This month marks 22 years since I first stepped into the staffing and recruitment industry. What started as a curiosity quickly became a calling, and over two decades later, I’m still learning, growing, and occasionally laughing at how unpredictable this business can be.

Recruitment is one of those rare careers that teaches you as much about people as it does about business. You see the best in humanity, the worst in timing, and the incredible things that can happen when the right person lands in the right place at the right moment.

To celebrate 22 years in the industry, I’ve put together 22 lessons I’ve learned along the way — a mix of professional truths, personal philosophies, and a few bits of humour earned through trial, error, and plenty of perseverance.

22 Lessons I’ve Learned in 22 Years of Staffing and Recruitment

1. Try before you’re ready. If you wait until you feel ready, you’ll be waiting forever.
2. Trust your gut. It’s rarely wrong — and if it is, it’s at least honest.
3. Attitude can’t be taught. You either bring it or you don’t.
4. Take advice from the right people. The ones in the arena, not in the stands. (Thank you, Teddy Roosevelt, for saying it best.)
5. Work with people you like and respect. It makes the wins sweeter and the tough days lighter.
6. Surround yourself with reflections of the life you want. Energy is contagious — pick your people wisely.
7. Find mentors, coaches, and guides. If you can see it, you can be it.
8. Give back to your communities. You belong to many. Involvement looks good on everyone.
9. Be a connector. The most valuable people are the ones who help others find each other.
10. Shine a light on those around you. There’s always enough spotlight to share.
11. Don’t play by unfair rules. Relationships where standards shift depending on who you are aren’t worth keeping.
12. Reciprocity matters. It doesn’t have to be equal, but it does have to exist.
13. Your word is everything. Be a promise-maker and a promise-keeper.
14. Celebrate all wins — big and small. Progress counts, even if it’s just inch by inch.
15. Compliment generously. You’ll never run out, and it might make someone’s week.
16. No one has it all together. We’re all just figuring it out, one spreadsheet (or staffing crisis) at a time.
17. Balance is a myth. The real question is: What matters most right now?
18. Hire (and keep) people who are humble, hungry, and smart. The magic trio.
19. People remember how you make them feel, not what you said. (Unless what you said was really bad — then they remember both.)
20. Clear is kind. Ambiguity is the silent killer of great teams.
21. Be impatient with action but patient with results. Momentum first, milestones later.
22. The only difference between results and rejection is persistence. Stick around long enough to see the payoff.

Bonus #1: Your performance should always be good, sometimes great, but never terrible. (Everyone’s entitled to an off day — just not a pattern.)
Bonus #2: “Life is the dance between making it happen and letting it happen.” – Ariana Huffington

Closing Thoughts
If there’s one overarching lesson from all of this, it’s that success in staffing, and in life, is built on connection, consistency, and courage. The courage to try before you’re ready, to trust your instincts, to celebrate others, and to keep showing up even when the results take their time.

Here’s to the next 22 years of learning, growing, and helping great organizations find the great people who help them thrive.

PB