only appropriate to show appreciation to your favorite recruiter on LinkedIn.
On May 30th, write a post on LinkedIn sharing your story about an amazing experience you have had with a recruiter.
If possible, tag that recruiter in your post and #NationalRecruiterDay.
Not only are you going to make that recruiters day, but you are also going to be a part of something huge!
Good recruiters are hard to come by, the ones who go above and beyond deserve a little recognition.
National Recruiter Day Fun Facts
Below are some Fun “Facts” about National Recruiter Day!
- National Recruiter Day began May 30th, 2017 on LinkedIn.
- It is a felony to say anything negative about a recruiter on National Recruiter Day (according to this author’s own legal system).
- National Recruiter Day is recognized in over 15 countries including the USA, India, Brazil, UK, Canada, France, Italy and Mexico.
- National Recruiter Day is awesome and worthy of a day off (for recruiters only).
- Recruiters are ‘thanked’ 10x more on National Recruiter Day than any other day of the year.
